§ Mr. F. Andersonasked the President of the Board of Trade how much we paid in subsidising the importation of finished leather from hard currency countries and from soft currency countries, respectively, since the inception of the subsidising of leather imports.
§ Mr. H. WilsonThe payments in respect of imported leather to date have been £860,000 of which nearly 40 per cent. concerned imports from hard currency sources. As my hon. Friend will be aware, imports of leather are restricted to essentials and the payments have been made for the purpose, not of subsidising importation, but of keeping down the price of footwear.