§ 7. Mr. C. Osborneasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a further statement about the conditions or limitations attaching to expenditure on advertising by Richard Thomas and Baldwins, Limited.
§ Mr. BarberThe amount to be spent by the company on its own advertising is regarded as a matter of ordinary day-to-day company management and is subject to no restriction or control either by the Treasury or, indeed, by the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency.
§ Mr. OsborneMay I ask my hon. Friend if he remembers that on 9th February the hon. Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. M. Foot) said that he had information that such restrictions had been placed on the company by the Treasury? Has that information been given to him, has it been investigated, and what is the result of the investigation?
§ Mr. BarberOn that occasion, I invited the hon. Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. M. Foot) to send me particulars of what he alleged to be the case. I am bound to say, in view of what he said, that I am rather surprised that he has not written to me since then. I have not heard from him. So far as I know, there was no truth at all in what he alleged.