Part of Orders of the Day — Industrial Organisation Bill – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 25 July 1947.
Mr John Belcher
, Sowerby
12:00,
25 July 1947
I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."
This Amendment is designed to protect trade secrets. During the passage of the Bill the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Aldershot (Mr. Lyttelton) and many of his hon. Friends frequently asked that we should introduce into the Bill some provision to protect trade secrets During the Committee stage an assurance was given that we did not contemplate that development councils would, in fact, use their powers to obtain this kind of information. I do not think that he was very satisfied with an assurance of that kind. On the Report stage my right hon. and learned Friend promised to put down an Amendment providing further safeguards against the abuse of a council's power in this way, in order to give to industrialists as little reason as possible for apprehension. I agree that we should do everything we can to remove from the minds of industrialists any fear that they would be exposed to the opening up of their trade secrets. I believe that this Amendment will have dial effect.
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