30. Mr. Hamiltonasked the Lord Advocate what progress he has made in drafting legislation designed to protect consumers from unfair trading practices, details of which have been brought to his notice.
§ Mr. MaclayI have been asked to reply. I am considering, in consultation with my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Advocate, who greatly regrets that owing to ill health he is unable to be here today, and my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, the representations which have been made, but I am not yet ready to make a statement.
Mr. HamiltonI am sure we all hope that the Lord Advocate is not overworking trying to draft a solution to this problem. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is now several months since the Lord Advocate promised us that he would try to introduce legislation to deal with this firm of N. G. Napier, which is a bare-faced robber? Is he aware that only this morning I received a letter from one of my constituents telling me that he was called to the house of his guarantor, and that, as a result of that guarantor's wages having been arrested, my constituent suffered two broken ribs and two bruised ribs at the hands of the guarantor? We shall have a "Congo" in Scotland if we are not careful. Will the Secretary of State set about this job, and get rid of these despicable people?
§ Mr. MaclayThe hon. Gentleman will not expect me to comment without notice on that very interesting statement that he has just made, for which, I assume, he must accept responsibility. I assure him that no time is being wasted, but the problem is a very difficult one.