asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement about the possibility of an increased supply of nylon stockings for the home market.

At the present time supplies of nylon stockings to the home market are running at a rate of nearly 18 million pairs a year. Production is increasing and the home market is already receiving some increase of supplies. I cannot give a firm estimate for the growth of future supplies, but production of nylon yarn on which this depends, is now some five or six times the rate of output of a year ago and continues to rise. A high proportion of the stocking production goes for export, but I have recently announced in the Press arrangements by which increased exports to hard currency markets can lead to an increase in the permitted proportion for the home market.