§ 50. Mr. Gibsonasked the Minister of Supply whether he will introduce legislation to prevent firms engaged in vital defence work, who need extra factory space to enable them to increase production and improve their efficiency, from being forced to pay high prices for additional factory space.
§ Mr. SandysNo, Sir.
§ Mr. GibsonAre we to take it that the Minister is not concerned about cases such as the one he knows about, where a firm engaged on armaments production and needing extra space found themselves exploited over the price they were asked to pay for such space? In the instance I have given him, the price of a factory rose in seven days from £7,000 to £12,000. If that goes on all over the country, will it not have a serious effect on the cost of all kinds of production?
§ Mr. SandysI did not say that I was not concerned. What I said was that I was not proposing to introduce legislation.