asked the President of the Board of Trade what action is proposed by Her Majesty's Government to prevent exploitation of the general public by undue price rises during the Coronation period; and whether he will consider setting up a committee, representative of all interests, to consider the matter and make recommendations.

I do not accept the hon. Member's suggestion that undue price rises are to be expected in the Coronation period. I have dealt in previous replies to Questions with allegations of excessive charges by hotels, and my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Food on 26th November dealt with a Question by the hon. Member suggesting that there might be an undue rise in food prices. I see no need for further action on the lines suggested, and I am sure we can rely on the good sense of all concerned to prove the hon. Member's fears of exploitation unfounded.

Is the Minister aware that a Bradford bus owner bringing a bus load of 33 people to London, who normally stay at a Streatham hotel charging 24s. a day all-in, has been asked for a figure of £3 a day minimum and for a minimum booking of seven days? Is he also aware that an agency in London states that the Grosvenor House charges are to be doubled for the five-day period, that the Park Lane prices are to be nearly doubled, including viewing accommodation, and that the Piccadilly Hotel charges are to go up by three-fifths?

I shall be very pleased to look into the first case mentioned by the hon. Lady. The information I received from the Coronation Committee in connection with the others does not tally with the hon. Lady's statement, but, as I told her, we are quite prepared to look into these cases.

Is the Minister aware that for the Festival of Britain there were few or no complaints compared with those we are receiving today? Can the hon. Gentleman say why the same committee that ran the accommodation for the Festival is not doing it now?

I do not think the two are comparable. We are most anxious, I am sure, on both sides of the House to see that no damage is done to our tourist trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much is being expended during 1951 and 1952 on playing marbles imported from the United States of America.

I regret that figures of expenditure on these imports are not available.

Surely my hon. Friend must know whether dollars were spent on these articles or not? Will he look into the matter and give us a definite assurance that money is not being so spent, because it has been reported that money has been so spent?

Some money has been spent on the importation of marbles and toys under the token imports scheme which, I am sure my hon. and gallant Friend will agree, it is very much in the interest of this country to maintain.

In view of the answer I have received, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has completed his survey of the Development Areas; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that the hon. Member refers to the examination, area by area, mentioned by my right hon. Friend in his statement on 29th October. That examination is not yet completed.

Is the Minister aware that his answer will be of great concern to the people living in the Development Areas and also to the industrialists who want to go there? May I ask him whether he will make up his mind speedily in order that the people in these areas may know where they stand?

If the hon. Gentleman will refer to my right hon. Friend's statement, I think he will see the complexity of this inquiry. I am not underestimating its importance at all, and neither do I think that the hon. Gentleman desires the examination to be anything but thorough.

Can my hon. and learned Friend confirm that these boundaries are not fixed for all time, and that, if circumstances in the area permit, it would be possible to alter the boun- daries, either by widening or narrowing them, according to changing conditions?

That was made clear in the statement by my right hon. Friend to which I have referred.

All I am asking is that the hon. and learned Gentleman should make up his mind swiftly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if Her Majesty's Government will consult with other Governments which are parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade about the desirability of modifying the agreement so as to permit the introduction of discriminatory tax reliefs in favour of the exhibition of home-produced films.

No, Sir. If the industry were to make representations these would be considered. The general taxation principle and questions of international trade involved would also have to be taken into account.

Has the hon. Gentleman studied the Italian scheme, which, I believe, is being discussed in the industry at present? Why is it that the Italians, who suffer much less from powerful Hollywood competition, can carry out such a scheme without there being any hullabaloo about G.A.T.T., and yet it cannot be done in this country?

As I have already told the hon. Gentleman, if the industry wishes to make representations to us on this subject we shall be pleased to receive them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is now in a position to make a statement on the discussions in the film industry about the future of the British Film Production Fund.

No, Sir.

When will the hon. and learned Gentleman be able to make a statement? Is he aware that film production must be planned a long way ahead and that several producers have said that production will drop early next year unless some definite announcement is made about financial matters?

If the hon. Gentleman will refer to the answer which I gave him on 14th October, he will see that we are watching the progress of the discussions and we are confident that all sections of the industry realise the importance of bringing them to a successful conclusion. I do not believe it would be helpful to the purpose which I am sure the hon. Gentleman has in mind if the Board of Trade were to intervene now or if I were to add to my statement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many first-feature and supporting British films are currently being produced; and if he is satisfied that these numbers are sufficient to enable exhibitors to fulfil the present quota.

It is expected that approximately 75 British films of over 6,500 feet in length will have been completed during 1952, but it is impossible to say in advance how many of these films will be generally used as first feature films. In addition, a substantial quantity—certainly over 250,000 feet—of shorter films will have been completed. Production in 1952 will thus be not less than the estimated amount on which the present quota was based.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that the assurance has frequently been given that sufficient films were being produced to enable exhibitors to fulfil the quota and yet a powerful exhibitor like Mr. Rank, when prosecuted, is able to persuade the court that insufficient films were produced to enable him to fulfil the quota? Can the hon. and learned Gentleman say whether the assurance which he has just given that present production is sufficient will enable the Board of Trade to make a few successful prosecutions next year?

At the conclusion of his supplementary question the hon. Gentleman implied that our prosecutions had been unsuccessful. Recent ones, with only two exceptions, have been entirely successful. Obviously I cannot give an assurance that a defence which the statute permits will never be established.

When the hon. and learned Gentleman refers to a defence which the statute permits, will he bear in mind that the Bow Street magistrate decided in a recent case that the statute permitted him to review the Minister's reasonableness or otherwise in granting or withholding an exemption certificate? Does the hon. and learned Gentleman share the view that that was contemplated by the Act?

I think it is far better, especially in answers to supplementary questions, that I should not comment on the magistrate's judgment in another case, but if the hon. Member will study the transcript of the judgment he will find that what he has said is not wholly accurate.

Will the hon. and learned Gentleman bear in mind that it is very important that people who are subject to the provisions of the Act should know whether it is or is not an absolute necessity in a defence to such a prosecution that they should be able to produce a certificate of exemption and that the Minister's certificate of exemption is conclusive and that its absence is conclusive against the exhibitor? If there is any doubt about the matter, will the hon. and learned Gentleman take whatever steps are open to him to have the doubt cleared up?

What the hon. Gentleman says about the certificate is almost wholly inaccurate. If he will study the transcript of the judgment he will find he is wrong.

Following an earlier supplementary question is my hon. and learned Friend aware that many people hope the time will never come when a Minister can guarantee in advance, even before the magistrates have heard the evidence, the decision of a court?

asked the President of the Board of Trade to give an assurance that the recent prosecution concerning the failure to observe quota obligations at the Gaumont cinema was undertaken with the full authority of his Department.

Yes, Sir, I can certainly give that assurance.

In view of the astonishing misapprehension which exists, would the Minister specifically confirm, first, that the Cinematograph Films Council did not and could not initiate proceedings on its own account, and secondly, that no different procedure was followed in his Department in this case than in any other similar prosecution just because Mr. Rank's firm happened to be concerned?

The hon. Lady is, in substance, perfectly right. As I have said, it would be quite improper for me to comment on any observations of the learned magistrate, but I have made clear in answer to a previous Question that my right hon. Friend agrees with the view of the learned magistrate that the question of prosecution in such a case is for the Board of Trade and not for the Cinematograph Films Council. The decision in this case was taken by the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take with regard to the film quota regulations, in the light of the recent decision of the court in the case of the Circuits Management Association.

My right hon. Friend will continue to institute proceedings for quota offences under the Cinematograph Films Acts in appropriate cases.

Does not the hon. and learned Gentleman appreciate that this successful defence was not so much that there were not sufficient films available but that there were not sufficient films of a high enough quality in the opinion of the defaulting exhibitor? Does he not think that this decision effectively removes any sanctions there ever were behind the film quota regulations?

The statutes make it a defence in certain cases to say it was not commercially practicable to comply with the quota requirement. That must involve questions of fact which must be decided by the court in each case, but it would be quite wrong to say that a single unsuccessful prosecution means that the Act is useless. There have been eight recent prosecutions and this is an exception in its result.

Will the hon. and learned Gentleman bear in mind that now the case is over and the time for appeal has gone by, it is in no way improper for him or anybody else to make any comment that they think fair about the proceedings or about the judgment? In the light of that, will he bear in mind that the magistrate's decision that this defence was open to the defendant in this case is subject to grave doubt and will he have further inquiry made in the matter?

I tried to explain the position to the hon. Gentleman as well as I could. The decision of the magistrate on the evidence which he heard in a particular case does not involve the proposition that any prosecution under the Act will always have the same result. I did not suggest, in answer to the hon. Gentleman, that the case was sub judice. I merely suggested that it would not be very useful to comment on the learned magistrate's decision.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what matters have already been the subject of discussion by the Monopolies Commission; and what matters he has referred to the Commission on which no decisions have yet been reached by him.

Since the answer contains a table, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Is my hon. and learned Friend aware that there is a feeling that the delay in matters which are referred to and disposed of by the Monopolies Commission is undesirable as it is not in the interests of either industry or the community to have allegations unanswered or not dealt with for such long periods?

When are we likely to see the proposals for extending and improving the work of the Monopolies Commission and for enabling it to come to decisions more quickly?

I cannot make any announcement on that subject today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider the division of the British Industries Fair, due to be held in 1954, into smaller specialised shows, in view of the increasing importance of the show to the nation's economic welfare.

No major change is contemplated in the arrangements for the British Industries Fair in 1954, but the Exhibitions Advisory Committee have been asked to advise on the arrangements in the longer term, and my right hon. Friend will await their report before considering this and other suggestions.

Will the hon. Gentleman satisfy himself that the administration and lay-out of this fair will compare well with such continental fairs as the Vienna Fair and the Brussels Fair? Is he aware that many hon. Members were recently very disconcerted when his right hon. Friend stated that he had received practically no complaints about the purely personal amenities at Birmingham, which conflicted very greatly with the evidence given to some hon. Members?

I shall be very pleased to receive any constructive suggestions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that members of the general public, both in this country and overseas, have found difficulty in making hotel reservations in London at Coronation time; that agencies feel that official bodies have not been helpful; and if he will make a statement on his investigations into the case of the company which had a long list of clients from overseas who wanted accommodation, but whom they found it almost impossible to place, except for those who did not mind paying an exorbitant price, and of which he has received details.

I am afraid it is inevitable that many people will find it difficult to get hotel accommodation in London during the Coronation, but I think that most agencies would agree that, in the difficult circumstances, official bodies, including the Coronation Accommodation Committee, are doing all that can be done. I have written to the hon. Member about the case mentioned in the third part of the Question. The information I have received does not support the allegation about exorbitant charges.

It is impossible to get anywhere with the Board of Trade. I sent the hon. Gentleman this information practically a month ago. Does he realise that it concerns an agency which wanted accommodation for 147 people, and that it communicated with 70 hotels but got no satisfaction from any of them? Does he realise that many of these hotels ask on the telephone for a minimum booking of one month, and that the Regent Palace took one booking on the understanding that it was for one month? Will he please look into the matter again.

I am quite prepared to do what I can to help the hon. Lady, but she must realise that the majority of the London hotels are already booked up. I do not consider that questions like these are helping Britain's reputation overseas.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is accommodation at very moderate prices in the country districts round London but that at present there is no one to co-ordinate the offers which are being made? I can send him about 100 offers of accommodation.

There is at the moment a considerable amount of accommodation available for the Coronation round London, but not in London.

As the Minister says he is willing to help me, may I ask if he knows that 55 visitors from Antwerp have had to be turned down because they could not take a minimum booking of three weeks? Will he look into the matter and not merely accept the information that is given to him?

Yes, Sir, I will certainly look into the matter, but my information is that the average booking is for a week.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the chairman of the Coronation Accommodation Committee has announced that this committee is not concerned with the arrangements proposed by hotels on the processional route regarding rooms or seats from which to view the procession; and, as this is the most sought-after accommodation of all, if he will take steps to ensure that the committee accept such responsibility.

The business of the committee is to help visitors, particularly those from overseas, to find accommodation in or about London for the Coronation. As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member on 13th November, the committee will investigate any specific cases brought to their notice where exorbitant prices are alleged to have been asked for accommodation. This will extend to charges for accommodation which include facilities for viewing the procession. I do not think it would be reasonable to go further and ask the committee to concern themselves with the prices of seats to view the procession.

Might I ask the Minister a very elementary question? Does he realise that if the hotels were to publish a list of their charges those of us who entertain these unworthy suspicions would have them disabused if those charges were in order? Will the Government recommend to hotels that a list of charges during Coronation week should be published?

I will consider the hon. Lady's remarks, but I would remind her that there are very great differences in the facilities which various hotels give to their visitors.

Is the Minister aware that by reason of extending the Coronation route quite a large number of British children will be coming to London? Will he investigate the possibility of reopening the air-raid shelter at Clapham, which was able to house large numbers of people in days gone by?

I will look into that question.

Will the Minister consider asking the various hotel proprietors whether they will give favourable consideration to making part of their accommodation available for disabled ex-Service men and the children of members of the Forces who lost their lives in the last war? Does not he think that that would be a generous action on the part of some of these hoteliers and will he recommend them to do that?

I am afraid that most of the accommodation has already been let.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will refer the question of en bloc bookings by agencies of hotel accommodation during the Coronation season, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Normanton, for the consideration of the Coronation Accommodation Committee.

It is the business of travel agents to try to secure accommodation for their customers, and I would have no justification for asking the Coronation Accommodation Committee to investigate cases where an agency tries to secure all the available space in any hotel.

Does the Minister realise that the public view this matter with great apprehension? We are beginning to wonder whether the Coronation is being staged for the benefit of a few unscrupulous people.

I must point out that any sensible hotel will look after its regular clientele.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the recommendations of the Coronation Accommodation Committee concerning the extra charges and minimum period of booking in London hotels during the Coronation week.

The Committee tell me their investigations suggest that most hotels are not increasing their prices for the Coronation period. This applies to several of the hotels on the route, and even among those who are raising their charges the highest increase is 50 per cent. The average length of booking over the Coronation period is about a week. This seems to be the period for which most visitors wish to stay.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that hotels have combined to impose these conditions on visitors for the Coronation?

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will arrange to place in the Library a copy of the British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers Catalogue, 1952, in view of his official commendatory message which appears as a preface to this effort to secure export trade.

I understand that a copy has been placed in the Library.

In view of the fact that the Minister thinks that this is an excellent catalogue, will he consider drawing the attention of other industries to the way in which it is presented—in other words, the language of the country in which it is hoped to sell the goods?

Yes. I hope that hon. Members on both sides of the House will look at this catalogue. I should like to pay a tribute to my predecessor for his efforts to get this sort of publication issued in four or five languages.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of his estimate that the production of nylon yarn in this country should be trebled in 1954, he will give some indication how this increase will be spread over each quarterly period between now and that date.

There is unlikely to be any material increase in the production of nylon before the latter half of 1954 when the new manufacturing capacity is expected to come into operation.

Is the Minister aware that our export market is being very seriously impaired in consequence of the fact that the yarn for the purpose of making these samples is not available? Will he do something to put the matter in order before it is too late and we have lost the whole of our export market?

That is one of the reasons why capacity is being increased.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the fact that under present arrangements many orders for textiles required for Coronation year will now be obtained from foreign instead of British textile manufacturers, whether he will revise his decision and increase the quotas for classes of goods urgently required but not produced in this country.

No, Sir. I am not prepared to alter the quotas which have recently been announced for imports from Western Europe and certain other foreign countries. These quotas have been fixed after taking into account both our own requirements for imported goods and the effect of our import restrictions upon our commercial relations with the supplying countries. They represent the maximum relaxation we can afford at present.

I recognise the improvement in the balance of payments and the fact that it is necessary to extend trade with other friendly countries, but does not my hon. Friend appreciate that in places like Macclesfield there is still considerable unemployment? Is it not quite out of order to accept increased imports when our own people are out of work, and will my hon. and learned Friend review the cases where the silk and rayon industries are worse hit than other textile industries?

I am quite prepared to consider this matter and to discuss it with my hon. and gallant Friend. The point is that quite a number of European countries have liberalised much of their trade to us and pay great attention to this question of exports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the maximum prices of Axminster and Wilton carpets have been increased by 10 per cent. and 12½ per cent., respectively.

Since the Carpets (Maximum Prices) Order, 1951, and the Imported Carpets (Maximum Prices) Order, 1951, were revoked on the 25th April, 1952, there has been a considerable rise in the cost of wool; and this is reflected in the prices to which the hon. and gallant Member refers.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that at this rate newly-married couples will have to live on bare boards, even if they find lodgings? Is he further aware that more than one responsible carpet manufacturer is of the opinion that the latest increases are both untimely and excessive and might lead to a return to what happened last summer, when carpet workers were working short time?

Is it not a fact that the principal cause of this increase in price is the fact that dyed woollen carpet yarn—principally from Australia—has increased in cost by 27 per cent. since last June and that many manufacturers cannot continue to produce at a loss?

How can the hon. and learned Gentleman square his answer with the oft-repeated statements of Ministers that the cost of living would drop and that the Tory Government would bring down the prices of these commodities? Is it not directly contradictory to past statements?

In answer to the hon. Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Nabarro), the price of two-fold 50 yellow Axminster woollen yarn was 74.5d. a lb. in May, 1952, and 100d. in November.

Is not that an increase of much more than 27 per cent.?

I thought that by giving that answer I would comfort my hon. Friend.

Is it not a fact that carpets are cheaper now than they were a year ago?

Why should there be a rise in the cost of carpets so soon after the increase in the cost of wool? We have always been told that prices do not follow each other immediately in that way. There must be some other reason for the rise.

To some extent I agree with the right hon. Gentleman, but the rise is not immediate. I can give him the figures for all these months. I have the figures month by month. The price was 74.5d. in May and 100d. in November.

Can the Minister give an assurance that if there is a reduction in the price of wool in three months' time the price of carpets will also come down?

Answer.

That question was hypothetical.

Is it not a fact that on a previous occasion when the price of carpets was fixed and when an Order was made for an advance in their price the Opposition put down a Prayer to annul that Order?

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that, due to a continuing decline in our national production, the adverse effects of the import cuts and the resultant cuts in our export trade, over 12,000 dock workers are unemployed which has meant a revision of the Dock Labour Scheme; what plan the Government have to arrest this decline in production and loss of exports; and how far the Prime Ministers' Commonwealth Conference have or will be discussing these problems, with a view to bringing about an improvement in our terms of trade and national production and thus ensure full employment for the dock workers of this country.

I am aware of the difficulties to which the hon. Member refers. The Government are taking all possible measures, for instance, by arranging for additional supplies of steel, to help to increase production and exports. Both the advance estimate of the index of industrial production in October and the provisional figures of exports in November suggest that improvement has occurred. The communiqué issued on the work of the Commonwealth Economic Conference shows that consideration was given to measures for the expansion of both world and inter-Commonwealth trade.

Has the Parliamentary Secretary not seen the United Nations Report? How can we get national recovery if we find, as we do find, that production is continually flagging? Is it not about time the Government did something, because for the first time for six years production is falling and the people of this country are suffering. Is it not about time they gave us something tangible?

The provisional figures of exports in November are 2 per cent. greater than those for October which, in their turn, were approximately 10 per cent. above the average daily rate for the third quarter.

Yes, but is not the Minister aware that production and export figures for the first nine months of the year showed a sharp fall? Are not the Government seriously concerned about this? Have they nothing more to suggest beyond the string of platitudes contained in the Commonwealth Conference communiqué?

I do not intend, in answer to this Question, to discuss the Commonwealth Conference communiqué, but the improvement to which I alluded in my last answer will, I hope, be as much welcomed by the right hon. Gentleman as by all on these benches.

Will the Minister make it clear that the decline in our foreign trade and in our shipping, and unemployment at the docks, is due to six years of the Socialist policy of bulk purchase abroad and the nationalisation of industries at home, which killed initiative and killed enterprise; and that it will take the best Government in the world some little time to recover from that maladministration, from the effects of which we are still suffering?

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that when the dock labour scheme was revised the reason given was the smaller amount of exports and imports which the docker had to deal with? If he now says that the Government are satisfied that production is increasing, is not it a corollary that this scheme should be discontinued?

That question should be put to my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Labour.

If the Minister will not discuss this subject now, does he not think it would have been better if the Government had given a day for debate on the Commonwealth Conference rather than spending a fortnight on a Transport Bill which nobody wants?

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the difficulties experienced by the handmade cut-glass trade as a result of embargoes on imports imposed by Canada and Australia; why he allows those difficulties to be aggravated by imports of table glassware from Czechoslovakia and other sources; and what action he proposes to take to assist the hand-made cut-glass trade.

No embargo has been imposed by Canada, but I am aware of the difficulties which this industry has had to face since import restrictions were imposed in Australia earlier this year and of the efforts it has made to maintain both production and exports. The Board of Trade have already granted additional home trade licences for glassware specially prepared for the Australian market. Imports of cut, engraved and etched domestic glassware are not at present being allowed. Imports of other domestic glassware have fallen considerably this year as compared with last year.

Is not this just one more example of what happens when we abandon the principle of applying controls whenever necessary? Will the Minister reconsider the imposition of controls in this respect, in respect of carpets and in respect of a number of other matters which have already been mentioned today?

Every one of the hon. and gallant Gentleman's deductions is incorrect.

Can the Minister hold out any hope of increased exports to Australia as a result of the Commonwealth Conference?

That is another question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade for a statement indicating in tabular form the imports of horticultural products to be allowed into this country in 1953; and the dates of individual quotas and the countries from which such produce will be imported.

A statement is being prepared and will be sent to my hon. Friend as soon as possible. A copy will also be placed in the Library.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that it will help us if this statement is prepared as soon as possible as it is urgently needed by those in the horticultural industry?

Certainly, Sir. The only reason I am not putting it in the OFFICIAL REPORT is that it is rather lengthy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of imports of fashion textiles from dollar sources in 12 months to the last available date.

The words "fashion textiles" used in the hon. Member's Question have no precise definition. If the hon. Member has in mind women's dresses, imports under this heading from the dollar area recorded during the 12 months ended 31st October, 1952. amounted to £195,200.

The Minister should be perfectly well aware of what I mean when I say "fashion textiles," because his office telephoned me and asked me what were the specific textiles which I wanted under that heading and I gave them the information. I want to know the dresses, mantles and piece goods which are imported from the United States or other dollar areas to this country. Does the hon. Gentleman think it necessary to spend on such production even a single dollar in view of our balance of payments problem?

The hon. Member had better ask his own Front Bench. I am not prepared to abolish the token imports scheme with Canada and America.

I should be quite prepared to ask my own Front Bench if the hon. Gentleman and his friends would vacate the Government Front Bench in their favour.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total number of factories completed in England in the years 1950, 1951 and 1952 to date; and the number of these which were erected in Lancashire.

As the answer contains a table of figures, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Really, I have asked for three figures, and three other figures: six in all. They are very important to Lancashire. Will the hon. and learned Gentleman tell us how many factories have been built in England in 1950, 1951 and 1952, and how many of those were built in Lancashire? He can do that in six words.

It was precisely because I knew these matters were of interest to the hon. Member that I put in the table many figures which, I thought, he would like to have. Perhaps—

I want six now.

I feel it would be quite unfair to other hon. Members—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."]—if I were not to use the method of issuing a table in answering the Question, for that method is used, and used rightly, to give all sorts of details, but this may, I hope, help the hon. Member. The proportion of new building in Lancashire to that in the rest of the country has been in 1951, and so far in 1952, over 18 per cent., and Lancashire contains 14 per cent. of the insured population.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman not aware that he could have given us those figures in half a minute

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of new factory buildings under construction in the Development Areas at the latest available date; and the number on the corresponding date last year.

The information is only available for buildings over 5,000 sq. ft. The total number of these under construction in the Development Areas instead of spending four valuable minutes of the time of the House saying he would not give them? Is he really so ashamed of the figures that he will not give them? Or is it his desire to treat the House with contempt? Does he know that by refusing to give those figures we all know he is seeking to delay discussion of them over the Christmas Recess?

There is not the slightest foundation for a single one of the allegations, and I am quite certain that when the hon. Member has studied the table he will, with his usual generosity, thank me for giving figures that, I know, he wishes to have.

On a point of order. If it appears to be the opinion of this House that the information sought for in this Question is sufficiently important to warrant extra time being spent upon it, have we any right, Mr. Speaker, to insist that the Minister should give those figures?

There is no right.

Would the hon. and learned Gentleman agree that, as far as the Development Area with which I am concerned is affected, we are very disappointed at the lack of progress in new building schemes? Will he break down the figures into new factories and extensions, because we are convinced in the North-East that we should have more new factories, and we are not getting them?

Will the hon. and learned Gentleman also tell us why he can give figures to one of his hon. Friends and refuse them to me?

On a point of order. Is the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale) in order in asking that question when you, Mr. Speaker, have not called him?

The hon. Member rather anticipated my decision to call him.

I would assure the hon. Member that if I had had a table giving him only three or two figures I certainly should have given it in an oral answer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation giving powers to make financial assistance in connection with the erection of factories in areas outside Development Areas where unemployment is being aggravated by lack of modern factory space.

I can hold out no prospect of legislation on the lines suggested.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that there is growing unemployment in many export industries in Lancashire; that in the county borough of Oldham unemployment has gone up from 180 in November last, half of whom were disabled, to over 3,000; that one of the difficulties is the complete absence of modern factories; and that unless and until Her Majesty's Government introduce the necessary powers there will be the same drift from the north to the south that we had to face in the years of Tory misrule before the war?

The suggestion in the Question is really a suggestion for a major change in the Distribution of Industry Acts. I cannot hold out hope of legislation on those lines.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in any further relaxa- tion of controls on imports into the United Kingdom, he will give priority to food rather than manufactured goods.

No, Sir. I do not think it is practicable to lay down any general order of priority such as the right hon. Member suggests. We shall endeavour to maintain a reasonable balance between the requirements of our own economy and the economic and commercial interests of the countries which normally trade with us.

As the Government made the main cut a year ago in foodstuffs, why do they now give so much higher priority to goods like decorated pottery and textiles? Will they not consider the home consumer as well as the foreign producer?

Yes, Sir, all these considerations are borne in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure the maintenance of furniture standards when the Utility Furniture (Marking and Supply) (Revocation) Order, 1952, comes into operation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Utility furniture scheme gave the public an assurance of a certain standard of quality and, as the scheme is to be discontinued, what steps he is taking to ensure that purchasers will not have shoddy furniture sold to them as was so common before the scheme started.

In pursuance of the policy announced by my right hon. Friend on 13th March during the Budget Debate, the British Standards Institution, in co-operation with the Furniture Development Council and the industry, is preparing British Standards for furniture. I would add that the Utility Furniture (Supply) Order, 1952, protects the utility mark, and ample stocks of furniture to which the utility mark was lawfully applied before 15th December are still available in the shops.

Is not the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that the trade considers this an extremely experimental scheme, and that a standard for furniture, which is still being worked out by the Furniture Development Council, cannot possibly be agreed to in a period of less than 12 months, within which time, of course, the Utility furniture to which he has referred will have been exhausted? May I ask whether it was at the pressure of his Department that the British Standards Institution issued to the Press the highly misleading statement that gave the impression that in the interim period there would be standards for furniture when the D scheme was introduced?

In answer to the last part of the question, the British Standards Institution issued its statement, as it is entitled to do, without being urged to do so by the Board. On the time that will be taken before the standards, or most of them, are effectively in use. I take a considerably more optimistic view than the hon. Member, and so, I think, does the industry.

No.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that the standard quality of furniture ceased yesterday and that a shoddy standard of furniture starts today, and that the withdrawal of this Order has been opposed by employers, manufacturers, and by the trades unions, and that the voluntary standard of the quality is not sufficient? Will he do something more now to see that people are guaranteed that they get the proper quality of furniture for which they pay?

If the hon. Member had listened to the conclusion of my reply he would have known that the Utility mark is still protected. I disagree with him entirely that, as a result of the action taken, the shops are going to be filled with shoddy goods. I hope and believe that the industry will do what it has undertaken to do, and I see no reason to insult it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of the imports of fruit pulp, of varieties that compete directly with home-grown produce, in the year ended 30th June, 1952; and to what value he anticipates similar pulp will be imported in the year ending 30th June, 1953.

It is estimated that imports of fruit pulp of varieties which compete directly with home-grown produce from all sources during the year ended 30th June, 1952, amounted to about £2 million. I cannot estimate the value of imports of similar pulp in the year ending 30th June, 1953.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to state in detail the matters that have been, and are now, under discussion with Argentina concerning a new trade agreement; how many meetings have been held; when the discussions first commenced; and how the progress on these talks compares with similar discussions last year.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 9th December to the Question asked by the right hon. Member for Battersea. North (Mr. Jay).

That is a complete evasion of the Question, because the answer to that Question made no reference to the points asked for in this Question. I am asking what matters have been and are now under discussion; how many meetings have been held, and when the discussions first commenced. None of those questions is answered in the previous answer which the hon. Member mentioned. Can I ask him now whether he will answer the Question on the Order Paper?

The answer is in the negative.

Oh.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Minister of Food told me yesterday that he was satisfied with the way these negotiations were proceeding? Can I ask him whether the President of the Board of Trade shares that view?

Yes, Sir, but I should not like to go further—and I am sure that hon. and right hon. Gentlemen in all parts of the House will understand this—than to say that they are proceeding in a very amicable manner.

Can the hon. Gentleman inform the House why the House should not be informed when these discussions were first commenced and how many meetings have been held?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, there are formal and informal meetings in negotiations of this sort.

On a point of order. You will recollect, Mr. Speaker, that I did see you privately concerning the principle of this matter. When a Minister says that he will answer a Question and then, as in this case, goes on to evade an answer to the Question, what right and what means and what methods has a Member of raising, either on the Floor of the House or with you, the attempt of the Minister completely to evade answering the Question?

I can only repeat the advice I gave the hon. Gentleman on that occasion, which was that if an hon. Member is dissatisfied with the particularity of the reply he receives he is quite in order in putting down another Question so as to elicit information which has not already been given.

If a Member puts down a Question which the Minister says he will answer but then completely evades it and makes no attempt to answer it and the Member keeps putting down that Question, what means has the Member of getting the Minister to answer it?

I should imagine that perseverance of that character will generally be rewarded, but I have no power to compel a Minister to answer a Question.

Surely there must be some way in which the House can protect itself, or in which you can protect it, from being treated by Ministers with studied contempt?

In the case of studied contempt, I think I should.

In view of the completely unsatisfactory nature of the lack of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what arrangements he has made for Lord Strabolgi to represent the interests of Her Majesty's Government in connection with commercial and trading matters in Yugoslavia.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the nature of the special mission undertaken by Lord Strabolgi on behalf of his Department during his recent visit to Yugoslavia.

No such arrangement was made. Lord Strabolgi has returned from Yugoslavia and has informed me that he made it quite clear in reply to Press inquiries that his visit was unofficial.

Is the hon. Member aware that this Question was put on the Order Paper as the result of a report which appeared in the "Daily Mail," which was malicious and fictitious; and that, indeed, the Press reporter, Mr. Williams, told Lady Strabolgi at the airport that he was very sorry indeed that he had to send the report through, but his paper wanted something sensational?

I do not feel obliged to comment on that Press report, but I should like to make it quite clear that I should be happy to see the noble Lord and to hear anything he has to tell me about trade with any foreign country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to state the reason why streptomycin is included among the list of goods of strategic importance whose export to China is prohibited.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that West German firms are exporting to China anti-biotics and sulpha drugs for which his Department will not give a licence for export to China to British manufacturers; and whether, in the circumstances, he will remove anti-biotics and sulpha drugs from the list of strategic supplies which are banned as exports to China.

The export to China of anti-biotics, including streptomycin and sulpha drugs, is not prohibited, but it is limited to normal civilian requirements. I am aware of the exports of these drugs to China from Western Germany and other European countries. The matter is under active discussion with the Governments of these countries.

Would the hon. Gentleman say what military value streptomycin has; and in these circumstances, for what purposes is it proposed to restrict it when there is a demand for it, and when an order has been placed?

I think the hon. and learned Gentleman had better put that down and I will have a look at it.

But I have put it down.

I wish to make it clear that we are not restricting the use of these drugs for civilians in China.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the total order to be placed was in the region of £2 million sterling in value, that the first portion of £500,000 has gone to Western Germany and been lost to us; and in view of the fact that he says there is not an embargo, that it is not forbidden, does he not think it is scandalous that our reputable firms should lose an opportunity of doing the type of trade which we should all be proud of doing, letting it go instead to other countries?

I am looking into this matter very carefully.

Will my hon. Friend take steps to urge on our N.A.T.O. allies a common policy in this matter?

Yes, Sir.

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that, while he is having an alleged look into this matter and having alleged discussions with our N.A.T.O. allies, there is growing unemployment amongst people working in the factories producing these drugs in this country; and what is the sense in creating unemployment amongst British workers to give employment to workers of other countries when China gets the stuff all the same?

The manner in which the various N.A.T.O. countries carry out their duties differs. This country has the highest standard of all.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the exportable surplus of sugar likely to be available in the coming year from East Germany and Poland, he will initiate negotiations for the expansion of trade with these countries so as to obtain additional supplies of sugar from non-dollar sources.

I see no necessity to undertake special negotiations for the purchase of sugar from East Germany or Poland.

Has the hon. Gentleman's attention been called to the statement of Lord Lyle, the Chairman of Tate & Lyle, which appeared on 3rd December in the "Financial Times," in which Lord Lyle said that were imports of 200,000 tons of sugar to be obtained from Eastern Germany and Poland it would be possible to do away with the sugar ration and obtain all our sugar from non-dollar sources?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would put that Question to my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Food.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that existing factory buildings in Lancashire are being sold subject to a limitation that they be used for storage purpose only; and whether he will introduce legislation to deal with this.

I am informed that recently one cotton spinning mill in Lancashire was sold by auction subject to this condition. The answer to the second part of the Question is: No, Sir.

Does the Parliamentary Secretary mean he is going to wait until a whole lot of cotton mills have been sold subject to these conditions limiting their use to storage when they ought to be used for industrial employment; and will he tell us why he is not prepared to do anything about it? Is it not a disgraceful thing, in view of the shortage of factory space, that a limitation of this kind should be placed on existing factory space?

As far as I know, this is an isolated case. If there are other cases I hope the hon. Gentleman will bring them to my notice. According to my information this is a quite isolated case. It certainly remains the intention of Her Majesty's Government to encourage industrialists to make use of any suitable existing premises that are available.