§ Mr. WARINGasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many distilleries there are in Great Britain and Ireland; what has been their total average output for the past five years; what would be the produce in money of a duty of 3s. 9d. per gallon calculated on that average annual output; what are the figures for Scotland and for the pure Highland malt distilleries in the counties north of and including Perthshire respectively; how much of the sum estimated as the produce in money of the 3s. 9d. extra duty on spirits will be paid on spirits or whisky distilled in distilleries in Scotland and in the pure Highland malt distilleries in counties north of and including Perthshire; what is the estimated decrease of output in gallons of spirits or whisky distilled in Great Britain and Ireland for this year below the average annual output for the last five years?
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEThe number of distilleries in Great Britain and Ireland is 201. The average annual output (i.e., the average number of proof gallons distilled) for the five years 1904–5 to 1908–9 was 49,195,973 proof gallons. Assuming that the output remains the same, the total annual produce of the additional 3s. 9d. per gallon would be £9,224,245. The figures for Scotland are:—Average annual output, 24,208,445 gallons; total annual produce of the additional 3s. 9d., if the output remains the same, £4,539,083. The output of pure Highland malt distilleries 13 not separately recorded, and cannot be stated. The produce of the extra duty of 3s. 9d. has been estimated on spirits as a whole, but as there are no records of the quantities of spirits of Scotch origin that 1983W are duty paid (some of them being blended with other British spirits before payment of duty), the incidence of the tax cannot be estimated on the production of pure Highland malt or other distilleries in Scotland. There are no materials available for a reliable estimate of the output of the United Kingdom distilleries for this year, which depends not only on the home, but on the export trade, and on the stocks that may be kept in bond.