§ Sir H. NIELDasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade the number of cases in which a prosecution has been directed by the Central Committee of the Profiteering Act Department in respect of complaints made to the complaints committee by retailers against wholesalers and manufacturers, and cases remitted by local committees for the investigation of wholesalers' and manufacturers charges; what has been the result of such prosecutions as have been completed and how many prosecutions are now 1858W pending, the total number of complaints by retailers against wholesalers, and also the numbers of cases remitted by local committees, and how many of each have been disposed of; and what is the aggregate number of administrative staff employed in these duties?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANOne hundred and sixty-nine complaints have been made to the Central Committee by retail tradesmen alleging profiteering on the part of wholesale tradesmen or manufacturers. One hundred and sixty-one of these cases have been disposed of: the Complaints Committee of the Central Committee having recommended the prosecution of the wholesale trader or manufacturer in two cases, neither of which have yet come before the justices. One hundred and thirty-seven cases have been referred to the Central Committee by local committees for investigation of the profits made by the wholesaler or manufacturer. Sixty-nine of these cases have been disposed of, the Central Committee having recommended the prosecution of the wholesale trader or manufacturer in seven cases, none of which cases have as yet come before the justices. If, as I assume to be the case, my hon. and learned Friend refers to the administrative staff of the Complaints Standing Committee of the Central Committee, the staff is at present three in number.