§ Mr. FIELDasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that large shirt-making firms in Dublin and also the Central Committee on Women's Employment for Leinster, Munster and Connaught have failed recently to obtain any Army contracts, that special arrangements had been made, and that unemployment may result; whether he can state the amount of money expended in shirt-making in Great Britain and Ireland, respectively; and whether he is aware that much dissatisfaction has arisen owing to the disproportionate expenditure given to Ireland for war contracts?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe facts as regards recent orders for shirts are that out of a total of 8,846,000 ordered in January last, 1,251,000 were allocated to Irish manufacturers, the Central Committee for Women's Employment being accepted for all they offered, namely, 20,000; and that since January the Committee have received further orders for 53,000. It is true that no orders have been placed since the end of March, but this is because all existing requirements for shirts have been met. The total value of the contracts for shirts placed in Ireland since the War (exclusive of any local orders) is about £656,000. The corresponding figure for Great Britain is not available, but I see no reason to think that Ireland's share of orders has been disproportionately small.
§ Mr. FIELDasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that, in the list of War Office contracts for April; excluding all contracts under £500, as well as war material and consumable stores, out of 965 contracts only twelve were awarded to Ireland, which figures 2408W show a percentage of only 1.24, the lowest yet recorded; whether he is aware that the delay in establishing an examining and receiving depot in Dublin and the refusal of a proportionate share of war contracts, with consequent unemployment, has been one of the causes of the recent disturbance; and whether he will take measures to enable Ireland to obtain a. reasonable ratio of war contracts in future?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe figures given in the first part of the question appear to be approximately correct. As regards the second part of the question, I cannot accept the view that the matters referred to have been one of the causes of the recent disturbance. As regards the third part, every opportunity is given to suitable firms in Ireland to tender for War Office requirements.