§ 83. Mr. Maclayasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give an assurance that every order prohibiting the carrying on at any premises in the United Kingdom of any trade or business, made by him under the powers conferred on him by Defence Regulation 55A, as continued and amended by S.R. & O., 1945, No. 1618, by virtue of the Supplies and Services (Transitional Powers) Act, 1945, will be laid before Parliament.
§ Mr. BelcherThe laying of Orders under Defence Regulations is not a matter for Ministerial assurance, but of statutory requirement. Under Section 4 of the Supplies and Services (Transitional Powers) Act, 1945, every Order made under a Defence Regulation which is of the nature of a Public Act is required to be laid before Parliament, and is subject to negative resolution. Defence Regulation 55A empowers Orders to be made prohibiting the carrying on at any premises in the United Kingdom, or in any area in the United Kingdom, of a trade or business of a class specified in the Order which was not being carried on during a specified period. It does not empower the Board of Trade to make an Order prohibiting a named firm from starting business. All Orders made under the regulation have been of the nature of Public Acts, and I cannot conceive of an Order being made which would not be of that nature.