§ Colonel Crosthwaite-Eyreasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state in each year concerned from 1945 to the latest convenient date the amount re- 56W leased by His Majesty's Government from sterling balances; and in each such period the amount made available for transferable and convertible commercial transactions.
57W
§ Mr. Glenvil HallI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply to his Question of 24th May. Total releases in the first three quarters of 1949 to the countries named, with the addition of Israel, were £206 million. I assume the last sentence of the Question relates to the amounts which were permitted to be spent in hard currency areas under the various net ration agreements. The amounts agreed between 1947 and 1949, for periods of varying duration, amounted to £68 million.