asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will issue a Return, arranged by industries, showing the number of bonus share distributions made by companies registered in Great Britain in each year since 1895?

Mr. ALEXANDER:

Whenever a company limited by shares makes any allotment of its shares, the company must, within one month, file with the Registrar of Companies a Return of the allotments, but a company is not required to indicate what shares have been issued as bonus shares. In these circumstances it is not possible to supply the information asked for. The matter has been noted for consideration when the next revision of the Companies Acts is undertaken.

On a point of Order. Is it not a waste of Parliamentary time to put a question of this kind on the Paper when it is impossible for any Minister to give a reply?

We cannot always know that that will be so.