asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are taken to ensure that new motor cars, purchased for export by visitors from over seas in priority to potential home customers, are exported.

There is no statutory assurance that a new motor car sold in this country to a visitor from overseas will in fact be exported, but I have no reason to suppose that this requirement is evaded to any material extent.

Is it not quite easy at present for a visitor from overseas to acquire a car and then sell it? If such people are to have this priority, surely there ought to be some provision that they shall not be able to take unfair advantage.

There is a trade covenant in existence which covers the sale of new motor cars, and which is designed to restrict resale within a certain period. So far as I am aware that covenant operates satisfactorily, whether the purchaser is from overseas or lives in this country, but if the hon. Gentleman has any information that there is a traffic of the kind he envisages I should be glad to have it and look into it.

How can a trade covenant possibly be enforced against an overseas visitor who has returned home? It would be useless.

It might be enforced against the purchaser. I do not know, but if there is any evidence to the contrary I should be glad to have it and look into it.