Milk Allowance (Babies)

HC Deb 27 October 1947 vol 443 cc498-9

39. Mr. Quintin Hogg

asked the Minister of Food why he has found it necessary to cut the babies' milk ration.

Mr. Strachey

The milk allowance for babies up to 12 months old has not been reduced. The reduction in the allowance to children between one and five years of age was made in preference to reducing other priority or non-priority allowances on the recommendations of our medical and nutritional advisers.

Mr. Hogg

Without going into, an argument on whether a child of 12 months is a baby or not, will the right hon. Gentleman explain why, if the official explanation given is the true one, he did not have the wit to have manufactured baby foods made up at the time when the cows were yielding larger quantities of milk?

Mr. Strachey

The shortage of milk this year is due to the drought, and that, I confess, I was not able to foresee.

Mr. Hogg

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that for some time previous to this year it would have been possible to manufacture milk, without cutting the allowance to young children?

Mr. Strachey

It would have been possible to do so by cutting the non-priority allowance further, but our medical advisers preferred this course.