Scotland (General Grant)

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Employment – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16 December 1963.

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Photo of Mr William Ross Mr William Ross , Kilmarnock 12:00, 16 December 1963

It was more per vote than the Government expected. There are some very relevant questions to be asked. I am perfectly sure that we shall have the deputy Chief Whip sending for the Scottish Secretary of State to defend this important Order.

The fact is that we cannot but be dissatisfied with what we have got. I want to read what was said by the Secretary of State for Scotland in that Written Answer. He was asked: What steps he proposes to take to relieve hardship caused by increasing rates. One of the ways in which he can relieve hardship caused by increasing rates is to introduce such an Order as we have tonight. The Secretary of State said: Scottish local authorities have power to remit rates on the grounds of poverty or in ability to pay. The impact of rates on house-holders is being considered by the Allen Committee and will be a factor in the review of local government finance. whenever that may be.

He added: Meanwhile, in parallel with interim measures for Exchequer assistance which are being introduced by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in the Rating (Interim Relief) Bill published today"— that is 9th December— I propose to provide temporary assistance to Scottish local authorities. This will take the form of an addition of £1 million to the general grant at the beginning of the next general grant period in 1965. This additional sum will be distributed in the usual way to all towns and county councils."—[Official Report, 9th December, 1963; Vol. 686, c. 37.] So there is hardship today, and so the Secretary of State will introduce interim and temporary measures with the expedition and urgency that we associate with the party opposite—nothing this year; nothing next year, but in 1955–56 an addition of £1 million to the general grant. To what it will be added we do not know. We want an explanation. If the Secretary of State says that he will take action in parallel with the interim measures he should be doing so in this Order. I have read through the Rating (Interim Relief) Bill. It says that it will start in 1964–65. It is hardly taking parallel action to do something in 1965–66 when the person whose action one is supposed to be following in parallel has taken action a year before.

The pertinent point is that the second increase referred to in the Order is for the year when the action will be taken in England and Wales. I want to know why no action will be taken until then. At least the Government could have legislated for that. I do not see their being able to legislate for anything at all in 1965–66 because they will not be here. The usually silent noble Earl, the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North (The Earl of Dalkeith), around whose estates I did a little electioneering last week, should know from the results of the election that there is not much chance of his being here.

This is a very serious point. If there is hardship now it is hardly satisfactory to suggest that it should be dealt with in 1965–66, and to tell us that we shall be adding £1 million to something that we know nothing about. The whole thing is just a fraud.