§ Mr. Grovesasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the procedure for an ex-Service man discharged from the Forces who previously owned a retail business in an area which has been badly affected by enemy activity and therefore has a restricted number of customers; and whether such person would be considered for the granting of a permit to trade in an area from which people have not been compelled to leave.
§ Mr. DaltonAs I explained in reply to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Leicester (Major Lyons) on 18th January, licences under the Location of Retail Businesses Order are granted as a matter of course to invalided ex-Service-men who wish to re-establish themselves in their former businesses. An application to open in another area, in the circumstances described by my hon. Friend, would be sympathetically considered, but in such cases licences cannot be granted without due regard to the number of similar shops already existing in that area.