§ Sir Smedley Crookeasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that most of the complaints which are recommended for prosecution by regional price regulation committees are not proceeded with because either the invoices for the goods cannot be found as they have been used for salvage by the alleged offenders or the invoices are lacking in some particulars, the description of the goods, the date of the sale, or the name and address of the suppliers; and whether he will ensure that wider publicity is given to the provisions of the Invoices Order and a more rigorous attitude taken towards infringements of the Orders by the Central Advisory Committee?
§ Mr. DaltonI am not aware that most of the cases recommended for prosecution by the local price regulation committees cannot be proceeded with for the reasons stated in the Question. I know that difficulties of the kind described by my hon.222W Friend have sometimes arisen, but I am satisfied that wherever possible prosecutions are instituted at the request of the Central Price Regulation Committee for infringement of the obligation to preserve invoices imposed on traders by the Price Controlled Goods (Invoices) Order, 1943.