asked the Minister of Food (1) if he will explain the reasons why, in the four weeks ended 26th December last, there were 5,700,000 rations of cooking fat, 6,700,000 rations of margarine, and 14,500,000 rations of cheese not taken up;

(2) if he will explain the reasons why, in the four weeks ended 26th December last, there were 1,300,000 rations of meat, 1½ million rations of butter, and 6 million rations of bacon not taken up;

(2) if he will explain the reasons why, from 3rd October, 1953, until 26thDecember, 1953, there were 23,900,000rations of bacon, 9,800,000 rations of butter, 31,600,000 rations of margarine, 37,300,000 rations of cooking fat and39,600,000 rations of cheese not taken up.

Because there is a greater variety of food in more ample supply.

That was exactly the answer I anticipated. Can the Minister say what other foods and what other varieties, apart from those mentioned in the Question, are now available in abundance at prices lower than in October, 1951?

I have only a short time at my disposal, and I could not possibly give the whole list in that time.

Give one.

Canned meat, for example, is one. The fact remains of course that, whether the hon. Gentleman likes it or not, he must go by the Cost-of-Living Index, which is the only basis we have.

Bearing in mind that these figures include butter and margarine, can the Minister say what alternatives are being used by the housewife to those two commodities? Is the right hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that this week's report of the United Nations still places Britain among the countries which are still deficient in calories? Indeed, we are not even among the first 13 nations.

I am afraid that I cannot possibly accept what the hon. Lady says about this country being thirteenth on the list. It is nothing like that. With regard to margarine, for example, 98 per cent, of the ration was taken up in 1951, which made a total weekly issue of 6,500 tons, while with the much lower take-up today the amount is 7,300 tons a week.