Clause 80 - Revocation of licences
Housing Bill
3:15 pm
Ms Yvette Cooper (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Pontefract and Castleford, Labour)
I hesitate to comment on individual cases. There are two ways in which one might think of somebody being fit and proper. The first is on their record as a landlord, and the second is on other aspects—for example, if they have committed a criminal offence involving serious fraud. One would certainly question whether such a person should be a landlord.
After considerable brain racking, the only example of a criminal offence that the officials could suggest was treason, on the basis that the editor of The Guardian has been through the courts debating treason, but that that might not affect his capability to be a landlord. Given that they decided not to put that suggestion in writing, they may not be happy to stand by that as a detailed record of their advice.