MR. J. MACVEGHTo ask the Secretary of State for War whether ho can state approximately the value of the contracts placed by the War Office with contractors in Ireland in the last financial year.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) It is not possible to give even an approximate estimate of the value of the contracts placed with contractors in Ireland without calling for Returns from every command. In each command it would be necessary to examine each contract. I do not think that the result obtained at the cost of an enormous amount of time and labour would be of sufficient value to render it justifiable to call for the Return.