§ 1. Sir W. Wakefieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps financial or otherwise have been taken by the Government to assist the work which is being done by the Advisory Service of the National Union of Manufacturers.
§ The President of the Board of Trade (Sir David Eccles)£23,588 was granted by the Government, out of American Conditional Aid Funds, towards the foundation and development of this service, which I understand is now entirely self-supporting. It does very useful work for a wide range of smaller firms.
§ Sir W. WakefieldWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that satisfactory reply, may I ask him to consider whether there are any other ways in which the Government may help to stimulate efficiency and production in this extremely important private enterprise sector of the economy?
§ Sir D. EcclesI am always ready to consider such ways and I know of my hon. Friend's interest in them. As a matter of fact, the number of firms seeking this kind of professional advice seems to be constantly increasing.