asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider taking steps to prevent the entrance into concentrated industries of new manufacturers until such time as concentrated firms have been enabled to re- start their plants and reorganise their pre-war activities?

I would refer my hon. Friend to paragraph 3 of Command Paper 6258 of March, 1941, and also to the statement made in this House on 27th March, 1941, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Production—who was then President of the Board of Trade—a copy of which I am sending him.

Is the Minister aware that he is now being asked to put a curb on private enterprise?