§ 38. Mr. T. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Potato Marketing Board collected and exported an enormous amount of home-grown potatoes, thereby causing an undue rise in the price of potatoes to the home consumer; and will he take steps to prevent similar action in future?
§ Mr. ColvilleI am informed by the Potato Marketing Board that the quantity of potatoes which they recently sold for export did not exceed 5,000 tons, and my information is that there is no ground for supposing that the transaction caused any rise in the price of potatoes to the home consumers. With regard to the last part of the question, I have no power to intervene in the administration of an 1819 agricultural marketing scheme except as provided in Section 9 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931.
§ Mr. HendersonCan the Secretary of State say the country to which the larger proportion of this export was sent?
§ Mr. RadfordIs not the solution to this question to plant more potatoes and not to cut down exports?
§ Mr. ColvilleI understand they were exported to Spain.