§ Captain BOWYERasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, pending the settlement of debts due from Austrian, Hungarian and Czecho-Slovakian creditors to British firms, the grant of £26,000,000 for the purpose of stimulating the export trade of this country can be utilised so as to enable a portion of it to be advanced to British traders who are creditors of these debts, in view of the fact that they are now crippled by inability, caused by the rates of exchange, to bring money to this country and in view of the serious hardship entailed in the consequent shortage of working capital; and, if not, how does the Government propose to help these firms?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThe object of the Export Credits Fund is to assist in the re-establishment of our export trade and I regret that there are no funds available for purposes such as those referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend.