A.D. 1924.

Increased Government contributions in case of houses

Provisions).

2. (1) Where, in pursuance of proposals approved by the Minister after the passing of this Act, any houses are provided by a local authority themselves or by a society, body of trustees or company within the meaning of section three of the said Act, or expenses are incurred 5 by a local authority in promoting the construction of any houses in accordance with section two of the said which are Act as amended by this Act, then, if the houses are subject to special subject to special conditions as hereinafter provided conditions. in this Act, the contribution which the Minister may 10 make or undertake to make in respect of each such house, instead of being a contribution of six pounds payable annually for a period of twenty years

(a) shall be a contribution of nine pounds or, if the house is situated in an agricultural parish, 15 twelve pounds ten shillings; and

(b) shall be payable annually for a period of forty years;

and the said Act shall have effect accordingly:

Provided that where the contributions are made 20 towards expenses incurred by a local authority in promoting the construction of houses in accordance with section two of the said Act as amended by this Act, the said Act in its application to any of those houses shall have effect with the following modifications, namely—

(i) In the provision in subsection (1) of section one
which requires that a contribution shall be
reduced in certain contingencies, nine pounds
shall be substituted for six pounds, and forty
years shall be substituted for twenty years:
(ii) Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (3) of
section two shall cease to have effect, and the
following paragraph shall be substituted for
paragraph (b) of the said subsection:

66

25

30

(b) Undertake to pay such annual sum 35 as may be specified in the proposals for a period not exceeding forty years to the person for the time being in receipt of the rent payable by a tenant to whom the house is let in accordance with the requirements of 40 this Act."

(2) For the purposes of this Act, a house shall be deemed to be situated in an agricultural parish if at the

5

10

Provisions).

beginning of the financial year in which the proposal for A.D. 1924. the provision of the house is approved by the Minister

(a) the net annual value of the agricultural land
in the parish in which the house is situated,
as shown in the county rate basis then in force,
exceeds one-third of the total net annual value
of that parish as shown in the same basis (the
value of all property in the occupation of the
Crown being taken into account); and

(b) the population of the parish according to the
last published census return of the Registrar-
General, is less than thirty-five persons per
hundred acres.

Any question as to whether a parish is or is not 15 an agricultural parish within the meaning of this subsection shall be determined by the Minister, whose decision shall be final.

(3) In the case of any houses situated in an agricultural parish which are provided by a county council 20 or any such board or body as is mentioned in subsection (3) of section eight of the Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act, 1919, for persons in their employment or paid by them or by a statutory committee, this section shall apply in like manner as it applies in the case of houses 25 not situated in an agricultural parish.

(4) Houses provided in pursuance of proposals approved by the Minister after the first day of February, nineteen hundred and twenty-four, and before the passing of this Act may for the purposes of this section, 30 if the Minister so directs, be treated as if the approval had been given after the passing of this Act.

3.-(1) Houses provided by a local authority them- Special conselves shall be deemed to be subject to special conditions ditions. if the local authority undertake in such manner as the

35 Minister may require that the following conditions will be complied with in relation to the houses:

40

(a) that the houses shall be let by the local authority
for occupation to tenants who intend to reside
therein;

(b) that it shall be a term of every such letting that
the tenant shall not assign, sublet, or otherwise
part with the possession of the house, or any

A.D. 1924.

Provisions).

part thereof, except with the consent in writing
of the local authority or some person authorised
by them in that behalf;

5

(c) that the local authority shall not sell or (save
by such lettings as aforesaid) otherwise dispose
of the houses except with the consent of the
Minister, which may be absolute or subject to
such stipulations as the Minister thinks proper,
including, if the Minister thinks fit, stipulations
for the reduction of the amount or the curtail- 10
ment of the duration of any contribution
payable by the Minister in respect of the house,
or for both reduction and curtailment;

(d) that a fair wages clause in accordance with a
form prescribed by the Minister shall be 15
inserted in all contracts for the construction of
the houses; and

(e) that the rents charged in respect of the houses
shall not in the aggregate exceed the total
amount of the rents that would be payable if 20
the houses were let at the appropriate normal
rents charged in respect of working-class
houses erected prior to the third day of
August, nineteen hundred and fourteen, except
where the expenses incurred in connection with 25
the provision of the houses exceed, so far as
the same are borne by the local rate, an
amount equivalent to four pounds ten shillings
a year payable for a period of not less than
forty years for each house and then only to 30
the extent of such excess.

(2) Houses provided by a society, body of trustees
or company within the meaning of section three of
the Housing, &c. Act, 1923, and houses, the construction
of which is promoted by a local authority in accordance 35
with section two of the said Act, as amended by this
Act, shall be deemed to be subject to special condi-
tions if the society, body of trustees or company, in
the case of the houses provided by them, and the local
authority in the case of the other houses undertake, 40
in such manner as the Minister may require, that
the conditions which the Minister prescribes will be
complied with in relation to the houses, being conditions
corresponding as closely as circumstances admit to

Provisions).

the conditions set out in paragraphs (a) to (d) of the last A.D. 1924. preceding subsection, and such further conditions as the Minister considers necessary for the purpose of securing that the houses will be let for occupation 5 to tenants intending to reside therein at rents not exceeding the rents which could be charged by the local authority had the houses been provided by the local authority themselves.

(3) For the purposes of this section, the appropriate 10 normal rent shall be deemed to be such rent as the local authority determine, in accordance with rules prescribed by the Minister, to be the rent that is normally charged in the area of the local authority in the case of workingclass houses erected prior to the third day of August, 15 nineteen hundred and fourteen: Provided that different rents may be so determined to be the appropriate normal rents as respects different classes of houses and as respects different parts of the area.

(4) If at any time it is shown to the satisfaction of 20 the Minister that any undertaking given under this section, or that any of the special conditions to which a house is subject under this section has not been complied with, any contribution payable in respect of the house may be discontinued or the amount thereof may be 25 reduced, and the duration thereof may be curtailed, according as the Minister thinks proper.

4.-(1) Subject as hereinafter provided, the Minister Termination and the Scottish Board of Health may jointly make an of Governorder under this section declaring that no contributions ment lia30 shall be made by the Minister or Board in respect of any make conbility to houses which have not been completed before the date tributions. specified in the order.

35

40

(2) The Minister and Board may make an order under this section in either of the following cases(a) if, in the year nineteen hundred and twentyseven, or in any third succeeding year, the Minister and Board are satisfied that the total number of houses which have been completed in the two years last preceding and in respect of which contributions are payable, is less than two-thirds of the number set opposite to those two years in the First Schedule to this Act;

Provisions).

(b) if, on a report made after due enquiry by a
body of independent persons appointed by
them, the Minister and Board are satisfied
that the cost of erecting houses in respect of
which contributions are payable has become 5
unreasonable, regard being had to all the
circumstances of the case and in particular to
the question whether and how far any increase
in the cost or any excessive charges are attribu-
table to causes within the control of persons 10
engaged in the building industry or in the
manufacture or supply of building materials.

(3) When any such order has been made the Minister
or Board shall not be liable to make or to undertake to
make any contributions in respect of houses which have 15
not been completed before the date specified in the
order.

5. In the year nineteen hundred and twenty-seven, and in any third succeeding year, the Minister and the Scottish Board of Health shall take into consideration 20 the expenses which are likely to be incurred in the next succeeding three years in connection with the provision of houses in respect of which contributions would be payable by the Minister or Board, due regard being had to the expenses actually incurred during the preceding 25 three years for the like purposes, and after consultation with such associations of local authorities as appear to them to be concerned, may, if they think it expedient so to do, jointly make an order altering the amount of the contributions payable or the period for which such 30 contributions are to be payable, so far as respects houses which have not been completed before the first day of October in the year in which the order is made or before any subsequent date specified in the order, as the case may be, but so, nevertheless, that the 35 amounts and periods fixed by the order shall be such as may be approved by the Treasury and shall not exceed the respective amounts and periods fixed by the Housing, &c. Act, 1923, or (in the case of houses subject to special conditions), by this Act, unless 40 Parliament otherwise determines.

An order under this section may make such consequential alterations of any sums or periods mentioned in the financial provisions of the said Act or in this Act