§ MR. RIDSDALE (Brighton)To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the number of ordinary shareholders, preference shareholders, and debenture holders, respectively, in breweries and distilleries registered under the Limited Liability Acts of the United Kingdom.
(Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) It is not possible to give my hon. friend the information he asks for with regard to the number of ordinary and preference shareholders in breweries and distilleries registered under the Limited Liability Acts without an exhaustive inquiry in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, which would take a considerable time. With regard to the number of debenture holders in such companies there is no information available at the Joint Stock Registries. I shall be very willing, however, to give my hon. friend information as to the number of shareholders in any particular company or companies which he likes to name.