§ Sir B. Jannerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will 196W publish the precise terms in which he has recommended to local authorities the importance of giving sympathetic consideration to applications from bodies eligible under Section 11(4) of the Rating and Valuation Act, 1961, for a reduction or remission of rates; and whether he has made any specific recommendations so far as grant-aided research associations are concerned.
§ Sir K. JosephThe relevant passage from the Department's Circular No. 49/61 addressed to local authorities on 20th November, 1961, was as follows
4. Section 11 of the Act (i.e. the Rating and Valuation Act 1961) gives mandatory relief for certain hereditaments with effect from 1st April, 1963, where the notice required by the section has been duly given to the rating authority. In general terms these are hereditaments occupied by charities (or trustees for charities) and wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes. They include all almshouses (subsection (1)(b)) and official residences of full-time ministers of religion (subsection(9)); they exclude the charities, specified in the First Schedule, being universities and colleges assisted by grant from the University Grants Committee. No other hereditament will have mandatory relief under the Act. Indeed section 12 ends a number of general statutory exemptions and empowers the Minister to end exemptions under local Acts (subsection (5)).5. With this curtailment of the field of ratepayers entitled to mandatory relief it will be increasingly important for rating authorities to give sympathetic consideration to application from bodies which do not qualify for mandatory relief but are eligible under subsection (4) of section 11 for a reduction or remission of rates at the discretion of the council. While the Minister does not wish to urge the needs of one group of hereditaments as against another, he thinks it necessary to draw particular attention to the concern expressed in Parliament about the effect upon amateur sports clubs of a liability for substantial amounts in rates.I have made no specific recommendations about relief for grant-aided research associations.