§ Lieut.-Commander Tufnellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether victims of enemy action who are officially under the War Damage Act, granted substantial sums of money to re-establish themselves in business, are expected to hire new premises and not to reconstruct, since the limit of re-building or repair work has been reduced to £100; whether he is aware that when no premises are available for hire the victim cannot re-establish himself in business; and whether, when introducing his revising Bill in the autumn, he will rectify this anomaly?
§ Sir K. WoodI am aware that under Defence Regulations framed to secure economy of materials in the public interest it may not be possible for a person whose business premises have suffered war damage to obtain a licence to rebuild them. The possibility of granting an advance payment under Section 8 (3) of the War Damage Act in such a case, and the purposes for which it might be granted and the appropriate amount, have to be considered in the light of the individual circumstances. Every effort is made to avoid hardship, and I see no necessity for amending legislation.