46. Mr. Vaneasked the Prime Minister whether he will ensure that, in future, all rationing schemes, whether covering food, fuel or feeding stuffs, will recognise the special position of isolated farms and villages and include provisions authorising them to lay in sufficient stocks, in accordance with the traditional practice in such districts, and in order to avoid the repetition of this year's hardships.
§ The Prime MinisterSo far as concerns food, local food officers have full discretionary powers to enable people living in isolated districts to lay in stocks by the use of coupons in advance. As regards fuel, the instructions of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power to local fuel overseers provide that they may allow summer stocking of solid fuel at isolated premises which are difficult of access in winter. The need to lay in special stocks of feeding-stuffs is normally confined to hill sheep farms, and provision is made for the ration of feedingstuffs for mountain ewes to be obtained in advance on application. Owing to the acute shortage of feeding-stuffs this year, the regular ration for 1829 mountain ewes had to be replaced by issues from a discretionary reserve in the hands of the county agricultural executive committees.