Dublin South-East): I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.”
It has been clear for some time now that existing methods of dealing with the problems of redevelopment and urban renewal in inner urban areas have not been able to achieve the necessary results in area of special need. In these areas buildings have been allowed to decay and become derelict and the environment generally has become degraded. In addition, there are often high levels of unemployment, poor housing and other social conditions, high rates of crime and vandalism, poverty, factory closures and lack of job opportunities.
This situation has evolved despite the best efforts of the local authorities and the various other agencies who have worked over the years to try to stem the tide; indeed, but for them, the situation today would be far worse. The problem is not simply an Irish one, nor does it concern Dublin only; cities throughout the world and the major urban areas in Ireland are experiencing similar problems. Much has been already written and spoken about the problems of inner urban areas and their causes and possible solutions and I have no wish to add unnecessarily at this stage to that mass of material. Two things are clear, however: first, that the present situation is far from satisfactory and, second, that what is now required is action rather than words.
The Fianna Fáil Government showed their concern in a concrete way for inner city problems when they established an interdepartmental committee in 1978 to report and make recommendations to deal with the particularly acute problems of the Dublin inner city area. Following completion of the committee's report, the Government set up the Dublin Inner City Group in May 1979 to further the work of the interdepartmental committee, to develop a programme of action by the various Departments and public agencies operating in the inner city and to co-ordinate the activities and policies of these bodies. More recently, it has been decided to establish a statutory Dublin Inner City Development Authority in order that the work begun by the group may be intensified and extended. I shall return to this aspect later.
The establishment of the Dublin Inner City Group in 1979 was a response to particular social and economic problems discussed in the report of the interdepartmental committee. There is, however, another dimension involved in that the special problems associated with much of Dublin's inner city area and with many of our other inner urban areas are characterised by the poor physical condition and sometimes widespread dereliction of many of their buildings. Because of this the Government have decided that it is necessary to give special attention also to the physical problems of development, redevelopment and renewal in inner urban areas. My own appointment as Minister of State in the Department of the Environment with special responsibility for urban renewal is an indication of this.
The introduction of the Urban Development Areas Bill, 1982, represents another step towards getting to grips with the problems of urban renewal. While the Bill heralds a new approach designed to supplement existing efforts in areas of special need, it does not set out to replace existing systems or programmes. Indeed, one of my objectives as Minister of State will be to assist and encourage existing agencies, and particularly local authorities, in intensifying their efforts in the field of urban renewal.
Regretfully a misinterpretation has arisen and suggestions have been made that local authorities will have their powers usurped in some way. I should like to give an assurance to the House that nothing could be further from the truth. Local authorities will be in constant consultation with development committees. I will be examining conditions in urban areas throughout the country to see what steps might be appropriate to promote renewal and regeneration in their particular circumstances. In other words, not only Dublin is getting attention. I intend on a nationwide plan to examine all the cities, and as many towns as I can, with a view to compiling a statistical analysis of priority needs in respect of urban renewal.
I will also be examining the existing statutory provisions by which urban renewal objectives are defined and promoted by the local planning authorities and considering what steps might be taken to make them more effective. I wish to emphasise, therefore that the establishment of urban development commissions does not mean that the local authorities will not continue to have a key responsibility for promoting modernisation and improvement of their urban areas. On the contrary, it will be a central element in the Government's overall approach to this problem to provide these authorities with every possible support in this most important aspect of overall national development.
The essential purpose of the present Bill is to enable a new form of agency, an urban development commission, to be created to undertake and promote schemes of redevelopment and renewal in designated parts of urban areas. The main powers and functions of the proposed commissions are set out in section 4 of the Bill. The basic provision is the imposition on a commission of a duty to secure the overall regeneration of its area and for this purpose the commission will have power to acquire, hold and manage land for development, either by itself or by others; to prepare and implement, or secure the implementation of, schemes for the development, redevelopment or renewal of land; to dispose of land as may be appropriate; to carry out amenity or environmental improvement works; and to assist, in accordance with a scheme approved by the Minister, persons or bodies concerned with the improvement of the area. Each commission will be expressly required under section 4(1)(b) to maintain as far as practicable a balance as between housing, industrial, commercial, social, amenity and other development within its area. This is an extremely important requirement for there is widespread acceptance that the problems of many of our urban areas have been contributed to, if not caused, by a failure to secure balanced development.
It might be said that the powers being given to urban development commissions are not very different to those already available to the local authorities. Basically this is correct. Local authorities, however, are multi-purpose bodies and their energies and resources have to be spread over the whole of their areas and among a wide range of functions. The establishment of specialist bodies in areas of special need is therefore fully justified. These bodies can be expected to develop substantial expertise in land and estate management and development and in the financing of development and redevelopment. They will be able to operate in a more flexible manner than could a local authority and to form appropriate joint arrangements with both public and private bodies. They will, I hope, be able to attract new housing, services and industry to their areas, as well as carrying out development directly themselves. The proposed commissions will be ad hoc bodies, established to regenerate particular areas, and when they have completed their assignments, commissions will be dissolved and their assets and liabilities will be transferred to other statutory bodies. This is provided for in section 19 of the Bill.
Under section 3, an urban development commission will consist of a chairman and not more than six ordinary members. Neither the chairman nor an ordinary member of a commission may be a member of either House of the Oireachtas or of the Assembly of the European Communities. Establishment orders will be made under section 5 to provide for the method, terms and conditions of appointment of members and for all of the other basic matters which have to be covered when a statutory body is being established. This procedure is based on the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act, 1971, which has operated successfully. It is intended that the establishment orders will provide that the appointment of the chairman and the other members will be made by the Minister.
The success of each commission will depend to a large extent on the calibre of its membership and it must be the aim to secure the services of the best possible qualified persons. The membership will need to be representative of a range of disciplines, including people with experience in local government and public administration. The functions of the commissions will include the acquisition of land for development and the implementation of schemes of redevelopment, so that members who have a background in estate management and property development will also be an asset. In addition, people with a sound knowledge of commercial financial management could have an important contribution to make to the working of a commission.
Urban development commissions are not intended to become a major burden on the Exchequer and, accordingly, section 18 spells out appropriate financial obligations for them. In so far as property development activities are concerned, a commission will be required, taking one year with another, to meet its operating expenditure from revenue and to be in a position to repay its borrowings. In addition, the Minister is being empowered to require any particular commission to generate sufficient revenue to meet some of its capital needs. This could be a reasonable requirement in some areas but it would obviously not be appropriate to impose it as a blanket requirement because the financial circumstances of commissions could vary widely. Depending on the nature of their area and its development potential, some commissions may have difficulty in complying with the requirements of section 18, while others may be able to generate more funds than they themselves require at a particular time. To cater for this latter possibility, an order under section 5 can make provision for the application of profits or other income or funds of a commission in such manner as the Minister may direct, including application for the benefit of the Exchequer.
Under section 15, an urban development commission will have power to borrow money at home or abroad for current or capital purposes. It is anticipated that commissions should be able to raise the bulk of their capital requirements by borrowing directly themselves or by other financial arrangements. To facilitate such borrowings section 17 allows the Minister for Finance to guarantee borrowings up to a limit of £50 million. Exchequer advances to urban development commissions, up to a limit of £50 million, are permitted by section 16, but it is envisaged that access to repayable advances of this kind will not be available to commissions except as a last resort.
It may not always be possible to meet the full expenses of urban development commissions from revenue. For example, expenditure arising from the making of grants for local improvement works, etc., under section 4, or in relation to a planning scheme under section 6, or certain overhead expenses, could require separate financing. For this reason section 14 of the Bill enables grants to be paid by the Minister to an urban development commission after consultation with the commission in relation to its programme of expenditure.
Sections 6, 12 and 13 deal with the position of urban development commissions in relation to the physical planning system. In framing these provisions the Government were anxious to ensure that a reasonable balance was struck as between two sets of objectives. On the one hand, there was the need to preserve as far as possible the existing physical planning system, as operated by the planning authorities, and to avoid serious interference with the comprehensive nature of that system. On the other hand, it was considered that urban development commissions should have the power to exercise a major influence on the development and redevelopment of their areas and to initiate and carry out development with the absolute minimum of delay. I believe that sections 6, 12 and 13 provide an appropriate solution to this difficulty.
Under section 6, a commission may, and must if so directed by the Minister, prepare a planning scheme for its area. In preparing such a scheme a commission will be required to take account of the existing character and special features of the area, to consult with any local authority concerned and to make arrangements for the making and consideration of submissions by interested persons. When a scheme has been prepared a planning authority concerned will be obliged to have regard to the scheme in making a development plan, and in directly carrying out any development in the area of the commission. In addition, planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála will be required to take account of any relevant scheme in dealing with an application for permission or approval under section 26 or section 27 of the 1963 Planning and Development Act.
A planning scheme will set out the manner in which an urban development commission considers that the overall regeneration of its area should be secured and will specify the kinds of development which, in the opinion of the commission, should or should not be carried out in the area with that end in view. A planning scheme will not, however, take the place of a development plan under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963. Instead, it will be a matter for the planning authority, having regard to the scheme, to review their plan and to make any necessary variations in it.
I would hope that planning authorities would go further than this and make special development plans for any urban development areas for which planning schemes are prepared. A permissive power to make such partial plans is already provided by section 19(5) of the 1963 Act but has not been used to any significant extent. Accordingly, section 13 enables the Minister to intervene, where he considers it necessary to do so, and to direct that a partial plan should be made by the planning authority in relation to a specified part of their area. This provision has been stated in general terms, rather than being confined to urban development areas, because it seems desirable that a mechanism should be available to bring about increased use of the partial development plan procedure in different kinds of areas throughout the country, for example, areas of high amenity or areas where development pressure is severe, if this seems to be called for in particular cases.
Special provision is made in section 12 in relation to the carrying out of development by an urban development commission, or development which is approved of by such a commission. Essentially, the approach is to treat such development in much the same way as development by State authorities is now treated under section 84 of the 1963 Planning Act. This means that the normal planning control procedure will not apply and that a consultation procedure will be substituted. There are, however, a number of important changes in the section 84 procedure. First, the planning authority, when consulted, will have power to attach conditions in relation to the development; second, the Minister, when consulted in a case where the commission and the planning authority cannot resolve any differences, will have power to prohibit a development, where he thinks fit; and third, provision is made for a form of public participation process which does not apply at present where development by State authorities is proposed. These arrangements should ensure that development in which urban development commissions are involved will not be unnecessarily delayed by reason of the application to them of a system designed primarily to regulate and control the activities of private developers rather than public authorities. At the same time, the proposed arrangements respect the position of the planning authority concerned and should provide them with a reasonable opportunity to influence development in which a commission is involved.
The regeneration of our inner urban areas will require concerted action by many agencies to radically improve the economic, social and physical condition of these areas. No single authority can provide all the answers and it will only be through increased co-operation between the different agencies involved and, in particular, between the public and private sectors, that viable solutions can be devised and implemented. The establishment of urban development commissions should not, therefore, be seen as a panacea for all the ills of rundown inner city urban areas. On the contrary, responsibility for the regeneration of inner urban areas will largely remain with the local authorities, especially in their capacity as planning authorities, and, as I have already indicated, I will be working with these authorities to give a new impetus to their work. It is only in cases of very special need that urban development areas and commissions will be established and section 2 of the Bill makes this clear.
I should emphasise that the section allows for the creation of urban development areas not only in Dublin but in any other county borough, borough or urban district in the country. That is not to say that the Government intend to extend the urban development commission widely in the initial stages. It may well be that part of Cork county borough and an area in Limerick city, to mention two examples, would be suitable for designation as urban development areas and I will be looking at this possibility in the future. It has been decided, however, that it would be sensible and prudent to gain some experience of the new approach in two pilot areas before moving on to the designation of other areas, either in Dublin or elsewhere.
As pilot projects, sections 2 and 3 of the Bill designate the Custom House docks development area and the Dublin walled city development area, both of which are located in Dublin. As I said earlier, the problems of dereliction and decay are not peculiar to Dublin but there is no doubt that they are most acute there. Dublin is the nation's capital and its physical condition is, therefore, a matter of more than local concern; the Dublin problem has, in fact, a regional and national dimension too. It is for these reasons that the two pilot projects are located there. The two areas in question are interesting from the historical point of view and each has great and distinctive potential for development and redevelopment. While they are obvious candidates as the pilot development areas, it may be of assistance to the House to fill in some of the background and to elaborate somewhat on our hopes for these areas. Before doing so, I should mention that I have arranged to have maps of each of these areas placed in the Oireachtas Library for the information and assistance of Members.
The Custom House docks development area essentially consists of the large area, now in the ownership of the Dublin Port and Docks Board, which the board themselves have sought to redevelop. This unique site has been described in the board's 1980 planning application as a redundant port facility but which has potential in relation to a range of other activities because of its relationship to the city centre. Having regard to the location of the site and the exciting possibilities presented by its availability for redevelopment, the Fianna Fáil Government had been considering, before the June 1981 general election, what arrangements should be made to secure the redevelopment of the site in a fitting manner. The matter was also considered by the Coalition Government during their period of office but no definite plans emerged. It has now been decided that the area should become an urban development area and, therefore, the responsibility of an urban development commission; sections 2 and 3 of the Bill provide accordingly.
The first Custom House Dock, directly east of the Custom House, was a project which involved John Beresford and James Gandon, the team responsible for the construction of the Custom House itself. This dock, of course, no longer exists. The remaining dock system, completed over 150 years ago, consists of the larger Inner Dock and the smaller and outer George's Dock, both connected to the river Liffey by a sea-lock.
The docks have now been reduced to a tidal state and no ship has entered them for some ten years. The docks' peak phase of activity had, in fact, ceased by the time the newly-established Dublin Port and Docks Board took over ownership of the site from the Revenue Commissioners in 1869 and the adequacy of the docks for the size of ship using the port, even then, was in question. Now, the main port area has moved to new positions down river and out into the bay itself, thus opening up a substantial gap between the site and the rest of the board's jurisdiction on the north side of the river.
Although the docks are no longer in use, warehouses on the site are still operated by the Port and Docks Board's Warehousing Department. Much of the total space dates from early in the last century and, according to the board's planning application, the warehouses are operated at a low level of use because they are not suited to modern goods handling techniques and are inconveniently located, cut off from other port activities. A significant number of men are employed in connection with these warehouses, but there is no question of putting these men out of work when the new commission are established.
Section 8 of the Bill enables land within the Custom House Docks Development Area to be transferred to the new commission on a phased basis, according as progress is made by the Port and Docks Board with the relocation of essential warehousing facilities. It will be a matter in the first instance for the new commission and the Port and Docks Board to agree a programme for the handing over of the site to the commission. Ultimate responsibility will lie with the Minister who will have power under the legislation to make orders providing for the actual transfers of land. Under section 8 the consideration to be paid by the commission to the board is to be determined by agreement, or in default of agreement, the consideration will be determined by the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Transport. The criteria on which such determination must be made are set out in the section: essentially what is proposed is that the consideration should be such as will enable the board to provide essential replacement facilities elsewhere.
The redevelopment in a balanced manner of the Custom House Docks site will be a challenging task for the new commission. There will be scope for housing and industrial development as well as offices and amenity development. Some of the existing structures have conservation potential and the commission will have to take this into account. I am confident, too, that they will endeavour to capitalise on the riverside location of the site. The redevelopment will have to be phased to fit in with the relocation of essential warehousing, but when it is completed I am confident that Dublin will have acquired a new neighbourhood of which we can all be proud.
The second pilot project for which provision is made in sections 2 and 3 of the Bill will be very different from the Custom House Docks development project. The Government were anxious to select an area on the southside of Dublin and which would involve a different approach and enable experience to be gained in an area where the land is partly in private and partly in public ownership.
The area of the medieval walled city was a rather obvious choice. This area properly can be described as the historic core of Dublin. It still contains the seat of city government as well as Dublin Castle, Christchurch Cathedral and other structures of note. It is an area with very great potential. It has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. The fact is that, while Georgian Dublin has been singled out for special attention within the framework of the Planning Acts for quite some time, it is only in relatively recent times that the general public and the public authorities have become conscious of the importance of Dublin as a Viking town and of its significance in medieval times. Indeed, it was not until the excavations in the 1960s at High Street and Winetavern Street that interest in Dublin's medieval origins developed.
We need to appoint in Dublin, and indeed elsewhere in the country, a city architect who would be able to add immensely to redevelopment in areas of archaeological importance. He should be appointed by the local authority and work within the framework of the local authority so that we would not only have development but preservation. I will give the impression of one writer on the subject:
Medieval Dublin lies hidden from view, buried in the mists of time or beneath the present street level. Little that is genuinely medieval now greets the eye. Portions of the defences and of a few churches still survive, but most of these have been extensively refaced or altered in other ways. The basic street pattern laid down in the Middle Ages remains more or less intact, though many minor streets and alleyways have been obliterated and major streets have been widened during the last two centuries. Streets that once were full of colour and life present a grey, sombre appearance and an eerie, unnatural air of dereliction.
The rather depressing situation described in this extract from the note on medieval Dublin published by the Ordnance Survey in 1978, with their map of the medieval town in the modern city, has not come about overnight. Neither would it be realistic to suggest that the situation can be transformed overnight. I was speaking to an architect recently who said that the decay of Dublin started more than 100 years ago but it is only recently that people began to realise it had reached such proportions.
I am confident, however, that the establishment of an urban development commission, with special responsibility for the regeneration of the area, will have a major impact and that with imagination and drive, the area can be restored. It can assume a new vitality and attractiveness for those who live and work in and adjoining it as well as for Dubliners in general and for visitors from elsewhere in the country, and from overseas. On Sunday I was in St. Audoen's Church, which dates back to 650 AD. It has been restored and at the moment it is being put forward as a main tourist attraction in the city. It will have a small adjoining park. That is the kind of restoration and renewal that can be carried out in an aggressive manner.
It will, of course, be a matter for the Urban Development Commission to decide in the first instance how best the regeneration of the area might be secured and the nature and extent of the development which should be carried out for that purpose. However, I would like to think that, where possible, the commission would attempt to recover and highlight and illuminate sections of the city wall and to bring back to the areas trades and crafts which have been shown by archaeological excavations to have been carried on extensively in the area in the past. These include bronzeworking, weaving, leatherworking and woodworking. In addition, one would hope that cultural facilities, including small museums and art galleries, might be attracted to the area, that small landscaped areas would be introduced and that appropriate shopping, restaurant and other facilities would be developed. Additional residential development to cater both for families and for single people would certainly be desirable, with the emphasis on achieving a balanced community. The possibilities, indeed, are very great and, for this reason, I expect that the commission will give priority to the preparation, under section 6 of the Bill, of an appropriate planning scheme, taking account of the character and special features of the area and of consultations with Dublin Corporation, as well as submissions from interested persons. There are other agencies doing very fine work in the city, for example, An Taisce, Friends of Medieval Dublin and so on.
I should explain that the definition of the Dublin walled city development area used in the Bill is based on the 1978 Ordnance Survey publication entitled: "Dublin c840 to c1540: the Medieval Town in the Modern City". The designated development area is essentially the area within the medieval walled city as represented on the Ordnance Survey map and as shown on various representations of Speed's Map of 1610. However, it has been necessary, in line with standard practice in defining local government areas, to proceed by reference to the centre lines of streets.
I am aware that there are other areas of historical and archaeological interest adjacent to the boundary of the development area and that there is also a need for the regeneration of these areas. However, the best approach seemed to be to define an identifiable central core area in the first instance, leaving it open to the Dublin Walled City Development Commission to make proposals to alter the boundary of the area, if this is shown to be desirable in the light of planning and other surveys which the commission will no doubt undertake. The Minister, under section 2(3) of the Bill, will be empowered, by order, to make such alterations. Apart from the central core area, as soon as work starts in this locality an increased awareness will develop relating to our archaeological treasures and past, and people will develop a more healthy respect for our ancient buildings and make an effort to do something about them. I believe that now financially it is a worth-while proposition to renew rather than demolish and build again, apart from the aesthetic aspect.
Provision is made in section 9 of the Bill for the transfer of land, by Ministerial order, from a statutory body to an urban development commission. Such a transfer can be made only where the land is not being used by, or is not required by, the statutory body concerned and, as in the case of section 8, a special basis of compensation is being provided for. This section could be of some significance in relation to the Dublin walled city development area and other similar areas which may be designated in the future. It will provide a convenient mechanism for making expeditious transfers of land to urban development commissions to enable them to make progress with the regeneration of their areas. It will also enable firm action to be taken, where appropriate, to meet the allegation which is frequently heard, that a significant proportion of derelict and vacant sites are owned by statutory bodies.
Apart from the transfers of land which may be effected under section 9, an urban development commission in an area such as the Dublin walled city development area will have to acquire land for itself within the area, in so far as it considers this to be necessary for the purpose of securing the regeneration of its area. Provision for the compulsory purchase of land by urban development commissions is, therefore, included in section 7 of the Bill. In addition to directly acquiring land for development or redevelopment, I will be looking to commissions to explore various other ways and means of bringing about development, redevelopment and renewal by other agencies, whether public or private.
The Government believe that the initiation of development and redevelopment by urban development commissions within their areas will have a pump-priming effect. It should have a significant impact on the activities and investment programmes of private sector bodies and I hope that these bodies will be attracted to locate their own new developments in appropriate inner city locations, thereby making a significant contribution to the overall renewal of these areas. I am confident that section 11 of the Bill, which will enable rates remission to be provided on a selective basis in respect of premises in urban development areas, will prove to be an important additional incentive to development in these areas. Consideration will also be given to providing additional incentives for the carrying out of development of appropriate kinds and for the establishment of suitable trades and business in urban development areas. In particular, it is intended to examine the question of providing for appropriate tax reliefs in respect of trades and business which might be particularly suited to these areas.
The Government are strongly committed to the development and revitalisation of inner urban areas and it is intended that public authorities generally should play their part in a new drive to meet this objective. In the last analysis, however, much will depend on the private sector. I have just mentioned the question of inducements and incentives but there is also another way of looking at this matter. Almost 150 years ago, Thomas Drummond — a Scotsman who was one of the most able and enlightened of those who held the post of Under-Secretary in Ireland — wrote to an Irish landlord to remind him that "property has its duties as well as its rights". A statue of Drummond still stands, with the sculptured figures of Grattan and O'Connell, in Dublin's City Hall, within the area of the medieval walled city. It would not be inappropriate for me on this occasion to remind the owners of property within our urban areas generally, and in particular within urban development areas, that for them, too, property has its duties as well as its rights. For far too long a selfish attitude has prevailed in Dublin, which has been almost a scorched earth policy without concern for preserving the aesthetic beauty of our cities and towns. I wish to state emphatically that my responsibility will be to endeavour to safeguard against indiscriminate badly contrived plans which would mar the city. Properties in central urban areas are inherently valuable and it is wrong that they should be allowed to decay or to remain derelict, or vacant, or underused. I should like to mention an excellent exhibition which is on display at present and which I had the privilege of opening. It is by the Institute of Architects at No. 8 Merrion Square.
Property owners must face up to their obligations to the community at large and, to ensure that they do so, the government propose to use persuasion as well as inducement. In particular, it is proposed to introduce a system of taxation of derelict sites so as to discourage the hoarding of property for profit and the resulting urban blight. It is galling to see some of the awful hoarded up sites in Dublin at present, not to mention other cities and towns, with indiscriminate flyposting going on without any consideration whatever for the appearance of our cities. This Bill, coupled with the stringent measures being taken in the Litter Bill, should go a long way towards improving the appearance of our cities and towns.
It is also intended to review the compulsory purchase system and the Derelict Sites Act with a view to facilitating and expediting the acquisition by public authorities of derelict and decaying property.
I referred earlier to the proposal to establish a statutory Dublin Inner City Development Authority. The preparation of the necessary legislation is at a very advanced stage and it is proposed to introduce the Bill this session. Both the Custom House docks development area and the Dublin walled city development area will fall within the area of the proposed authority. However, there will be no duplication of responsibilities or conflict of interests between the commissions and the authority. As I have already explained, the functions of the commissions will lie mainly in the acquisition of land for development and re-development and securing the implementation of schemes of physical re-development and renewal of various kinds. On the other hand, the proposed Dublin Inner City Development Authority will have responsibility for supplementing the work of a variety of agencies affecting the inner city and will play an active role in promoting co-ordination of investment and of relevant programmes and activities of public bodies. In addition, the proposed Authority will have its own special fund to enable it to make grants for economic and social development purposes.
An explanatory memorandum detailing the various provisions in the Bill has already been circulated. I have, therefore, concentrated my remarks on the broad features of the new approach, for which the Bill provides, to the regeneration of designated urban areas of special need. I am confident that this special effort will be welcomed by the community as a whole and I have no hesitation, therefore, in commending the Bill to the House.
