§ Mr. W. J. Brownasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the case of old people who may not live to receive payment for their destroyed houses after the war and who, because of the loss of their property, are obliged to get other accommodation for which they cannot afford to pay and are consequently driven to poor relief, he will arrange for payment to be made for their destroyed property in advance of the general post-war settlement.
§ Sir J. AndersonI would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my Noble Friend the Member for the Sutton Division of Plymouth (Viscountess Astor) on 19th October last, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Spearman) on 7th December last.
§ Lady Apsleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the amounts offered by the War Damage Commission to owners of bombed property are inadequate to meet the requirements of the present day in respect of rebuilding; and whether the Commission have any power to increase amounts in special cases of hardship.
750W
§ Sir J. AndersonI assume the Noble' Lady is referring not to cost of works cases—in which the actual current reasonable cost of reinstatement is paid—but to value payment cases. The value payment prescribed in the War Damage Act is not related to building costs, but roughly speaking is the difference, calculated at March, 1939, values, between the market value of the property before the war damage and the market value after the war damage. The letter accompanying the Commission's provisional estimates (of which I am sending the Noble Lady a specimen copy) invites claimants who do not agree with the amount estimated to give reasons for their views and any special features which, in their opinion, should affect the valuation. The answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative, but Section 11 of the Act empowers an increase in the amount of value payments, at the time when payments come to be made, if circumstances arising since 26th March, 1941, which was the date of the original War Damage Act, are found to justify such increase.
Mr. De la Bèreasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, with regard to the small individual property owners whose property has been damaged by enemy action and by reason of the delay in effecting repairs are receiving no rentals for the same, he will make some contribution to meet such cases, in view of the great hardship experienced in loss of revenue; and what steps he is taking to expedite repairs to such property owned by people of limited means.
§ Mr. AsshetonLoss of income, including income from rents, has been sustained as a result off many causes arising out of the war and I regret that it is not possible to provide compensation in so wide a field. In reply to the last part of the Question I would draw the hon. Member's attention to recent statements by my colleagues and in particular to the arrangements made by the Minister of Reconstruction in order to render damaged houses habitable as rapidly as possible.