Mr Arthur Jones: He should not be in business at all.
Mr Arthur Jones: asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to speed up the procedure for the approval of structure plans.
Mr Arthur Jones: I understand that fewer than half of the 45 plans have yet been approval, and that in April and May this year about 10 were approved but that that had taken more than four years from the date of their submission. Does not the right hon. Gentleman think that there is an over-elaborate inspection of plans in his Department? Does he not agree that the whole procedure needs speeding up because...
Mr Arthur Jones: It is a particular pleasure for me to follow in debate the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing). His knowledge and authority in these matters is well known and widely recognised. I had the great pleasure of sailing with him down the Regents canal and he was able to describe to me the developments that had taken place on either side of the canal and what lay beyond what we could see....
Mr Arthur Jones: Ownership of rail wagons is not limited to British Rail. Many concerns have their own wagon systems. I depart again from what the hon. Gentleman says. The skilled labour force responsible for canal repair and management would be transferred. Wider career opportunities would exist for the labour force and there would be a more extensive application of their experience and knowledge. It should...
Mr Arthur Jones: I want to refer to the question of the nationalisation of the building industry. It is a matter that was avoided by the Secretary of State during his speech earlier today, and I suspect that the proposals that are contained in the document "Labour's Policy on Construction" are somewhat of an embarrassment to him. I sense that that is the case in respect of a number of Labour Members, and when...
Mr Arthur Jones: In the context of what the Minister has just said, clearly there is an intention of the Government that responsibility shall lie with the county councils. If that is accepted Government policy, to what extent should the traffic commissioners be allowed to have power to override the county councils? Is the Minister in a position to give an assurance to the House that the traffic...
Mr Arthur Jones: Is the Minister able to say anything about the effects that a reduction of 8 per cent. in the MCAs will have on the pig industry and on curing in this country? He mentioned a lowering of the coefficient from 1·35 to 1·25. What effect will that have upon bacon?
Mr Arthur Jones: I think I am right in saying, although I do not wish to challenge my hon. Friend, that the unemployment criterion was put in for 1976–77 but was omitted in 1977–78 and is not included in the future criteria for the needs element of the rate support grant. I support my hon. Friend in the point he is making about the completely unsatisfactory nature of the criteria used for the...
Mr Arthur Jones: I find it difficult to follow the Minister. Apparently he is talking about a global sum which includes the resources element, and within that element there is a figure to support the relief proposed in the Bill. Surely, if that relief did not exist, the global sum would be reduced by that amount. The fact that there is a global sum which includes a series of elements cannot mean that, if an...
Mr Arthur Jones: But that partially denies what the Minister said earlier, that there is no additional demand on central Government resources. One question is that of demand on the taxpayer and ratepayer. The other is the method by which the resources are raised and charged. I agree that across the country as a whole, by reason of the rate support grant arrangement, the Minister is correct, but surely it...
Mr Arthur Jones: I am sorry that the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment is not present, because I want to pursue, only briefly, some of the points which have already been discussed with regard to the responsibilities which will lie on the central Exchequer and local authorities flowing from the provisions of the Bill. I warmly welcome these provisions and the extension of the financial concessions...
Mr Arthur Jones: I take very much to heart the Minister's comments about the desirability of obtaining major protection for the public in circumstances where their money is lost through the misbehaviour of estate agents, but this is not the first occasion on which I have expressed the view that legislation of this character is too complicated and far-reaching to form the subject of a Private Member's Bill....
Mr Arthur Jones: I take the point made by the hon. Gentleman, but I believe that I covered this matter earlier. What is required is a simple licensing and bonding measure. I learned that lesson when I was trying to get my original Bill through the House. I discovered that my Bill had evolved in too elaborate a fashion. I came to the view that this could be achieved by a simple licensing measure, but I do not...
Mr Arthur Jones: A dishonest policeman?—I hardly see the analogy. I do not think that that is relevant to the point I am making. The purpose of the amendment is that the right of appeal to the courts should not be limited only to points of law, and I regard that as perfectly reasonable. I call in aid the comments of the Corporation of Estate Agents: We are concerned by the implications of this clause,...
Mr Arthur Jones: Does the right hon. Gentleman see partnership agreements as an alternative to development corporations, bearing in mind the difficulty of development corporations perhaps not being acceptable to local authorities? Does he see a more appropriate relationship between central and local government, through partnership committees, than we have had hitherto?
Mr Arthur Jones: My hon. Friends the Members for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) and Faversham (Mr. Moate) have been modest in their criticism of the clause and its effects. I would not have thought that it is a responsibility that is welcomed by the Director General of Fair Trading or the Secretary of State. I am sure that they would not want responsibility for making the type of judgment which they...
Mr Arthur Jones: I am not sure that I share the Minister's complacency. As a practising estate agent and a member of the Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers, I find it difficult in my dealings with residential property to know just which decisions are likely to be taken by those who have the responsibility for determining what is fair trading under the Bill. The easiest thing in the world is to...
Mr Arthur Jones: Perhaps I did not use the extravagant language that the Minister's reply warranted. The answer may be that I am incapable of using it. It is most disturbing that these powers should be created with regard to the handling of residential property. This provision is, after all, only to deal with a minor problem, but its magnitude is being developed in a way that is quite unjustified by the...
Mr Arthur Jones: I sympathise very much with what my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Waver-tree (Mr. Steen) has proposed in his new clause. To some extent he is pushing at an open door. I hope that that is a proper interpretation. When we were discussing this matter in Committee the Minister said: Clearly, the Opposition recognise, as we do, the vital importance of involving local industry and local...