§ 10. Mr. MACLEANasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the number of British firms and American firms, respectively, who have rented space for exhibition purposes at the Leipzig Fair in February and March this year?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI regret that the information asked for by the hon. Member is not available.
§ Mr. MACLEANMay I ask why this information is not available?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI am afraid it is not available, because the Department have not got it.
§ Mr. MACLEANAs this is a World Fair, which has been held for the last 600 years, and buyers are there from all parts of the world, should not the right hon. Gentleman's Department make itself familiar with the facts as to whether this country and its products are being suitably represented there, and advertised in foreign countries?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERWe have done a good deal to advertise British products in connection with our own Fairs. I hope to get from our Consul at Leipzig the report which is always rendered about the Leipzig Fair. I think it will probably include the information for which the hon. Member asks, and I shall be glad to let him have any information that we can get.
§ Mr. MACLEANAs we have a Consul there, and as this question has been on the Order Paper for some days, could not the information have been obtained, as all the names of those who are exhibiting at Leipzig are already known?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe Question on the Paper asks whether I have the information, and I am told that the Department of Overseas Trade have not got it. The hon. Member also asks whether it is not desirable that British products should be exhibited. We cannot, however, make people exhibit, and I think that British manufacturers are probably themselves the best judges in the matter.
§ Mr. MACLEANI have asked the number of those who are exhibiting.