HC Deb 13 May 1941 vol 371 cc1068-70
31. Captain Sir Derrick Gunston

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any statement to make about the retail trade?

34. Mr. Doland

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will be in a poistion to make a statement in order to alleviate great anxiety in the retail trades of this country, following the announcement that the whole question of the future of the distributive trades was under consideration?

Mr. Lyttelton

The House is aware of the many and urgent problems which confront retail traders at the present time. My object is to ensure that the present disabilities from which they suffer do not press with unfair severity on any particular class or section of the retail trade. In order to ensure that the problem is fully considered in all its aspects, I have decided, after consultation with my right hon. Friends the Ministers of Labour and National Service and Food, to appoint a committee to advise me. I am not yet in a position to announce the full membership of the committee, but Mr. W. Craig Henderson, K.C., has agreed to act as chairman. I propose that the committee should include two members of independent standing, two representatives of labour, and five or six members with experience of the various categories of retail trade. This makes rather a larger committee than I could have wished, but I am satisfied that if it is to include knowledge and experience of the subject it cannot well be smaller, and it is my object to secure that any proposals put forward shall take full account of the various interests concerned. The terms of reference of the committee are as follow: To examine the present problems of the retail trade in goods other than food, having regard both to the immediate needs of the conduct of the war and to the position after the war, and to report. I have given the committee these wide terms of reference because I am anxious not to prejudice in any way either its consideration of the questions with which it has to deal or the directions in which it may look for a solution of the difficulties. I do not intend, however, that its report should be delayed until it has surveyed the whole field; that would take far too long. I propose, as soon as the committee has had time for preliminary discussion, to consult with the chairman with the object of preparing one or more interim reports on the more urgent aspects of the subjects.

The decision to leave food distribution outside the scope of the committee was taken at the request of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food, and I understand it is endorsed generally by retail traders, whether engaged in the distribution of food or of other goods. In so far as the problems considered by the committee affect food distribution, they can be considered in relation to those trades by the consultative machinery which my right hon. Friend has already established. In conclusion, I would like to make it clear, first, that the appointment of this committee is intended to expedite the study of those urgent and important problems, and, secondly, that I regard it as essential that any measures which may be taken to deal with them should secure a fair and equitable balance between the different trading interests concerned, both small and large.

Mr. Rhys Davies

When my right hon. Friend speaks of the representatives of labour, does he mean representatives of the trade unions in the distributive trade?

Mr. Lyttelton

Yes, Sir.

Mr. Lyons

Can my right hon. Friend give the House an assurance that, pending the report of this Committee, he will take no steps, by order or otherwise, for the concentration, or telescoping, of the retail trade?

Mr. Lyttelton

It has never been part of the Government's policy to formulate plans for the concentration of the retail trade.

Sir. H. Williams

Arising out of my right hon. Friend's reply—

Mr. Speaker

rose—

Sir H. Williams

This is rather important.

Mr. Speaker

We have spent about five minutes over this Question already.

At the end of Questions—

Sir H. Williams

On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. In connection with the rather lengthy Reply to Question No. 31, could it not be arranged that when Ministers have very lengthy Answers they should be given at the end of Questions, so that there would be ample opportunity for Supplementary Questions? The Question raised very important issues, and you, quite properly, prevented further Supplementary Questions because of the slow progress being made; nevertheless, that did have the effect of excluding one or two Supplementary Questions of very considerable importance.

Mr. Speaker

Very often when the Reply to a Question has been of unusual length, I have arranged for it to be taken at the end of Questions, so as to give an opportunity for further Supplementary Questions, but on this occasion I did not know that the Reply was going to be so long.