§ 61. Flight-Lieutenant Raikesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the number of firms previously licensed by his Department for the manufacture of soft drinks and whose manufacture entails no consumption of sugar, who are adversely affected by the sugar content conditions imposed by Statutory Rule and Order No. 838 of 1943, and who will automatically be compelled to cease business?
§ 62. Sir H. Williamsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why the previous and pre-war manufacture of soft drinks containing sweetening agents other than sugar, or without any sweetening agent in the case of unsweetened squashes, is now prohibited?
§ 63. Major Petherickasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the number of persons or firms previously licensed to manufacture soft drinks and whose licences have been revoked in the month of June, 1943, who are consequently without any allocation of sugar, and who will now be prohibited to manufacture?
§ 66. Sir Reginald Clarryasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what steps he is taking to make good the manufacture of the large gallonage of soft drinks that will cease to be made in consequence of the revocation of certain licences and the imposition of a sugar content through the revocation of certain licences and the imposition of a sugar content through the operation of S.R. & O. 838 of 1943; whether any increased allocations of sugar are to be made and, if so, to whom, to enable this shortage to be met?
§ Mr. MabaneAs regards unsweetened squashes, my Noble Friend regrets that it has been found necessary to prohibit the retail sale of certain preparations of natural strength fruit juices because the limited supply of fruit juices now available has made it essential to ensure their even and general distribution. The other products referred to in these Questions are for the most part synthetic drinks which have come on to the market in the last two or three years as a result of the restrictions imposed on the production of genuine soft drinks owing to the reduced allocation of sugar for this purpose. In the case of 20 firms, all of which have entered the industry since the war, it has been established that they have no basic sugar usage and are therefore not entitled to an allocation of sugar. At present there are some 63 further firms about whose basic usage and consequent entitlement to a sugar allocation doubt exists. Inquiries are being made in these cases. Arrangements have been made to allocate sufficient sugar for soft drinks manufacture under the terms of the Soft Drinks Order, 1943, to produce an output equal to that available to the public in 1940–41.