§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions he has reached in the light of the responses of the consultation letter on the Mobile Homes Bill [Lords] announced by the Under-Secretary of State on 18 March, Official Report, c. 286.
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§ Sir George YoungThe consultation letter invited views on two issues:
- 1. the desirability of amending the Bill to introduce an element of implied terms guaranteeing certain rights for residents of mobile homes;
- 2. a possible amendment to the Bill to provide that a site owner could terminate his agreement only with a resident for breach of its terms following an application to the court.
The Government have carefully considered the responses of the representatives of site owners and residents, and others, to the consultation letter, and have decided to recommend to the House that the amendments be made. Government amendments have been tabled today on both these issues, for consideration at Report stage. Their main effect will be to guarantee certain rights for residents, including security of tenure and the right to sell a mobile home on site, while allowing free negotiation between resident and site owner on the level of pitch fees and other matters. Site owners will be required to provide residents with a written statement setting out both the implied terms and the express terms of the agreement between them. The Government believe that these amendments will further strengthem the protection for residents that the Bill provides, without adversely affecting responsible site owners.