It will not have any effect on that system. The plain point that planning permission would be required under certain circumstances is a further reason why some of these claims hold on for longer than others. All the claims are known. This is the main point. There is no real dispute about their existence. All that we are seeking now is to secure a point in time, not too far removed, at which they will be determined. I cannot see any special grounds for dispute.

I said that I would give one illustration of the public authority case. The Guildhall and County Hall, I understand, are responsible for about £1½ million, which goes a long way to explaining the apparent imbalance between outstanding claims on different classes of property.

The right hon. and learned Gentleman made a good point about the unclaimed balances account. The total, I understand, is about £6,000. I also understand—I should like to check this—that no claim has been made since 1946. This does not invalidate the point which the right hon. and learned Gentleman made. I do not believe that I can carry what he said further, except to say that I entirely accept the propriety of his observations about this, and that we must do our level best to make sure that there is nothing unclaimed through ignorance, for example, which is something no one would want to have on his conscience. Perhaps the later stages of the Bill will permit a further examination of this point. It is not a very large one in terms of money, but I could not agree more that in terms of principle it is very important.

I trust that covers the points which the right hon. and learned Gentleman raised as well as I can deal with them at the moment. I cannot do better than end my own short contribution to this debate by saying how much I appreciate what was said by the hon. Gentleman the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Dr. King). He put the matter very well indeed. It was a very richly deserved tribute to the people of this country as well as to the War Damage Commission. I believe that the words he used will give all the more pleasure because they have been so well earned. I am sure that they were proper observations to make as we start the final legal process of winding up what was a very large, a very rewarding and a very inspiring operation in this country.