asked the Minister of Food when he anticipates his Department will have reached finality on the question of future meat-slaughtering policy.

This subject is so bound up with the wider question of the marketing of livestock for human consumption that I do not anticipate that a decision will be reached during the lifetime of this Parliament.

Will my right hon. Friend say what can be done in Scotland, with which I am particularly concerned, to improve the shocking conditions in the abattoirs, many of which are old and quite unfit for present use?

The condition of abattoirs is infinitely better than it was before this Government came into office, but if my hon. Friend cares to draw my attention to any particular case I will try to do what I can to remedy the situation.

Does not my right hon. Friend realise that one of the reasons why local authorities particularly are unwilling to go ahead and spend money to bring the abattoirs up to date is because they do not know what the future policy is to be?

I can only ask my hon. Friend to read "Labour Believes in Britain."