§ 47. Mr. Morganasked the Lord President of the Council whether, before the opening of the International Sugar Conference, there will be any consultation between representatives of the British beet-sugar interests, Dominion sugar-producing interests, and Colonial sugar-producing interests, with a view to ensuring that an agreed policy is put forward by the British and Dominion delegations; whether any agreed policy has yet been reached so far as homegrown beet-sugar interests and Colonial sugar-producing interests are concerned; and, if so, what is its nature?
§ 49. Lieut.-Colonel Mooreasked the Lord President of the Council whether, at the coming International Sugar Conference, the British Government proposes to include among the agenda the question of the imposition of a definite quota for sugar grown in this country and sugar imported from the Colonies?
§ Mr. R. MacDonaldArrangements are being made for consultations of representatives of the industry in this country, and also in the Colonies, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies announced yesterday. Consultation with Dominion producers can take place only through the Dominion Governments, but I hope that a meeting will be held shortly between the United Kingdom and the Dominion delegations. His 1333 Majesty's Government intimated at the World Monetary and Economic Conference of 1933 and at the Preliminary Sugar Conference of 1934 their willingness to participate in an international agreement for the regulation of the production and marketing of sugar, and agreed that as part of such regulation some limit should be set to production of sugar in this country and to exports from British Colonies. This is still our policy. As regards the United Kingdom beet-sugar industry, my hon. Friends will be aware that the quantity of sugar to be produced is already regulated in accordance with the terms of the Sugar Industry (Reorganisation) Act, 1936.