HC Deb 17 February 1947 vol 433 cc767-8
1. Mr. William Shepherd

asked the Minister of Food how many members of his Department are engaged in checking diet in the homes of the people; how many people connected with outside agencies are so engaged; how many officials are engaged in administration and interpretation; what was the total annual cost for the year 1946; and what conclusions have been drawn from this work.

The Minister of Food (Mr. Strachey)

No one from my Department is engaged on this work. The market research agencies who do this for us employ about 110 interrogators and 100 office staff. Nine Ministry officials and a small clerical staff interpret the material. The total cost in 1946 is estimated provisionally at £110,000. The surveys provide information, which could not be obtained in any other way, to assist in the formation and administration of policy. It would not be possible to give our conclusions from all this data in a reply to a Parliamentary Question, but I hope to publish some of the results in due course.

Mr. Shepherd

Does not this disclose an obvious waste of public money and time, and was not the most sensible expression that of the dog which bit one of these interrogators?

Mr. Sydney Silverman

Can my right hon. Friend say whether it is a fact that there is now before the courts a case in which a man is accused of having stored 5,000 eggs in a garage, and could my right hon. Friend explain to the House how he could have discovered such a case unless he had powers of this kind?

6. Mr. Vane

asked the Minister of Food what is the purpose of the national food survey; what arrangements he has entered into with the London Press Exchange Limited, to assist in making this survey; and what fee is being paid to them for their services.

Mr. Strachey

The national food survey is designed to collect information about household food purchases and. consumption, which is needed to check distribution of food to different classes of the population, as distinct from statistics of the total supplies moving into consumption. The London Press Exchange is under contract to do the field work and preliminary tabulation of data under Ministry direction. The fees paid depend on the work done; in 1946 the agency received £45,000.

Mr. Vane

Has the Minister considered obtaining this information from voluntary societies, such as women's institutes? Does not he think he would obtain the information much more willingly from such bodies, without having to spend such large sums of public money?

Mr. Strachey

No, Sir, I do not think that that is practicable.

Mr. Erroll

Will the Minister say what proportion of the firm's total turnover the payment of £45,000 represents?

Mr. Strachey

Not without notice.