§ Major GLYNasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the average weekly value of goods imported into Great Britain each week from Ireland; what proportion of these imports are foodstuffs; and how far it is anticipated that the threatened stoppage of the Irish railways will affect the sale of foodstuffs in this country?
§ Sir P. LLOYD-GREAMEThe Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland has furnished the following information:—
IMPORTS INTO GREAT BRITAIN FROM IRELAND. Year. Average Weekly Value. Total. Of which Food (exclusive of Drink) and Food Animals. £ £ 1918 2,930,000 1,317,000 1919 3,348,000 1,445,000 No later figures can be given, as values are only computed for a whole year. It is, however, believed that the present average weekly value of the imports of food into Great Britain from Ireland is greater than the average of 1919. A stoppage of Irish railways would naturally be followed by the cessation of exports of foodstuffs from the districts affected.