§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Returns of Irish imports and exports will be collected by the Department of Agriculture in Ireland in the same manner, and published in a similar form, with the methods of the Board of Trade in England.
(Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The Department are adopting, as far as possible, the classification and form of Return followed by the Board of Customs and Board of Trade. These Returns, however, relate to trade with foreign countries, in which case there is power to require the traders concerned to furnish comprehensive details, including the value of the commodities. There is no such power in the case of trade between different parts of the United Kingdom, and consequently the Department will have to rely upon information furnished by the port authorities and shipping companies. The methods of collection and form of publication will, therefore, necessarily differ in certain respects from those adopted by the Board of Trade.