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LA's discretion
Page 57
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Our fight on behalf of trade and industry for Licensing Authorities to be given the power (CM July 26) at their discretion to treat certain information as confidential at licensing hearings has been based on the future licensing system rather than the present one. Under the existing system there is in general no need for secrecy but a completely different situation will exist with the introduction of quantity licensing. At present hearings deal solely with transport information, in future they will cover the distribution and production processes of trade and industry.
The very nature of the quantity licence will mean that nothing will be sacred. An industrial concern or trader applying for a quantity licence might well be cross-examined on items such as distribution methods, competitive costs, total transport costs, Cost per unit delivered or produced•and marketing and production philosophy. All these are points which companies dearly want to know of their competitors and conversely keep from their competitors,
The Lords amendment provides the key to the extension of the present system which you wish to see without the introduction of a Star Chamber. It is permissive and not mandatory and will be subject to regulations for its implementation. Its importance is that it spells out Parliament's desire for Licensing Authorities to protect genuinely confidential information.
J. M. GUTTRIDGE, .Traders Road Transport Association.