HC Deb 02 December 1947 vol 445 cc202-3
67 and 73. Mr. John Lewis

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make a full statement on the conversion of the Embassy Cinema in Deansgate, Bolton, into a distributive store for Messrs. Littlewoods, stating the grounds upon which his Department recommended that the Ministry of Works licence should be granted to Messrs. Littlewoods, and to include particulars of the location of other similar stores in the vicinity;

(2) if he will reconsider his decision to sponsor the licence granted to Messrs. Littlewoods, of Liverpool, to convert the Embassy Cinema, Deansgate, Bolton, into a distributive store, in view of the fact that the Bolton Corporation have protested against the grant of this licence on the grounds that there is no consumers' need.

Mr. Belcher

My right hon. Friend wrote to my hon. Friend on 5th November explaining at some length the reasons why the Board of Trade raised no objection to the Ministry of Works issuing a licence to Littlewoods. The Board of Trade have received no representations from the Bolton Corporation. I understand that there are seven department stores in the vicinity.

Mr. Lewis

Will my hon. Friend state now quite categorically whether or not his Department sponsored the granting of this licence by the Ministry of Works? In view of the statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer today, that there has been a very good response to the appeal for the return of labour to the textile industry, does not my hon. Friend think that the efforts now being made to set up a further retail distributive store in Bolton will have the effect of taking women out of the cotton mills and will undermine recruitment by his Department?

Mr. Belcher

So far as the second part of the supplementary question is con- cerned, it is purely hypothetical, and I cannot say what labour would be attracted by this store. As for the first part of the supplementary question, while not sponsoring the application, the Board of Trade did not oppose it.

Mr. Lewis

Do I understand from my hon. Friend that it is in accordance with the Government's policy that a further retail store should be set up, which would have the effect of taking women away from the mills, when there is a Marks and Spencer's opposite and a Woolworth's next door?

Mr. Belcher

Quite obviously, it would not be the Government's policy to do that.

68. Mr. J. Lewis

asked the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions during the last six months his Department have been requested to recommend to the Ministry of Works that licences be granted to business concerns in Lancashire to enable them to carry out renovations, repairs or reconstruction to their premises, and on how many occasions during this period has his Department refused to give this recommendation.

Mr. Belcher

I regret that the information for which my hon. Friend asks is not readily available, and I do not consider that the time and manpower required to provide it could justifiably be diverted from more urgent work.

Mr. Lewis

In view of the fact that many small shopkeepers and other business concerns have been refused these licences to carry out these renovations and repairs, what justification is there for the granting of a licence by the Ministry of Works—perhaps sponsored by my hon. Friend's Department—to set up a further retail distributive store?

Mr. Belcher

That seems to refer to the previous Question, which has already been answered.