asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his statistics show that any foreign vessels are engaged in carrying on coastal shipping trade between this country, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland?

The precise number of foreign vessels engaged during any year in the trades in question is not known, since the navigation returns furnished to the Board of Trade include the repeated voyages of the vessels concerned. These returns show that during the year 1934—

(1) 16 foreign vessels of 4,929 tons net entered with cargo at ports in the United Kingdom from ports in the Channel Islands and 20 foreign vessels of 4,794 tons net cleared with cargo at ports in the United Kingdom for ports in the Chanel Islands.

(2) 16 foreign vessels of 2,917 tons net arrived with cargo at ports in Great Britain from ports in Northern Ireland and three foreign vessels of 568 tons net departed with cargo from ports in Great Britain for ports in Northern Ireland.

Information regarding the movement of vessels between the Isle of Man and other parts of the United Kingdom is not available.