HC Deb 28 October 1947 vol 443 cc50-1W
84. Commander Noble

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the nature of the special investigation required before an applicant under 21 can be granted a licence to repair footwear, and whether the general qualifications for licences which came into operation on 1st October were proposed in the first place by the trade or by his Department.

Mr. Belcher

Personal inquiry into applications for repair licences has been given up except in the case of applicants under 21, for whom it has been retained at the instance of the trade. Any such applicants will be interviewed by a technical officer of the Board of Trade in order to make sure, having regard to the shortage of materials, that they are fully qualified to run a shoe repair business. The general qualifications for footwear repair licences were proposed by the Board of Trade and amended in some particulars after consultation with the trade.