§ 39. Mr. Beswickasked the Minister of Supply on what date he made the decision to allow the cost of advertising of service aircraft in trade journals but not the national Press, as an element chargeable by aircraft manufacturers to his Department.
§ Mr. MaudlingThe practice of disallowing the costs of promotional advertising in the national Press is at least ten years old.
§ Mr. BeswickIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is not a very satisfactory ban and that it is broken? As the Government have stopped promotional advertising of gas and electricity, does he not think that the full-page Press advertisements of the Hawker Siddeley Group, for example, are unnecessary and unlikely to influence the Royal Air Force in the purchases which it makes?
§ Mr. MaudlingI have no evidence whatever that the rule is being broken. If the hon. Gentleman has any evidence, perhaps he will be good enough to forward it.