§ 24. Mr. Peter Smithersasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware of the bad impression created in the Dominican Republic by the recent call of the Soviet vessel "Dmitry Donskoy" under charter to his Department to carry a cargo of sugar to Liverpool; and whether in future he will avoid chartering Soviet ships to call at Caribbean ports.
§ Mr. F. WilleyI can give no such assurance.
§ Mr. SmithersIs the Minister aware that when this vessel docked she was met by a detachment of troops and that none of the ship's company were allowed to land, and does he not think that it is just about as tactful to trade in this manner as it would be to charter Spanish Government ships to go to Vladivostock? Will he not stop this procedure?
§ Mr. WilleyI believe that we should be guided by purely commercial considerations.
§ Captain RyderHas the Minister acted in consultation with the Ministry of Transport in this matter, and can we have an assurance that in arranging these voyages nothing will be done which will jeopardise the interests of British seamen?
§ Mr. WilleyAs has already been explained to the House, no other British tramp shipping was available at these rates.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIf the observation of the hon. Gentleman that "we should be guided by purely commercial considerations" does, in fact, apply to the various countries mentioned, will he also apply it to the Government of Spain?
§ Captain CrookshankThe hon. Gentleman answered only the second part of the Question. What my hon. Friend asked was whether the Government were aware of the bad impression and what were their comments on that?
§ Mr. WilleyOur inquiries do not bear out the implication which is contained in the Question.
§ Captain CrookshankThen why did not the hon. Gentleman say so?