§ 67. Brigadier - General CLIFTON BROWN (for Major CARVER)asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the action of his department in purchasing 798 remounts from Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1934 as against 662 in 1933, whilst reducing the number purchased in England and Wales from 806 to 761, was due to the inability of the purchasing officers to find sufficient horses of the right quality in Great Britain; and, if so, whether he is satisfied that the existing grant provided by the War Office to improve light-horse breeding in this country is sufficient to enable the proportion of these remounts 1337 purchased in England and Wales to be substantially increased during the next few years?
§ Mr. HACKING:The Irish market provides an especially suitable remount of the light draught type; but, consistently with keeping in touch with that market and obtaining the best value for money, it is the policy of the Department to purchase as many as possible of its horses in the United Kingdom. As regards the grant, it is too early to enable any reliable conclusions to be drawn as to its adequacy, but it is hoped that it will prove satisfactory.