§ Mr. Stokesasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether local food committees have power to refuse to grant a licence merely because the applicant was not in business as a food retailer before the war and to refuse to agree to a transfer of a business to anyone unless he has been a food retailer prior to the war?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonFood control committees have been instructed as a general rule, in the performance of their duties under the Food Control Committees (Local Distribution) Order, 1939, not to grant licences to food retailers who were not engaged in the same business in their area at the outset of the war. They have, however, discretion in special cases, particularly in the issue of a licence or transfer of a licence to a new owner where a business has changed hands.