§ 70. Mr. A. M. SAMUELasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will, before 14th April next, issue a White Paper showing in detail each outstanding guarantee given under the Trade Facilities Acts, 1921 to 1926, with particulars of the names of the recipients of the guarantees, the purposes to which the guarantees were applied, and the later variations, if any, the original rates of interest and terms of repayment and nature of assets upon which the guarantees were secured, and the later variations, if any, together with an account of the sums repaid and of the sums issued from the Consolidated Fund in fulfilment of Trade Facilities Acts guarantees, all up to 31st March, 1930?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Pethick-Lawrence)Information with regard to the guarantees given under the Trade Facilities Acts is published in the normal course in the White Papers issued in accordance with Section 1 (5) of the Acts. A White Paper bringing this information up to date will be published next month. I fear that I cannot undertake to publish the extensive and confidential details with regard to individual guarantees. suggested by the hon. Member.
§ Mr. SAMUELWhy should not the. hon. Gentleman re-publish the figures and facts that are not confidential, so that we can again see the whole list of those to whom guarantees have been given, the dates, the amounts and the terms, without disclosing anything confidential? It has been done before.
§ Mr. PETHICK-LAWRENCEI have already explained that those facts are of a confidential character, and that all the information that we are entitled to publish is published in the White Paper.