§ Mr. BOWERMANasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that taxi-cab owner drivers having cabs on the hire-purchase system are being refused exemption from military service on the ground that no serious hardship will be experienced; whether he is aware that, in the majority of cases, the vendors of cabs refuse to relax their agreements, so that in the event of the men joining the Army the cab will revert to the vendors and the hirer lose all the money he has paid off the cab; and whether any steps can be taken to prevent such hardship?
§ Mr. LONGThe interests of a purchaser of a motor-cab on the hire-purchase system who joins His Majesty's Forces are protected by the Courts Emergency Powers Acts. The vendor cannot take possession without the consent of the Court. Assistance may also be granted in respect of instalments for the purchase of motor-cabs and of the cost of storage of cabs under the civil liabilities scheme. Grants for these purposes have already been made in a number of cases and in several instances the maximum grant of £104 per annum has been awarded.