Miss Wardasked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) if he will give an assurance that in future when he has charges to make against any specific person he will do so through a court of summary jurisdiction where evidence must be publicly disclosed and not through officers of his Department;
(2) under what authority one of his enforcement officers from the Northern Region cross-questioned a member of the public, whose name has been supplied to him, on evidence undisclosed as to its source alleging improper use of petrol, made inquiries at a hotel and refused when the allegation proved unfounded to tender an apology.
Major Lloyd GeorģeIn this case, information was received by officers of my Ministry that the individual concerned had travelled from his home to the seaside and was believed to have used his private motor-car for the purpose in circumstances suggesting a contravention of the Control of Motor Fuel Order. Inquiries were made into the matter by my officers in the ordinary course of their duties, first, in order to confirm the fact of the visit, and secondly in order to give the person concerned an opportunity of furnishing any information or explanation he wished. I have no reason to think that the inquiries were not made with courtesy and discretion. As a result of these inquiries, it did not appear that the Order had in fact been contravened. If, as a result of information received and of inquiries made by my officers, there is reason to believe that there has been a breach of the law, and 1 am advised that the case is one for prosecution, a charge against the person concerned is only made in a Court of Law.