§ MR. LAIDLAW (Renfrewshire, E.)To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will inform the House as to the number of commercial agents, other than consular agents, in the service of the respective Governments of France, Belgium, Germany, the United States of America, and Japan, who are resident in this country; and as to the number of commercial agents, other than consular agents, in the service of the British 1111 Government, who are resident: in France, Belgium, Germany, the United States of America, Japan, and China.
(Answered by Secretary Sir Edward Grey.) There is a commercial attaché on the staff of the French Embassy, and a technical attaché on that of the German Embassy. No appointments of commercial agents have been notified to the Foreign Office by either the United States, Belgium, or Japan. There are British commercial attaches for France and Belgium, Germany, China and Japan; and there is also a British commercial agent in the United States.