§ 27. Mr. W. Shepherdasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster the average percentage of the ration which has been met in the British zone during the past six months.
§ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. John Hynd)The ration was effectively met in May, June and July. It is estimated that in August, September and October 93 per cent. of the ration was met, and that in the present month about 90 per cent. of the ration will be met.
§ 34. Mr. Stokesasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster of what the 1550-calorie ration in the British zone is comprised.
§ Mr. J. HyndThe composition of the ration varies with the supplies available and all the items on the ration do not, of course, figure in each day's diet. With permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the average daily ration for the present ration period.
§ Mr. StokesCan the Minister state whether any fats are included in his statement, and if so how many, because fats have been absent from many parts of the zone for many months?
§ Mr. HyndYes, Sir, the proportion of fat is about one quarter of an ounce, of which the calorific value is estimated at 50 or 51.
§ Mr. Godfrey NicholsonCan the Minister state whether there are any special ration scales for hospital patients?
§ Mr. HyndCertainly, Sir. Special ration scales are laid down for a whole variety of special cases, including various grades of workers, age groups of children, expectant and nursing mothers and hospital cases.
§ Mr. NicholsonI hope it will not be a purely average list in the printed answer. I hope the Minister will give details.
§ Following are the details:
| Foodstuff. | Weight in Ounces. | Calorific Value. | |
| Bread | … | 12½ | 873 |
| Potatoes | … | 12½ | 232 |
| Other Vegetables | … | 2½ | 11 |
| Skimmed Milk | … | 4.4 | 43 |
| Cereal Foods | … | 1.9 | 176 |
| Meat | … | 0.6 | 28 |
| Fish | … | 0.75 | 29 |
| Fats | … | 0.25 | 51 |
| Sugar | … | 0.9 | 107 |
| Cheese | … | 0.06 | 5 |
§ The following Question stood upon the Order Paper:
§ 37. MR. KEELING,—To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the present calorie value of the rations issued to the inhabitants of the British zones in Germany and Austria, respectively; and whether any increases are in sight.
§ Mr. KeelingMr. Speaker, in asking Question No. 37, may I apologise for the spelling of "calorie" which has infected my hon. Friend the Member for Ipswich (Mr. Stokes) in his Question No. 34?
§ Mr. StokesOn a point of Order, I never spell it that way; it is the officers of the House who do it.
§ Mr. J. HyndThe basic ration for the normal consumer in the British zone of Germany and throughout Austria is 1,550 calories a day. In Austria the ration is fixed by the Austrian Government. In view of the present difficulty of maintaining even this level of sustenance, I am afraid I cannot, at present, give any assurance of an early increase, although every effort is being made towards this end.