§ Mr. A. T. DAVIESasked the Prime Minister whether, seeing that the British mission at Moscow would be more 1745W usefully employed purely in the furtherance of British trade now that Mr. Hodgson has left that capital, he will consider whether it is possible to separate the purely British trade activities in Russia from diplomatic business which is under the direction of the Foreign Office, placing all matters for the development of Anglo-Russian trade directly under the Board of Trade?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am unable to see that any advantage would be derived from a modification, on the lines proposed, of the present arrangement under which Mr. Hodgson, who is temporarily on leave, reports on questions relating to British trade activities to the Department of Overseas Trade, a Department under the joint control of the Foreign Office and the Board of Trade, specially created for dealing with such questions.