Closing an H.P. Loophole
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BY OUR PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT
THE House of Commons has given a First Reading to a Bill to ensure that when a vehicle is being bought by hire purchase the fact will be noted on its registration book. Introducing the measure last week, its sponsor, Mr. Fergus Montgomery (Tory, Newcastle East) explained that its object was to close a loophole in the law.
During recent years it had often occurred that a hirer of a vehicle purported to sell it for cash without disclosing the existence of the hire purchase agreement. The vendor was guilty of a criminal offence, for which he could be imprisoned; but that was little compensation to the purchaser, because he could be sued by the true owner, the hire purchase company, for the return of the vehicle or for the balance outstanding under the h.p. agreement.
Mr. Montgomery pointed out that legally it was no defence for the purchaser to say he bought the vehicle in good faith and without notice of the rights of the true owner.
MILLIONS FOR ROADS rOVERNMENT grants of well over £150 million on classified road schemes in England and Wales have been
made since 1955. Mr. Ernest Marples, the Minister of Transport, said last week that the total cost of these schemes put forward by highway authorities for the years 1955 to 1960 was about £222 in.
Since then there had been some adjustments to the programme, but so far, added Mr. Marples, he had made grants on schemes costing about 70 per cent, of that total.
HOW TO REMOVE THE FUEL TAX ATAX of 141. on fuel oil for heating would provide enough revenue to remove the whole of the taxation on diesel oil for road passenger transport, said M;. Harold Wilson in the Commons last week. when Mr. Selwyn Lloyd, the Chancello; of the Exchequer, was once again questioned about his fuel tax policy.
ATOM TRANSPORT THE Ministry of Transport are now
preparing regulations to govern the carrying of radioactive materials. Mr. Denzil Freeth, Parliamentary Secretary for Science, said last week that the rules would be based on draft recommendations which had been prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency.