§ 49. Sir W. DAVISONasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Government of the Irish Free State has just imposed without notice a duty of 3d. per lb. upon margarine manufactured in Great Britain and imported into the Irish Free State; and whether it is the intention of the Government to impose a tariff on butter and other Irish dairy products exported from the Irish Free State into this country until such time as the tariff on British margarine is removed?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI have been asked to reply. I understand that a duty on margarine of 3d. per lb. was imposed in the Free State by a resolution of the Dail on 22nd October last, which took effect at once. An application for the imposition of a duty on this commodity had, however, been made by certain Irish firms in 1926, and was notified in February last in the "Dublin Gazette" and also in the "Board of Trade Journal," so that the interests affected must for some time have been aware of the possibility of its being imposed. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.
§ Sir W. DAVISONDoes my right hon. Friend realise that the mere suggestion on our part of putting a duty on Irish butter would secure the immediate withdrawal of this duty and prevent unemployment among our British nationals?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe Free State has its own Parliament.
§ Sir W. DAVISONMay I ask whether we have not power to put a duty on butter coming from the Irish Free State, which would secure the withdrawal of this duty, which causes unemployment among our people?