§ MR. HUTTON (Manchester, N.)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, The names and nationalities of Her Majesty's Consuls, Vice Consuls, or Diplomatic Agents at Berlin, Breslau, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Frankfort, and Wismar; also the date and the period of the last Report on the Commerce and Industries of each of these districts, received by her Majesty's Government, and presented to Parliament?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. BRYCE) (Aberdeen, S.)I conclude that the hon. Member's Question only refers to the Consular Service, for Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service is, of course, composed of none but British subjects. The hon. Member will find the names of the occupants of the posts to which he refers in the "Foregn Office List;" but I may mention that the unpaid Consuls General at Berlin and Leipsie are German, while those at Vienna and Frankfort are British subjects. The British Consul at Dusseldorf is a British subject; but the unpaid Vice Consul at Breslau, Frankfort, and Wismar are Germans. I can only add, as I have already informed the hon. Member in this House, that whenever qualified British subjects can be found willing to undertake the duties of unpaid Vice Consuls, they are selected by preference; but to replace the unpaid Consular officers of foreign nationality by paid British subjects would involve an enormous increase to the expenditure on the Consular Service. To specify the dates and periods of the various Reports received from these officers would carry me beyond the limits of a Question; but I will gladly supply the hon. Member privately with all the information he may require.