§ 51 Commander BELLAIRSasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) in view of the fact that Russian Oil Products, Limited, the Central Association of Flax Growers, Limited, Black Sea and Baltic General Insurance Company, Limited, Centrosoyos, Limited, Anglo-Soviet Shipping Company, Limited, the Moscow Narodny Bank, Limited, and the White Sea Timber Trust, Limited, have no diplomatic immunity, whether it is intended to prosecute them for not having complied with the Registration of Business Names Act, 1616, Section 2;
(2) in view of the fact that Section 7, Registration of Business Names Act, 1916, imposes a fine of five pounds on every partner of the firm for every day of default in registration of names and particulars, whether he can state what is the total fine that the directors of the companies acting as general agents for Soviet Russia have made themselves liable for through failure to comply with the Act of Parliament in regard to registration;
(3) if he will state how many of the companies acting as general agents for Soviet Russia have failed to comply with the Registration of Business Names Act, 1916, Section 2; whether the matter has been the subject of any correspondence; and, if so, on what date?
§ Mr. W. R. SMITHI am making inquiries into the position of the particular companies mentioned by the hon. and gallant Member with a view to ascertaining whether they ought to be registered under Section 2 of the Act.
§ Mr. MARJORIBANKSWill there be a prosecution?
§ Commander BELLAIRSWill the hon. Member tell me when I can put down another question? I would like to get this information before we adjourn.
§ Mr. SMITHI could not say exactly when the information will be available. Perhaps the hon. and gallant Member might put down a question next week.
§ Commander BELLAIRSIs the Department not advised that there is no case for an inquiry, and that the companies ought to be registered?
§ Mr. SMITHCertain conditions are laid down under the Act as to companies which may be involved, and we must ascertain whether these companies come within those provisions of the Act.