§ 1. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the difficulties put in the way of Messrs. R. G. Garvie and Sons, engineers and millwrights, Aberdeen, by his refusal to grant to them export credits to enable them to complete contracts for the export to Egypt of threshing machines, and that this refusal deprives Great Britain of much-needed foreign currency and increases unemployment in Aberdeen; and if he will now take steps to enable Messrs. Garvie and Sons to complete all the orders for agricultural machines received by them from Egypt.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Mr. John Rodgers)I have nothing to add to the reply which my hon. Friend the Minister of State gave on 17th June to a similar Question by the hon. and learned Member.
§ Mr. HughesDoes not the Parliamentary Secretary realise that it is time that he had something to add; and that the present policy of the Government is inflicting hardship, unemployment, and loss of British currency on the people of 996 Aberdeen? Will he do something in the matter?
§ Mr. RodgersI think that the hon. and learned Member is confusing providing credits with insuring against credit risks. The E.C.G.D. can guarantee against risks but, as I explained to the hon. and learned Gentleman only last week, this does not, at the moment, cover Egypt.