asked the Minister of Food whether he will introduce a priority sweet ration for small children and old age pensioners, many of whom at present are unable to obtain any supply of sweets at all.

I think it would be a difficult administrative task to issue a special ration for children and old people only.

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the statement which was made before de-rationing took place, that special consideration would be given if children were unable to obtain sweets? What steps are being taken to implement that promise?

I think my hon. Friend will remember that we asked retailers to give special consideration to children. Many have done so; if my hon. Friend will look at my answer last week on this matter I think he will derive some comfort.

Is my right hon. Friend not aware that there are many retailers who have not got the supplies to provide for these people? Can she inform the House on what date the re-introduction of sweet rationing will be announced?

I must ask my hon. Friend to exercise a little more patience.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that farmers in Berkshire and Wiltshire, seeking to draw extra seasonal rations in bulk for their workers, can only buy tinned beans on the points allocated as the local grocers' shops have no tinned meat to spare after meeting the needs of their regular customers who are registered with them, and, in view of the fact that the same difficulty arose last year, if he will now allow farm-workers individually to obtain the extra rations to which they are entitled from the shops with which they deal regularly.

I am not aware that there is any difficulty in obtaining points foods for farmworkers' seasonal allowances. The shortage of canned meat and fish is, however, general. My right hon. Friend cannot agree to allow individual farmworkers to purchase the seasonal allowances.

Does not the Minister recognise that the farmworker has just as heavy a job and is as much entitled to sustaining food as the miner? Will she not see that he gets a square deal in this matter?

I am sure the hon. Member will remember that this matter has been raised before. I must give the same answer. The food which the farmer wants for his farmworkers consists chiefly of canned meat and canned fish, which are generally in short supply. Canned fish costs dollars.

Is not the right hon. Lady fully conversant with the complaints which were made last year, and is she now prepared to support her hon. Friends who suggest that we should harvest our crops on spaghetti?

We are trying to meet farmers' needs. In the past we have distributed canned meat and canned fish on alternate months. In August and September this year we shall distribute them both together.

But is the right bon. Lady aware that even if there is an extra allocation, farm workers cannot obtain these points goods because they are taken up by other customers at shops?

Could not the right hon. Lady undertake to release some of the canned fish which we bought from Russia some months ago, and allocate it to the farmworkers?

In view of these many years in which we have battled for better rations for the farmworker, will the right hon. Lady not reconsider the matter? Is she aware that I have in my hand particulars of an industrial canteen where the people get an 11d. dinner consisting of meat, two veg. and "afters"? Farmworkers cannot get that, and it is about time that the Ministry of Food recognised that they are not being treated fairly.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that harvests in England, Scotland and Ireland have been taken in for hundreds of years by farmworkers who were fed on nothing but potatoes and oatmeal, because they could not get anything more?

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I wish to give notice that I shall raise the matter again at the earliest opportunity.

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."

asked the Minister of Food whether he will reconsider his decision and grant a further allocation of sugar to housewives for jam making in view of the size of the fruit crop.

No, Sir. I cannot add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, to my hon. Friend the Member for Accrington (Mr. Scott-Elliot) on 16th May.

Is the right hon. Lady aware that her answer will be received with a good deal of disappointment by housewives, especially in country districts?

I would remind the hon. and gallant Gentleman that housewives are being given 7 lbs. of sugar this year as compared with 5 lbs. last year.

Given?

I cannot allow any more.

Will the right hon. Lady not realise that women in country districts who have their own fruit, of whom there are a great number, and who could contribute very largely to our food supplies, are drawing less sugar than they did before the increase mentioned by the right hon. Lady was given to them, because they are not allowed to exchange jam for sugar?

As long as the housewives' domestic need for sugar cannot be met fully, will my right hon. Friend assure the House that she will not divert supplies to sweet manufacturers to prop up the derationing experiment?

My hon. Friend knows that we are trying to allocate sugar as fairly as possible between manufacturers and the home consumer.

asked the Minister of Food if he can give the date of the Government agreement to buy Cornish new potatoes, and the price per ton.

The agreement was released for publication on 27th August, 1948. Prices were fixed daily under the New Potatoes (1949 Crop) Order, 1949. Prices began at £34 per ton on 1st June and decreased gradually to £28 5s. per ton on 11th June.

Whilst thanking the right hon. Lady for her reply, may I ask if she is aware that this is most unfortunate because it involved the country in very serious financial loss, and also disturbed very seriously the early potato marketing in Scotland this year? These Cornish potatoes were luxury potatoes; Scottish crops could have been grown for a great number of years.

I cannot agree with the hon. Gentleman. It did not disturb marketing arrangements in Scotland.