§ 1. Mr. HERBERT WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Agriculture, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the imports of beef in October this year were 959,434 tons, an increase of 45,063 tons compared with October of last year; and when he hopes to be able to deal with the situation?
Lieut.-Colonel Sir A. LAMBERT WARD (Lord of the Treasury)I have been asked to reply. The figures for imports of beef in October are as stated, but they represent cwts. not tons. With regard to the second part of the question, my right hon. Friend has nothing to add to the answers he gave my hon. Friend on 5th November.
§ 2. Mr. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Agriculture, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the imports of frozen pork were 120 per cent. higher in October this year than last, and were 80 per cent. higher in the first ten months of this year than in the same period of last year; and whether he proposes to take steps to deal with these imports now aggregating nearly £3,000,000 a year?
§ Sir A. LAMBERT WARDMy right hon. Friend is aware that imports of frozen pork have shown a substantial increase in recent months, the figures for October and the 10 months January to October, 1934, showing increases of about 123 per cent. and 94 per cent., respectively, compared with those for the corresponding periods of last year. With regard to the second part of the question, imports of frozen pork are covered by the general programme for the regulation of meat imports referred to in the 2296 reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for South Molton (Mr. Lambert), on 30th October.