§ Mr. FLAVINasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that in years prior to 1915 a supply of foreign sugar was shipped direct into Ireland; whether he is aware that the English sugar refiners in 1915 refused in many cases to supply the merchants who had hitherto bought foreign sugar, thereby making the amount of sugar supplied in Ireland during the year 1915 considerably less than an average year's supply of sugar in normal times; and whether, seeing that sugar is now distributed on the basis of the 1915 supply, and owing to the scarcity of sugar in Ireland, he will base Ireland's supply of sugar on an average of three years prior to the War?
Captain BATHURSTForeign sugar was shipped directly into Ireland in the years prior to 1915. In that year refiners were in general selling sugar only to their1516W pre-war customers, but other buyers who had been direct importers before the War were able to buy direct from the brokers acting for the Royal Commission on the Sugar Supply. Inquiries made do not indicate that Ireland is suffering from a greater shortage of sugar than the other parts of the United Kingdom, and the Food Controller regrets in these circumstances that he cannot adopt the hon. Member's proposal.