§ MR. SLOAN (Belfast, S.)To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that in the case of firms selected to estimate for work required in London in connection with His Majesty's Stationery 982 Department the Government supply the paper in a large number of cases, but that when sent to Ireland carriage has to be paid by the contractor, and when manufactured has to be returned carriage paid; and whether, seeing that such charges for carriage often mean the entire profit an English firm would have on the whole work, he will in future make arrangements as will enable Irish firms to contract on equal terms with English competitors.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) The procedure in regard to paper used by Government printing contractors is that the paper is delivered by the makers to the Stationery Offices in London, Dublin, and Edinburgh. In no case would it be practicable for the Stationery Office to pay the cost of carriage to or from provincial contractors.