§ 31. Sir Gifford Foxasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the decision to expend at this time £2,000 from the Exchequer for the purpose of maintaining a free blood-testing service for the accredited poultry-breeding stations was reached after full consideration of the fact that there are adequate commercial facilities in the country for the carrying-out of this work to the required standard of accuracy; whether the laboratory at Weybridge is continuing to carry out these tests at ½d. each, on request, for any poultry-keeper outside the accredited poultry-breeders scheme; and what objection there is to entrusting the blood-testing required by the industry to commercial laboratories to be; approved by him?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithThe decision to provide the free services to accredited breeders of poultry in England and Wales 15 under the Agriculture Act, 1937, only at the Ministry's Laboratory at Weybridge was reached in the full knowledge that other laboratories also provide blood testing facilities, and was taken with the object of ensuring that a service on which public money will be expended shall be carried out under the control of my Department. The reply to the second part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the last part that, apart from blood tests required under the Accredited Poultry Breeding Stations Scheme, the breeder's choice of a laboratory for blood tests is unrestricted.
§ Sir G. FoxIs my right hon. and gallant Friend pleased to think that this policy will lead to State trading competing with private enterprise?