asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the quantities of Irish butter exported from Ireland under licence each month since the prohibition of export has been in force?
The figures for which the hon. and gallant Member asks will be printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I may say that the figures for January, February, and March refer to tinned butter for use on shipboard. It is only recently that there has been any surplus of Irish butter available for export in the ordinary sense.
The following are the figures referred to:
The quantities of Irish butter exported from Ireland under licence each month since the prohibition of export has been in force are as follows:
| Tons. | Cwts. | |||
| January,1918 | … | … | 54 | 13 |
| February | … | … | 22 | 18 |
| March | … | … | 4 | 16 |
| April | … | … | 274 | 3 |
| May | … | … | 2,234 | 13 |
May the House take it that the right hon. Gentleman's reply to me a few days ago was in error?
The figures will explain that there is only an error in so far as I was not informed of the export of butter as between one month and another.
Will the prohibition of the export of butter be withdrawn now that there is a surplus?
The prohibition has now been removed in Ireland.