§ 41. Captain WEDGWOOD BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade when and in what form he will give the House the information relating to employment in the industries manufacturing the goods to which it is proposed to apply Orders under Part II of the Safeguarding of Industries Act?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONAs the hon. and gallant Member has previously been informed, all available information on this matter is contained in the published Reports of the Committees.
§ Captain BENNDo we understand that ex parte statements made before a Committee, without cross-examination and not on oath, are now to be regarded as the official figures relating to the industries?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONNo. I do not think that follows at all.
§ Captain BENNDid not the hon. Gentleman say that the only official figures are those contained in the Report, and are they not arrived at in the way described?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThe hon. and gallant Gentleman has already been told twice that all the information as to numbers employed in the industries concerned available at the Board of Trade was placed at the disposal of the Committee of Inquiry.
§ Captain BENNIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the President of the Board of Trade promised to give us the information? Will he do so, and when?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONNo. If my hon. and gallant Friend will refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, he will see that my right hon. Friend said on 3rd July that he would be only too pleased to give the figures if he had them, but he had not got them.
§ 43. Captain BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, when he laid the Orders under Part II of the Safeguarding of Industries Act before Parliament, he was satisfied that the goods referred to are being sold under the conditions defined in Section 2 of the Act, or merely that they had been sold under such conditions?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONMy right hon. Friend was satisfied that the necessary conditions precedent to an Order, as laid down in Sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of Section 2 of the Act, were fulfilled.
§ Captain BENNIs the President of the Board of Trade satisfied that the conditions exist to-day, or is ho only satisfied that they existed last year?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONWhat the Act requires is that the President of the Board of Trade should be satisfied that the conditions of the Act have been fulfilled.
§ Major MACKENZIE WOODIs it not six months since the inquiry took place and have the conditions not changed materially in that time?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThat is a matter which might be usefully raised in Debate.
§ Major WOODHas any inquiry been made to see if conditions have changed?