§ Mr. Anthony Greenwoodasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the average period which elapses between the deposit in Brazilian banks of cruzeiros by importers of British goods and the payment of sterling by the Bank of England to exporters in this country; whether he is aware that in some cases the delay has been as long as eight months; and if he will take steps to shorten the period and so encourage British merchants to develop trade with Brazil.
§ Mr. MaudlingThe delay in payment, in which the Bank of England are not, of course, concerned, arises from Brazil's present shortage of sterling. I know that the delay is considerable, though I am not able to give any average. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary for Overseas Trade on 25th November.