Major Lloydasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that paint and distemper are being regularly imported into Scotland from the South and that intruding firms from the South have for long been fostering depots and branch factories to the detriment of long-established Scottish firms, who are now threatened with concentration as from the end of December; and will he look sympathetically into the whole question of the concentration of the paint industry in Scotland?
§ Mr. DaltonThe arrangements for the paint industry are now under review. The licences which, in the case of certain firms were to have expired on 31st December, have now been extended for two months. I will bear in mind the considerations mentioned by my hon. and gallant Friend.
§ Mr. R. Morganasked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that two German refugees who arrived in this country shortly before the war have been allowed to build a paint factory with the aid of a Government subsidy and to-day have a nucleus certificate; and why he is subsidising foreigners in preference to British citizens?
§ Sir A. DuncanI understand that the two firms which my hon. Friend has in mind were established before 1939, and 1789W that one of them received, under the Special Areas (Amendment) Act, 1937, some slight rebate of rent and rates for a limited period, which expired over a year ago. The Ministry of Supply has not given any subsidy to either firm.