§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether, in view of the fact that horses racing under National Hunt Rules may not now be sent by train and of appeal in the papers to transport-users to provide 100,000 extra wagons and lorries, how many motor horse-boxes are used for conveying horses to meetings; and will he forbid the use of these horseboxes for this purpose?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI cannot say without detailed inquiry how many motor horseboxes are being used to convey racehorses to race meetings. The programme of meetings under National Hunt Rules has been arranged on the understanding that there would be enough horses in training in the neighbourhood of the selected courses to provide the necessary competition. After 7th March the basic fuel ration for goods vehicles will be abolished and fuel will not be made available for taking horses to these meetings except over relatively short distances.