§ 6 Mr. HANNONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the Report of the Belgian National Committee on Industrial Production recommending that, on the participation of foreign enterprises in public contracts, preference should be given to Belgian tenderers as far as is compatible with the interests of the Belgian Treasury; that, before arriving at a decision in favour of a foreign tender, the Belgian Government should take the advice of a permanent consultative commission on which the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry should be represented; that whenever conditions permit a margin of preference should be accorded to Belgian tenders; and if he will take steps to secure that foreign tenders for British public contracts shall be treated in a similar manner?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Ronald McNeill)I have been asked to reply and would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Bournemouth on 16th March, 1926, and to the answer which the Prime Minister gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for the Hallam 1029 Division on 9th November, 1926. I am sending my hon. Friend copies of both those answers. There does not appear to be any occasion for the establishment of a permanent consultative commission.
§ Mr. HANNONWill the right hon. Gentleman commend to the Department the decision at which the Belgian Government arrived?
§ Mr. McNEILLI think the hon. Member may be quite assured that that will not be lost sight of.