§ 19. Mrs. Mannasked the Paymaster-General how many local authorities have been given power to check coal deliveries for grading and prices thereof, as well as for weight; and how many have asked for these powers and been refused.
§ Mr. RentonThe Weights and Measures inspectors of five local authorities have been given powers to enable them to investigate offences against coal price control. Requests from four authorities have been refused and three are under consideration.
§ Mrs. MannCan the hon. and learned Gentleman explain why so many local authorities have been refused, and can he explain the misleading reply which I got from his right hon. Friend at the Dispatch Box when he said that his own system of prosecution was satisfactory? Will he tell the Paymaster-General that under his own system Bradford had two prosecutions in five years and under the Weights and Measures system it had 40 prosecutions in one year? Are we to assume that Bradford is full of rogues or that the rest of the country is not getting justice?
§ Mr. RentonI should certainly want to look in detail into the circumstances concerning Bradford before answering the hon. Lady's question. With regard to my 590 right hon. Friend's previous statement, there is no question of his having said that our system was perfectly satisfactory. Indeed, the reason why he accepts the cooperation of the local authorities in certain specified cases to give us the help of their Weights and Measures inspectors is so that our own staff of Ministry inspectors can be helped in those special circumstances where such help appears to be necessary.