§ Sir G. YOUNGERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that a letter was issued in October to maltsters by the Board of Trade inviting applications, to which favourable consideration may be given, for the issue of licences for the export of that season's lager malt to Switzerland in moderate quantities; if so, will he state whether exports of malt to Switzerland or elsewhere are still being permitted, and to what extent; and if, seeing that such exports necessarily increase the demand for imported barley and must tend to raise the price against 910W the British consumer, he will say how long he proposes to allow this export to continue?
Mr. ROBERTSI have been asked to answer this question. The letter in question referred to lager beer malt manufactured last season—i.e., before the present autumn. I understand that in the last fortnight of November some 138 tons of such malt were licensed, of which 74 tons were for export to Switzerland and 60 for Italy. It is not proposed to entertain any further applications for licences for export of malt to Switzerland.