Mr Francis Douglas: I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time." The object of the Clause is to secure the application of fair wages conditions, and I think it requires no explanation.
Mr Francis Douglas: I desire to support the Amendment, which covers a very important aspect as far as the County of London is concerned. I hardly think the Chancellor of the Exchequer could have taken this fact into account. In London we have only 1½ per cent. of the total length of highways in the country, whereas we have 20 per cent. of the rateable value. It does seem a little unfair that the County of...
Mr Francis Douglas: I should like to thank the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Clause, which meets the wishes of the local authorities. The only difficulty is a rather subtle piece of drafting by which a cost-of-works payment is treated as a value payment when the works are not done. That would vest the right to payment in the vendor of the property, and if it does so, that meets the point.
Mr Francis Douglas: I would like to support the arguments put forward by the last two speakers. If there were some assistance by which rents payable to a ground landlord should cease the position would be different, but at present he will remain entitled to his rent. In the particular case we are considering at the moment, it is obvious that the lessee cannot possibly disclaim his lease and so relieve himself of...
Mr Francis Douglas: The Solicitor-General is very confident about the position in these matters, but as I read this part of the Bill, a great deal will depend upon the regulations which will determine the extent and nature of the indemnity which is to be provided by the Board of Trade. If we have an assurance that the policies will be drawn with a wide definition and that, in effect, there will be indemnity for...
Mr Francis Douglas: The answer given by the President of the Board of Trade on the position of local authorities is highly unsatisfactory. The Amendment which my hon. Friend moved just now was in order to make it clear that all the activities of a local authority would, for the whole of this Bill, be treated as a business. It was understood when my hon. Friend withdrew his Amendment that that was the...
Mr Francis Douglas: We are dealing with hereditaments, not chattels.
Mr Francis Douglas: I am very much obliged for the statement made by the Minister. With all respect the position is clearer now than it was when he made his previous statement.
Mr Francis Douglas: This Clause is one of very great importance, because it is not only necessary that the amount of compensation should be the correct figure but that it should go to the parties who have really suffered damage. The Amendments moved by the Chancellor to-day to Sub-sections (2) and (3) have gone a considerable distance towards remedying one of the most serious defects in the Bill, but there are...
Mr Francis Douglas: I beg to move, in page 3, line 47 to leave out from "equal," to the end of the Subsection, and to insert to the difference between the value which the hereditament would have after the execution of the works necessary to make good the damage thereto and the value which it would have as a site clear of any buildings or works and with the damage so far as it affects the site not made good. This...
Mr Francis Douglas: No, Sir, I am not prepared to withdraw the Amendment. The Chancellor has not given us much encouragement for a settlement of this question, and the arguments in favour of the Amendment have not been met. The Chancellor and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury have used arguments, which apply equally to the cost-of-works payment, with which the Chancellor is quite content. If a property is...
Mr Francis Douglas: I beg to move, in page 5, line 22, to leave out from "interest" to "that" in line 24. The point is a very short one. Under the Clause as drafted it appears that the Commission has power to take away the legal rights of some of the parties who are interested in a property because other parties who are interested in it have certain views. That appears to be a highly unjust provision. There is...
Mr Francis Douglas: There is a point that I wish to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to consider relating to payments in respect of temporary work. In a large number of cases temporary works are carried out by local authorities. They have a statutory obligation in certain cases to execute temporary work upon houses in order to enable occupants to get back into them as quickly as possible. The local...
Mr Francis Douglas: The Solicitor-General has given us a very valuable explanation, but the explanation does not cover all the points involved in this question. The ascertainment of profits for the purposes of the Excess Profits Tax is in normal cases, I understand, made upon Income Tax lines. The provision here applies only in those cases in which comparison is made between the actual profits and the standard....
Mr Francis Douglas: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has made a forceful speech against this proposed new Clause on two grounds. The first is that it affects the principle of the Bill, and the second is that it would open the way to other proposals for exemption from the tax. With regard to the second point, I am sure that the Chancellor is able to draw a clear and firm distinction between a local authority and...
Mr Francis Douglas: The magnitude of the problem which faces the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the House is measured by the fact that national expenditure is now estimated at something like two-thirds of the pre-war national income, and even with the most optimistic estimate of the increase of income due to more people being in employment, longer hours, and so on, this must mean that we are spending upon...
Mr Francis Douglas: asked the Postmaster-General, whether he will consider including in future issues of books of postage stamps a proportion of stamps of 2½d. denomination?