(forasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that broadcasts from his Ministry, intimating the availability of milk, dried fruit and other commodities, when these in fact have not yet reached the distributors, is leading to undesirable friction and irritation in many localities; and will he arrange in future that the publicity should announce the facts rather than the hopes of the Ministry?

Major Lloyd George:

As regards the last part of my hon. Friend's Question, I would remind him that it is not practicable to arrange for delivery to all retailers in every part of the United Kingdom on the same day. Nor would it be satisfactory to release supplies without informing wholesalers and retailers that they could obtain them. The practice of the Ministry is, therefore, to announce that supplies are about to be released to first-hand suppliers or wholesalers, and at the same time give an indication as to the date when they may be available generally for sale to consumers.

Does the right hon. and gallant Gentleman recognise that while the original statement might be heard and circulated very widely, the correction may not be listened to, and this may lead to very considerable trouble when people go for supplies to shops which have not had the supplies given to them?

Major Lloyd George:

My recollection— I have not got the papers with me—is that the original announcement was that enough supplies would be available, and by the middle of November we had, in fact, produced sufficient dried fruits, at any rate, to make up the 12 ounces per head which had been promised. I do realise that in some localities there may have been delays in supplying retailers.