§ Mr. SIMMasked the Minister of Health if he is prepared to recommend that power be given to Parliamentary Committees in the case of Bills and to the Ministry in the case of inquiries under Section 54 of the Local Government Act, 1888, to order that promoters of abortive extension schemes should pay the costs incurred in opposing them?
§ Sir A. MONDAs regards private Bills, where the Committee on the Bill decide that the preamble is not proved and report unanimously that the opponents have been unreasonably and vexatiously put to expense in defending their rights, the opponents are entitled to recover their costs or such portion of them as the Committee think fit from the promoters. Any extension of these powers would require legislation. As regards local inquiries, there is already power to order the pay- 1571W ment of the costs of one party by another. I will send the hon. Member a copy of a Circular Letter sent to local authorities last year in which this is stated.