§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the growing practice of demanding premiums for the letting of houses and fiats, in contravention of Section 9 of the Rent Restriction Act of 1923, by the method of insisting upon the taking of fixtures or furniture for which an exorbitant sum is charged; whether this system is being enjoined upon tenants by house agents as a means of evading the law with regard to premiums; and will he take steps to prevent this practice?
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§ Mr. WHEATLEYI am not aware whether the practice to which thehon. and gallant Member refers is growing or not, but I am advised that under the Act of 1923, premises which fall vacant are automatically removed from control, and that there is therefore nothing to prevent the taking of a premium on a re-letting.