HC Deb 02 December 1965 vol 721 cc250-2W
Mrs. Thatcher

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources, what criteria the proposed Land Commission will use in deciding whether land may be needed for development and therefore can be bought by agreement under the proposals contained in Command Paper No. 2771.

Mr. Willey

The Commission will have regard to a number of factors such as national and regional policies and the views of local planning authorities.

Mrs. Thatcher

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources, whether under the proposals contained in Command Paper No. 2771 a person who owns his house under crownhold tenure will only be able to sell it to the Land Commission at a price no higher than he originally paid for it, irrespective of what happens to house prices generally.

Mr. Willey

No. A person holding a crownhold house direct from the Land Commission on concessionary terms will receive on resale to the Commission the market value at that time less the concession. A person selling a crownhold house to a housing association or other body will receive whatever is appropriate under the rules of the body.

Mrs. Thatcher

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources whether he will publish another White Paper explaining in detail the interaction between the levy proposed in Command Paper No. 2771 and the Capital Gains Tax as it affects land transactions.

Mr. Willey

No. Details of the proposed arrangements must await the Finance Bill, but in the meantime my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer or I will be happy to answer any general inquiries the hon. Member cares to send to us.

Mrs. Thatcher

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources how many branch offices of the proposed Land Commission he estimates will be required in Great Britain; and where they will be situated.

Mr. Willey

Eleven; in addition to the headquarters office in Newcastle.

Plans have been, or are being, made to earmark accommodation for regional offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon, Cumbernauld, Ipswich, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading and Salford.

Mrs. Thatcher

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the rights of individuals are fully safeguarded under the proposals contained in Command Paper No. 2771 for introducing a more rapid compulsory purchase procedure.

Mr. Willey

Any compulsory purchase order to which objection is maintained will need to be confirmed by a Minister who must first consider the representations of the objector.

Mrs. Thatcher

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources how he proposes to finance the activities of the Land Commission in its early years; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of money required in each of the first three years to enable it to function in accordance with his proposals in Command Paper No. 2771.

Mr. Willey

I would ask the hon. Member to await the introduction of the Bill.

Mr. Farr

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources if it is the inten- tion of Her Majesty's Government to charge levy on value attributable to material development against the developer who has acquired land or minerals since the White Paper on the Land Commission was published and before the appointed date.

Mr. Willey

Yes, if the development is started after the appointed day.