§ MR. MACVEAGHI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that patent spirit, made in London, is blended in bond with pot still whisky, supplied to tied houses, and sold to the public as genuine Irish and Scotch whisky; and what steps he proposes to take to protect the public against such frauds.
§ MR. ASQUITHI have no official information on the subject, as the Excise Duty Acts do not discriminate between patent-still and pot still spirits. The functions of my Department in the matter are confined to the protection of the revenue, and, as the rate of duty upon 237 the two kinds of spirit is the same, the officials of the Inland Revenue Department have no authority to concern themselves in the matter.