§ Mr. HOLDSWORTHasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the amount of the advances made under the Trade Facilities Act to the two beet-sugar companies which are in default in their repayments; how much has been repaid; how much is now in arrear; and what was the amount of subsidy paid to those companies in each of the last three years?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAIt has been the invariable practice of successive Governments to treat as confidential details concerning particular guarantees under the Trade Facilities Act where these details are outside the scope of the information which the Acts themselves require to be published and where they relate to a company engaged in active business. I do not feel that the public interest warrants a departure from that rule on this occasion.