§ 89 and 90. Mr. Langford-Holtasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) what is his policy with regard to orders which may be made by him under Section 67 (1) of the Housing Act, 1957, in view of the fact that in recent cases he has confined himself to making such orders only in very special circumstances;
(2) whether, in order to reduce the hardship suffered by owners of land who oppose clearance and other orders made under Section 67 of the Housing Act, 1957, he will make a wider use of the discretion given to him under that Section in respect of allowance of expenses.
§ Mr. H. BrookeIt is not the practice to make an award of costs against a local authority carrying out any of their statutory duties unless they have either misconceived the duty or have acted unreasonably or vexatiously. I would, however, invite my hon. Friend's attention to the statement by the Lord Chancellor in another place on 27th November last, undertaking that the question of awarding cosfs in administrative inquiries should be referred to the Council on Tribunals when it has been appointed.