§ Mr. Whiteasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state the number of applications considered by the Import Duties Advisory Committee in the years 1936, 1937, and 1938, and the number of recommendations made in these three years?
§ Captain WallaceIt is difficult to say at what point inquiries and representations from various quarters become what may be regarded as a definite application, and it would consequently be misleading to attempt to give a figure of the number of applications. It is the general practice of the committee, however, if and when a case for the modification of a duty has reached a certain stage, to advertise it. The number of such cases (other than those concerning drawbacks) advertised in the period referred to in the question was 114. The number of recommendations for the modifications of duties made by the committee during this period was 79. In addition, 39 recommendations were made concerning drawbacks. The particulars I have given do not, of course, include applications for licences to import particular consignments of goods free of duty.