§ 55. Mr. T. Williamsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why farmers who send livestock to the central slaughter-house, Don caster, have to wait three weeks or more before payment is made; why all accounts have to be fixed and settled in Doncaster and then forwarded to the area meat officer, Pontefract; and will he consider having an appropriate staff at Doncaster so that payments can be expedited?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWith the exception of casualty and other animals which have to be slaughtered urgently, farmers do not send their stock to a slaughter-house, but to a collecting centre. It is not practicable to set up accounting staffs at slaughter-houses and payment for fat-stock is made in each county from a convenient centre. Yorkshire, for this purpose, is divided into two parts, and payments in the West Riding are made from Pontefract. The delays in payment to which the hon. Member refers have been due to initial difficulties in the recruitment and training of staff. They are now being rapidly overtaken, and I am assured will have disappeared within the next two or three weeks.
§ Mr. WilliamsCan the Minister state exactly why it is that, when the person responsible at the collecting centre has decided how much should be paid in respect of each animal, there should be days' and sometimes weeks' delay before farmers are actually paid?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIf we had accounting staffs for every single slaughter-house legitimate complaints might be made in this House on the ground of expense.
§ Mr. WilliamsWill the hon. Gentleman see to it that accounting staffs are large enough to cope with the number of cases with which they have to deal, so that there is not such a long delay before payment is made to very poor farmers?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThat is what my reply shows.