HC Deb 26 November 1951 vol 494 cc853-4
12. Miss Elaine Burton

asked the Minister of Supply if he will take powers to ensure that people whose names have been on a waiting list many years have priority in the delivery of new cars.

Mr. Sandys

No, Sir.

Miss Burton

In view of the widespread dissatisfaction throughout the country on this matter, may I ask if the right hon. Gentleman is aware of the racket, which is perfectly legal, by which car dealers take cars from customers at around two-years old, and therefore outside the covenant, and sell them at twice the listed price, and so are able to make that profit plus the profit of a new car, and that that means that people on the normal waiting list have just no chance at all of their priority?

Mr. Sandys

It is a very difficult problem, but I do not think it is one which the Government can tackle. During the war, when there were comparatively few private cars being produced, it was possible to control the priorities for those cars. We now have to deal with about 80,000 cars a year. It is quite beyond the organisation that we could manage to set up—we should not be justified in setting up a larger one—to try to decide who should and who should not buy these cars.

Mr. G. R. Howard

Cannot my right hon. Friend consider the policy of releasing in the next few months a larger number of cars to the home market so that dealers can see what is the real position of the waiting list and remove many of those who have their names down for two or three different cars?

Mr. Sandys

We should very much like to increase the number of cars available to the home market, but we have to bear in mind the importance of the export trade at this moment.

Miss Burton

I appreciate that it is beyond the powers of the present Government to deal with this, but will the right hon. Gentleman do something to ensure that ordinary people do get the priorities to which they are entitled?

Mr. Sandys

As I explained to the hon. Lady last week, the industry are doing their best to ensure that specially urgent categories of people, such as doctors, district nurses, and midwives, do receive priority. If there should be other categories of people for whom it is urgent and important to have new cars, I am quite prepared to make representations to the industry to see that they get special attention.