§ Mr. Benceasked the President of the Board of Trade what help he proposes to give to the export house movement in its efforts to publicise more widely the services provided to industry by British export houses.
§ Mr. CroslandIn discussions with the British Export Houses Association it has been agreed that one of the most urgent needs is the production of a comprehensive directory (covering both mem-108W bers and non-members of the Association) which will define the functions of export houses and show the product and market interest of individual firms. Before this can be done detailed research will be necessary into the functions, activities and capabilities of each of the 700 or so firms involved. This will be a costly undertaking and I have decided to make a grant to the Association for an amount not exceeding £13,000 to enable them to commission the necessary research by marketing consultants as a preliminary to the publication of the directory by the Association. It is expected that the research will take six to nine months to complete.