§ 25. Miss Burtonasked the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has to report in his consultations with the trade associations concerned on the subject of amending the Hire Purchase Act, 1954, so that in addition to the cash price, the amount of the deposit, the number of instalments and the amount of each must be clearly stated in all postal and newspaper advertising.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftI have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 25th October.
§ Miss BurtonIs the President aware that while he continues to have no reply to make at all, the ordinary public is being fleeced by these unscrupulous hire-purchase firms, who are including in their advertisements deliberately false and misleading statements? When does he intend to deal with the matter and have an answer ready?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThe law already provides that every agreement must state the cash price, the hire-purchase price and the amount of each instalment. It is a question whether that law should be extended to advertisements, and I am in consultation with a number of associations on that at present.