§ 54. Commander Maitlandasked the Minister of Agriculture what action he has taken in regard to Report No. 13, of Final Report No. 829, on the German Agricultural Engineering Industry, which indicates that a large number of spare parts, suitable for British and U.S. agricultural machinery, are immediately available; and whether he will arrange to import the surplus of 74 per cent. production which the firm in question state is not required by the British zone.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsAs I have informed the hon. and gallant Member by letter, small numbers of the spare parts have been flown over to this country. Further supplies cannot be released as these are required to meet the needs of German agriculture. In regard to the latter half of the Question, I understand that the figure quoted refers to the capacity of the firm in question and not to present production, which is limited by the scarcity of raw materials.
§ Commander MaitlandWill the Minister tell me why this report, which indicated that the spares were available, was not vetted in conjunction with the German authorities before it was sent over here, and if those parts were not required in the British zone in Germany, why on earth were they not got much sooner?
§ Mr. WilliamsI can only tell the hon. Member the result of our investigations, and not who was responsible for the report to which he refers.