§ 24. Mr. Marplesasked the Minister of Food what is the total quantity of rum stored by his Department in Nottingham; how long it has been stored there; what he proposes to do with it; and when he expects to remove it.
§ Mr. StracheyAbout 13,000 gallons of rum which we took over from the Services has been stored in Nottingham since March, 1946. It is being steadily cleared, and we hope to dispose of it all within the next six months.
§ Mr. MarplesDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think he could accelerate the clearance of this rum?
§ Mr. StracheyNo, Sir. There is a good deal of other rum being imported from Jamaica and it would be unfair to throw this all on the market now. This is old war stock.
§ Mr. Godfrey NicholsonIs this Jamaica or Demerara?
§ Mr. StracheyIt is naval stock of various kinds.
§ Mr. HarrisonIs my right hon. Friend aware that the storage of this huge quantity of rum in the City of Nottingham is no detriment to the City of Nottingham and that the source of the complaint is one of the sloppiest in the City?
§ 25. Mr. Marplesasked the Minister of Food what is the area of the bonded warehouse accommodation in Nottingham occupied by his Department; what percentage is this of the total bonded warehouse accommodation available; and when he expects to derequisition the accommodation now used in storing rum.
§ Mr. StracheyMy Department is using some 3,700 square feet of bonded accommodation in Nottingham representing about 17 per cent. of the space available. None of it is requisitioned.