§ 29. Mr. T. Williamsasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps have been taken by his Department to verify the authenticity of the signatories 174 on the application for an investigation into the affairs of a large film-producing company; and how many of the signatories are still shareholders in this company?
Mr. StanleyI have taken steps to verify the holdings of the applicants by reference to the latest official records filed with the Registrar of Companies and made up to 29th October last, and I have no grounds for supposing that the application is supported by persons who are not entitled to do so. In accordance with the usual procedure, the statement in support of the application has been sent to the directors of the company for their observations. If they show cause for doubting the authenticity or adequacy of the application, I will arrange for its verification from the company's own register in accordance with Section 98 of the Companies Act.
§ Mr. WilliamsDo I understand the right hon. Gentleman to mean that the list of shareholders who signed the application will be available to the company?