Tribunal To Probe Board Of Trade

Northern Advocate, 28 October 1948, Page 7

Tribunal To Probe Board Of Trade

LONDON, Wed. (10.30 a.m.). —The House of Commons todayagreed to set up a tribunal to inquire into allegations of irregularities at the Board of Trade. The Prime Minister (Mr Attlee) moved the motion to establish the tribunal. The motion also provides for a judicial inquiry into alleged irregularities in other Government departments.

The full terms of the motion are: To establish a tribunal into allegations that payments, rewards or other considerations have been sought, offered, promised, made or received by or to Ministers or other public servants in connection with licences or permissions required under any enactment, regulation, order or in connection with the withdrawal of any prosecution.”

quiring into relevant matters which could not be specifically- covered by a more limited terms of seference. Mr Attlee said it would always be open to the tribunal to recommend that any matter it thought was not appropriate to its consideration should be dealt with by other means.

The Government was most anxious for the fullest public investigation into allegations reflecting on the purity of public administration. Mr Attlee added that the inquiry would proceed whether any prosecution was launched or not. REPORT TO PARLIAMENT

Four specific matters to be referred to the tribunal were: (1) Proposals relating to applications to import amusement machinery. (2) A proposal relating to an application for a building licence. (3) A proposal relating to permission to issue capital for the formation of a company operating football pools. (4) The withdrawal of a prosecution for contravention of the paper control order by a firm of football-pool promoters and representations made by the firm for an increased allocation. JUDGE TO PRESIDE

The tribunal, no doubt, would ensure that the interests of justice were safeguarded and that the defence would not be prejudiced by the inquiry. It must not be thought that tho holding (5f the inquiry would prevent the institution of criminal proceedings should sufficient evidence subsequently come to light, whether as a result of the inquiry or not. , Mr Attlee said the House, of Commons could rest assured that there would be. a thorough arid searching public inquiry into all allegations. The tribunal’s report would be laid before Parliament and arrangements would be made to discuss it if there was a general desire to do so. CHURCHILL’S APPEAL Mr Churchill said ■ no Parliament had shown itself more vigorous in fcnatters affecting the honour of members or Ministers on questions of breach of confidence, privilege, and of character. Of the case now brought, forward he appealed to members not to indulge in gossip or wide diffusion of and other scandalous' matters. “We have every confidence in the course the Government has proposed and shall await the results with hopes that it will vindicate completely the honour and reputation of individuals, and, if not of individuals, the system by which we carry on the Government,” he said.

Mr Attlee's motion was agreed to without division. Mr Attlee said a judge would preside over the tribunal and have two eminent lawyers associated with him. It would have all the powers of the High Court to enforce attendance of witnesses and the production of documents. Mr Attlee said that last August the President of the Board of Trade was informed by officials of the board that allegations had been made that a Parliamentary secretary and other Ministers and officials had been offered, or received, bribes in respect of a prosecution against a certain firm of football-pool promoters, and in respect of the allocation of paper to the same firm. The President of the Board of Trade and Sir Stafford Cripps, acting in Mr Attlee’s absence, agreed that the Lord Chancellor should be asked to inquire into the allegations.

Scotland Yard, meantime, had .oeen asked to make inquiries. Mr Attlee said the police already had received information that a licence to import amusement machines could be obtained by bribing Ministers or officials, and they began investigations. ACTIVITIES OF ALIEN

He added that all allegations could be traced back to the activities of a certain alien.

Certain individuals figured in some, but not in others, of the four allegations.

Mr Attlee said: “If criminal proceedings have been, or are about to be instituted while the tribunal is sitting, the tribunal might consider its appropriate course of action.” Mr Attlee said it was clearly right that the whole of the circumstances connected with all four allegations and with a certain alien’s activities should be considered by the same tribunal. The Government carefully considered whether these four allegations should be set out in the terms of reference, and whether the inquiryshould subsequently be limited to those four matters. PUBLIC INVESTIGATION

The Government had decided against that, since it was anxious not to limit unduly the scope of the inquiry, and not so to frame the terms of reference as to prevent the tribunal from in-