asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether retail supplies of tuberculin-tested milk are included in the rationalisation of distribution scheme; and whether consumers requiring to change from non-tuberculin-tested milk to tuberculin-tested milk are at liberty to do so providing they can arrange a supply?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, consumers may purchase whatever type of milk the supplier with whom they are registered provides, but if he does not provide "T.T." milk they are not permitted to transfer their registrations to another dairyman in order to obtain "T.T." milk. Efforts are being made to encourage and to assist dairymen to provide "T.T." milk for such customers as require it.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the despondency his answer will cause, and, further, is he aware that this will wreck the possibility of the extension of supplies of this clean and disease-free milk.?

I hope the hon. and gallant Gentleman will do his best to dispel any such despondency. The basis of the scheme is fixed registrations.

But is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that this milk is different from ordinary milk, and that in the past it has been outside normal regulations? Will he reconsider the matter?

We are doing all we can to see that as little "T.T." milk as possible is bulked and that as much as possible is sold as "T.T."

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will give the number of gallons of milk used for consumption daily and what percentage of this is pasteurised; and whether the milk for school feeding is confined to one kind only?

I regret it is not in the national interest to publish the total gallonage of milk consumed daily, but I am able to say that from 6o to 65 per cent. is pasteurised. Milk supplied to schools does not all fall within one category but must be approved as to source of supply and quality by the appropriate Medical Officer of Health.

If all this milk was pasteurised, would it not have the effect of putting small retailer-producers out of business? Is not that the chief object of such a scheme?

That is quite a different question.

How can figures of the production of milk afford comfort to the Axis?

Publication of figures of total production of any foodstuffs in this country is against the national interest.

What percentage of pasteurised milk is more than one or two days old?

I could not say without notice.

Will the hon. Gentleman see that dried and tinned milk is taken off points?

As I have represented to my hon. Friend before, dried milk is not on points.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can now give an assurance that it has been decided by his Ministry that all milk for human consumption shall be scientifically pasteurised, and by efficient handling and transit thereafter to consumers, ensure to the nation a clean, fresh and safe supply of this food?

I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this matter.

When will the hon. Gentleman be in a position to make a statement?

I cannot say.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is by no means complete agreement?

That has become apparent.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether the scheme for the allocation of fish is related to the normal consumption of any particular district, or, if not, by what method is it allocated?

Under the Fish Distribution Scheme the country is divided into zones and sub-zones, and fish is allocated to each sub-zone in proportion to the population of that sub-zone. The fish sent to each sub-zone is allocated to each wholesale and retail trader and fish frier according to the purchases made during the datum period, July to September, 1941, which was agreed by the trade as a period during which distribution was on a reasonably equitable basis.

Does not this scheme encourage fish eating in districts where it is not normally eaten, and will it not make it difficult to get fish in the places where it is always eaten, both in fried fish shops and at home?

I do not think so.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that his answer is not consistent with what is happening in towns in Wiltshire which are getting fish in nothing like the proportion that they formerly received?

Having regard to the present catches that may be so, but the hon. Member must remember that present catches are substantially lower, and must be lower, than in pre-war days.

But we are getting none at all.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will state the method adopted by the Ministry to check the accuracy of the returns made by catering establishments of the number of main meals served?

The returns made by catering establishments of the number of meals they serve are checked where necessary by means of the records which the establishments are required to keep on their premises These records must be supported by invoices, vouchers, permits and other relevant documents necessary for the purpose of checking the entries made on the records.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether his attention has been drawn to the numerous prosecutions of caterers in Glasgow for having obtained fish supplies greatly in excess of their permits; and what steps he proposes to take to deal with the firms who supplied the fish?

I am aware of the cases to which my hon. Friend refers. No action is proposed against the suppliers since my Noble Friend is advised that they have not committed any offence under the Fish (Supplies to Catering Establishments) Order 1942.

Is it not absurd that a receiver who gets a permit can be prosecuted and fined up to £200, while a person who supplies in excess of the permit gets away scot free?

Catering establishments are not tied to any particular suppliers, and, therefore, it may well be that excessive supplies could be obtained from one supplier. We are considering whether we can have some system of permits which would tie a catering establishment to a particular supplier, which would allow us to take action, as he suggests, if offences were committed.

Will the hon. Gentleman give power to local food control committees to deal with suppliers who do not take steps to ascertain what permits to purchase amount to?

That is the sort of action we have in contemplation.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary remember that we have enough bureaucrats without adding to them?

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether his attention has been called to cases of grains and foodstuffs damaged by war action or otherwise being sold above the controlled price for undamaged goods; and whether he will take any action?

No, Sir; but if my hon. and gallant Friend will give me any information in his possession, I shall be glad to have inquiries made.

Does the hon. Gentleman mean that he has no knowledge of any action in the civil courts?

I mean that my attention has not been called to cases coming within the point raised in the Question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that workers employed by the Ministry in the warehousing of food supplies after they have left the docks, in the Clyde area, are engaged from day to day on a casual basis, have no guarantee of employment for more than a day, and that many of them do not earn a living wage; and whether he will take steps to secure a living wage for these men?

I am informed that on the Clyde some warehouse workers are employed by firms acting as agents for my Department and that in accordance with local practice on the Clyde some are employed on daily contract. I am further informed that, in view of reports that a surplus of labour was causing intermittent employment, meetings to consider the position were held in March and April. At these meetings my Department, the Ministry of Labour and the Dockers Union were represented. It did not then appear that any surplus existed but rather that there was a shortage of labour. It was however decided to make a survey of the position over a period of four weeks. My Noble Friend will keep in close contact with the situation, and I shall be glad to inform the hon. Member of any developments.

Will the Food Ministry not consider giving these workers a guarantee of regular employment such as the dockers have?

The matter was considered at a meeting at which the Ministry of Labour and the Dockers' Union were represented, and it was decided that it was better to let the survey be completed and consider what action should be recommended.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the matter has only come to me because conversations have proved fruitless in producing results?

I was not aware of that. I hope they will produce results.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can give any estimate of the number of letters sent out each month from all the food offices; and whether, in order to save paper and labour at both food offices and post offices, he will adopt the proposal sent to him by the Cheltenham Food Committee that franked envelopes or labels be issued to food offices?

The answer to the first part of this Question is "No, Sir." With regard to the second part of the Question, while I am unable to trace any proposal in the sense suggested by my hon. Friend, the Food Executive Officer for Cheltenham put the question to me verbally at a recent meeting of Food Executive Officers and Chairmen of Food Control Committees in Bristol, and I was able to explain to him why it did not appear possible to meet his request.

Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that the number of letters sent out is very considerable; is he not aware that the Food Executive Officer for Cheltenham was not convinced by the Minister's reply and that was the reason why the Food Committee passed a resolution on the matter; and will he let me have his considered objections to the proposal?

It is very largely a matter for the Postmaster-General.