§ 44. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received the communication dated 16th April from the hon. Member for West Ham, North asking him to exercise his statutory authority regarding the Altodie Limited and Altodie (Northern) Limited Companies; what action he has taken; and what was the nature of his reply to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. EmeryYes, Sir. This letter was received last week, acknowledged last 1055 week and a reply will be sent as soon as possible, I hope this week.
§ Mr. LewisI am very much obliged for the expeditious way in which the interim announcements are being made. But will the hon. Gentleman give me an assurance that he will not allow this case to drag on as his Department did with regard to John Bloom, Vehicle and General and about 20 other companies that have been deliberately and consistently breaking the law for years and years, with no action taken against them? Will he treat such companies a little more viciously, in the same way as the trade unions have been treated viciously over their breaking the law?
§ Mr. EmeryI think the hon. Gentleman will agree that he would be the first to want to ensure that a full and proper investigation was carried out and that no blame or anything else was suggested until the inquiry had been carried through. That has always been the intention of my Department, and I intend to see that it continues in that way.