§ 55. Miss Burtonasked the President of the Board of Trade what evidence he has received concerning the breaking of the law that all 'hire-purchase advertisements must state plainly the total cash price, the deposit payable and the amount and number of instalments; and what replies have been made by his Department.
§ Sir D. EcclesApart from a few reports of suspected breaches of the law my Department has made inquiries on its own initiative into the observance of the Act. There has so far been no case where the Board of Trade would feel justified in prosecuting.
§ Miss BurtonIs the Minister aware that that reply is really unsatisfactory? Does he know that the Retail Trading Standards Association and the National Association of Retail Furnishers say that there are many infringements of this, due to design and not to ignorance? When does he hope that his Department might take action instead of letting unscrupulous people get away with it?
§ Sir D. EcclesI cannot accept the critical comments of the Retail Trading Standards Association. I have looked at them carefully. If I thought that there were cases not due either to ignorance or misunderstanding, there would be grounds for prosecution.