§ 44. Sir T. Beamishasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs by what criteria the National Board for Prices and Incomes will judge whether the disclosure of information voluntarily provided by trade associations or individual firms about price increases or pricing policies might be directly or indirectly damaging to the commercial interests concerned; what written assurances have been given in this regard; and in what terms and from whom he has received indications that these assurances are satisfactory.
§ Mr. AlbuCommand Paper 2577 on the machinery of prices and incomes policy states that any evidence of a confidential nature, the publication of which would damage the legitimate business interests of the firm concerned, will be taken in private and will not be published. This wording was agreed with representatives of the four national employers organisations with whom we have been having discussions as well as with the T.U.C. We think it represents a satisfactory assurance on this question and do not anticipate any serious difficulties in practice.