asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has considered the urgent representations of the distributors in the Scottish fish trade regarding the proposed establishment of a distribution depot at Perth; whether he is aware that very serious financial loss and inconvenience to distributors and the public is involved in this proposal; and whether he will now consider the suggestion of the traders that the depot should be set up at a more convenient centre on the East Coast?

As a result of the termination of the original scheme of control for fish the Perth depot is no longer in use.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any substantial difficulties have arisen in regard to milk supply since the declaration of war?

No difficulties in regard to milk supplies have been brought to my notice.

Does the Minister regard that as a tribute to the work of the Milk Marketing Board, and does it not give a pointer to the value of having left existing organisations, that were functioning well before he took charge, to do their job?

I am very glad indeed to be able to join in that tribute to the Milk Marketing Board, particularly in regard to their work in ensuring adequate supplies of milk in reception areas.

Were they any difficulties in 1914, when there was not a Milk Marketing Board?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will encourage the reduction of meals to two or three courses in public dining places?

I trust that pending the introduction of the rationing scheme everyone will impose upon himself or herself fair and reasonable limits in the consumption of essential articles of food. I should not propose at present to introduce a definite restriction of the kind suggested in the question on meals served in catering establishments.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the normal procedure that should be taken by a local authority in setting up a local food committee to ensure that the committee should be truly representative of consumers as well as of retailers?

Food control committees are appointed by the local authority. The constitution of the committees in Great Britain is laid down in Article 2 of the Food Control Committees (Constitution) Order, 1939, Sub-section (3) of which provides that 10 of the 15 members shall be persons who in the opinion of the appointing authority are representative of all classes of persons within the area.

In view of the necessity of preserving the spirit of national unity, does not the Minister feel that it is undesirable that members should be selected in an' case from only one political party?

I think the best course is to leave the appointment of these committees in the hands of the local authorities who, under this proposal, in most cases would be the best judges of who are really representative of the people in their own area.

Will not the right hon. Gentleman agree that, assuming that on the local authority there is more than one political party, it is wise in the interests of smooth working, that members of other parties should be appointed in proportion?

I should imagine that a local authority would in fact wisely, in order to secure a minimum of friction on such an important committee, see that due representation is given to all relevant interests in the area, but I am sure the House will agree with me that this is a matter in which one must trust the local authorities to exercise discretion.

Does that mean that the Minister intends to make no representations to local authorities?

If a case is brought to my notice where there is any improper appointment of persons, I will gladly look into it and use what powers I have, which are limited, to see that the matter is put right. If the right hon. Gentleman cares to put down a question with regard to any particular local authority, I shall be glad to give him the answer which I have arrived at from my investigations.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has considered the representations made that the present meat-rationing scheme will deprive the great majority of pork batchers of their means of livelihood; and whether he proposes to take action to amend the scheme?

The matter is receiving consideration.

(by Private Notice) asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the serious inconvenience to the trade and shortage in certain districts of important food commodities, he will now immediately introduce the rationing system in the principal staple foodstuffs.

It has been decided to use the national registration forms as the basis for the issue of rationing documents, but there will be no avoidable delay in introducing rationing. I appreciate that until the machinery of control is completed by the introduction of the rationing scheme, food traders may be placed in some difficulty in meeting the demands of customers, and I ask for the co-operation of all members of the community in voluntarily restricting their demands to reasonable quantities during this transitional period. Every effort is being made to readjust the systems of distribution of essential foodstuffs so as to minimise the dislocation due to war conditions and ensure fair allocation of supplies to traders.

Is the Minister aware, first, that there is an immediate and serious shortage in the amount of butter available this week; secondly, that although there is no basic shortage in the main supply of sugar, there is a very serious shortage in many areas, as the result of hoarding in other districts, due to the fact that there is no rationing; and thirdly, that in the Department which he has taken over, for over two years we had made our preparations on the basis of immediate rationing in a few days after the outbreak of war; and when is this important step to be taken?

In regard to butter, I am aware that there has been a dislocation in the supply owing to war conditions. As regards sugar, it is the fact that, although supplies on the whole are adequate, there has been in some districts greatly increased purchasing, in some cases up to 50 per cent, above the normal. This is a most deplorable practice, and I hope that all those who are indulging in it, will realise that they are causing difficulties and restriction of supplies in other districts and to other individuals. As regards the date of the rationing scheme, there are advantages in basing rationing upon the figures acquired from the operation of the enumerators under the registration scheme. These people by going from house to house can get a more accurate picture of the actual population for purposes of rationing than could be obtained through the post by the usual forms. It is a balance of advantage and disadvantage. The disadvantage of delaying rationing is fully appreciated, but I ask the House to agree that it is better to proceed as we are doing.

I beg to give notice that in view of the nature of the reply, we shall raise this question in the course of the Debate to-day on the Motion for the Adjournment.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether, when fixing prices for food he will consider that any increase in the price of food bears most hardly on poor persons such as old age pensioners, and as these people will lose when their relatives are called up and get less pay as soldiers than in their civil occupation, and, in view of the necessity of maintaining the morale of the civil population, he will take immediate steps to fix prices at a level which will not diminish the purchasing value of the old age pension?

The object of food control and rationing is to hold the retail price of essential foods at the lowest level consistent with the maintenance of supplies. This policy is expressly designed to protect the interest of consumers with limited incomes, such as those referred to by the hon. Member.

Will my right hon. Friend see that when prices are issued to the public, they do not always give a maximum price, as, for instance, at the present time, when they say that butter is 1s. 7d. a pound, and it can be bought at is. 3d. in most shops in the Kingdom?

Is not the Minister aware that prices are already going up, and will he take steps either to bring down the level of prices to the 10s. a week, or bring the 10s. a week up to the level of prices?

There must be inevitably some rise in prices owing to conditions outside the control of the Government, hut it is the duty of my Department to see that only such rises as are inevitable take place and that there is no profiteering of any kind.

As the Minister said that it is inevitable that there should be a rise in the price of certain articles, do the Government intend to make any provision to enable old age pensioners to meet that inevitable rise, when they have no other income than 10s. a week?

That is another matter altogether.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will consider the reopening of Smithfield meat market?

I consider the public interest is best served by the present scheme of decentralisation.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that practically the same conditions obtain in regard to meat as obtained with regard to fish, and that there is waste and inadequacy, and that good food is being wasted?

My inquiries do not bear that out at all. At the start of the scheme there were, as was inevitable, some difficulties until those in charge of the .depots got to know the peculiar conditions under which they worked. I am satisfied that now the scheme is working satisfactorily. Where there has been a shortage of meat, it has arisen from causes quite different from this scheme to which reference has been made, such as the big demand for the Army, and so on.

Where has the right hon. Gentleman made his inquiries in regard to the amount of meat that is being wasted as a result of its being taken out of cold storage and not distributed?

I made inquiries through the channels open to me. If the hon. Gentleman has any case of that kind, I hope he will bring it to my notice so as to assist me in my duty of trying to avoid waste of any kind.