§ 4. Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs how many industrialists are currently serving on central and regional planning bodies established by his Department, or otherwise assisting his Department in a part-time or unpaid advisory capacity; and what is the total number of man-hours which they may expect to devote to this work during the course of a full year.
§ Mr. George BrownTwo hundred and seventy-eight. I am happy to say that 1926 they are willingly giving all the time the national interest requires.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for answering the Question, which I put down two months ago and which he chose not to answer on that occasion, but will he agree that all these people might well be better employed getting on with their jobs and producing more goods for export instead of being engaged in flatulent discussions with the right hon. Gentleman?
§ Mr. BrownI leave the hon. Gentleman to work out his own views about the flatulence of industrialists between himself and them.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneWill the right hon. Gentleman kindly answer the question, which I put to him for the second time?
§ Mr. SpeakerMr. Bruce-Gardyne—Question No. 5.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I have put this question twice to the right hon. Gentleman, and on each occasion he has chosen to evade an answer.
§ Mr. SpeakerI do not understand what the hon. Gentleman is doing. It does not raise any point of order.