Transfer of Certain Functions of Minister to President of R.I.C.S.

Part of Orders of the Day — Agricultural Holdings Bill [Lords] – in the House of Commons at 9:45 pm on 6 June 1984.

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Photo of Mr Gerry Bermingham Mr Gerry Bermingham , St Helens South 9:45, 6 June 1984

May I apologise to the hon. Member for Norfolk, South-West (Sir P. Hawkins) as was not in the Chamber when he moved the amendment. However, I was well aware of the line that he intended to take.

I wish to reinforce what I said in Committee, which is that justice must always be seen to be done. Someone who is appointed independently and who is completely independent makes a far better arbitrator than someone with whom a person could identify. I do not seek, as I said in Committee, to criticise in any way the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It is a very honourable body and it has served our society well for a number of years, but the Bill puts it in a very invidious position. If the amendment was accepted and we returned to square one with the Minister retaining his powers, everybody would accept the position, just as they have done for several years.

Since Second Reading and the Committee stage, I have taken the trouble of speaking to farmers in my region. Believe it or not, although I represent an industrial seat, most of the land is agricultural. I have walked round the farms and have spoken to the Tenant Farmers Association, the NFU and others, not only in my constituency but in Lancashire and Yorkshire, which is my home base. I gained the overwhelming impression that no one is happy with the provision in the Bill. Everybody opposes it. People think that it is unfair and unreasonable. As the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Mr. Hunter) rightly said, the savings are minimal. To lose those savings would be as nothing compared with the respect that would be gained by the arbitration service if there was once again a totally independent system of appointment. Accordingly, I hope that the Government will concede that small point, which is nevertheless important if we are to have harmony in our arbitration system.