Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 13 February 1945.
The withdrawal by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Sub-section 1 (a) of Clause 6 means that we know even less than before where we are on the question of restoration, and I would like the Attorney-General, when he replies, to tell us the Government's intentions on that subject. I want to put what is really a Committee point—an extreme case which is within my personal knowledge. In the centre of a very large and particularly well-managed farm, there is an avenue of trees. This avenue of trees has, for a long time, been used as a lorry park, and, in order to carry the lorries over a day soil, a concrete bed has been put down. What is the position owner of that farm? I estimate that the cost of removing this concrete, unless it is done, as it should be done and as I hope it will be done, by German prisoner labour, will be enormous and quite beyond the capacity of any private individual. Here is one large field in the middle of a large farm. Obviously, it is no earthly use to the Government if they acquire it, because it is no use by itself, yet its remaining in its present condition is highly detrimental to the farm. That is an extreme case, but, all over the country, you get instances of that sort of work where the restoration of the land, unless done by German prisoner labour under Government supervision, would be quite beyond the power of the owner. I can find nothing in this Bill which gives any indication how that particular situation will be met.