§ 108. Colonel GRETTONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, if he is aware that, in spite of assurances repeatedly given on behalf of his Department that exports of malt would be rigorously restricted, 514,457 cwts. of malt were exported from the United Kingdom during the first eleven months of 1916 as compared with 232,099 cwts. and 224,909 cwts. in the corresponding periods of 1914 and 1913; and if he will take immediate steps to have exports of malt restricted in accordance with undertakings previously given?
Mr. ROBERTSThe Board of Trade have been asked to reply to this question. During the last four or five months licences to export malt to foreign countries have been practically confined to malt of last season's malting, though in a few cases new malt has been licensed when it was required for the brewing of beer for consumption by the Allied troops. Stocks of last season's malt are now no doubt practically exhausted, and it is not proposed to licence any further quantities of malt for export to foreign countries except for brewing Army beer.