§ 48. Mr. Stokesasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to see that our holdings of overseas investments are not depleted as a result of his borrowings in the current financial year?
§ Sir J. SimonPower has been taken to mobilise certain existing investments to assist in paying for our essential imports and in present circumstances it is clearly in the national interests that they should be used for this purpose in so far as may be desirable from time to time. As regards further investment abroad. it is, 1013 of course, not possible in war-time that capital should be freely available for that purpose. Apart from these special measures, I see no reason why our holdings of overseas investments should be depleted as a result of borrowing.