§ 36. Mr. Tileyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of cases reported to the police to the last convenient date, of motor vehicles still under hire-purchase agreements having been illegally sold by the hirers.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeIn the Metropolitan Police district, 34 cases were reported to the police in 1954, and 66 in the first ten months of 1955. I regret that information from other areas is not available.
§ Mr. TileyWhilst thanking my right hon. and gallant Friend for that answer, may I ask, in view of the serious consequences of this type of larceny—not to the hire-purchase companies, but to the car purchasers—whether he will consider, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, an alteration of the registration book—the "log book," as it is called —to stop this type of trickery?
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeIn view of the very large numbers of hire-purchase vehicles, I think the figures I have quoted —34 cases in 1954 and 66 in 1955—are small. I am informed by the police that they do not regard this as a serious problem.