§ Mr. CLANCYasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if he will state the total amount of money placed at the disposal of the Food Production Department by the Board of Agriculture by way of vote of credit or otherwise for the purposes of their food production schemes during the present year?
§ Sir THOMAS RUSSELLThe Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland during the past year have expended a large sum in loans to occupiers of land for agricultural machinery, agricultural seeds, and in meeting the general requirement of the food production scheme. This expenditure has been sanctioned and met by the Treasury, but I am not able to say at the moment how the credit exactly stands. I may add that all reasonable demands on the part of Irish agriculturists have been fairly met, and that the loans made to them have been on a perfectly safe basis.