HC Deb 01 February 1944 vol 396 c1140W
Mr. Molson

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give any statistics to show the rate at which shops and other small businesses are closing under war conditions.

Mr. Dalton

I regret that the information on this subject is very incomplete. But my hon. Friend will find useful figures regarding retail businesses in the Appendix to the Third Report of the Retail Trade Committee, of which I am sending him a copy. The total number of persons who have applied for inclusion on the Register of Withdrawing Retail Traders is now about 14,000.