§ Sir H. Webbeasked the Minister of Education whether local education authorities are continuing to issue priority certificates authorising the purchase of sports equipment by schools and youth organisations; and whether these authorities are entitled to attach to the issue of certificates any conditions as to the channels through which supplies are to be obtained.
§ Mr. ButlerUnder the Sports Gear (Control of Manufacture and Supply) (No. 2) Order, 1943, equipment for priority sports as defined in the Order can only be supplied by manufacturers under the authority of a buying certificate. Under this system the Board of Trade issue these buying certificates to approved users through sponsoring Departments, and my Ministry, which receives a specified allocation of priority goods, issues buying certificates to local education authorities and schools in England and Wales up to the limit of this allocation. The certificates may be used by the authority either for its own purchases or to enable purchases to be made by a school, youth organisation or other similar institution for which the local education authority does not itself make purchases. No conditions as to the channels through which supplies may be obtained are attached to the issue of the buying certificates to the local education authorities, and if any authority attaches such conditions to the issue of a buying certificate to a youth organisation or other body in respect of which it does not itself make purchases, it does so on its own responsibility.