§ 37. Mr. Henderson Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the leading firm of bee appliance manufacturers and wholesalers in Scotland, responsible for distributing sections and foundations to the majority of Scottish bee-keepers, is handicapped in its business because all sections, imported and home-produced, are now in the hands of an English firm; that the Scottish firm has been refused permission to import sections from Canada as it did before the war; that the firm in 1944 received 85,000 sections compared with 750,000 pre-war, so that Scottish beekeepers are obliged to reduce output; and what steps he is taking to restore this vital Scottish industry.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. T. Johnston)During the war, no licences for the importation of honey sections from Canada have been issued, and last year, owing to shortage of labour, the only British manufacturer of sections then in production was unable to meet in full the home demand which has expanded considerably during the war. There is now however another source of supply in Ulster and this I hope will enable the Scottish distributors' requirements to be met during 1945.