§ 47. Mr. Rentonasked the Prime Minister to what extent it is the policy of His Majesty's Government to rely upon dates in 1939 as the bases for licensing various activities or for allocating materials.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government's policy is, wherever possible, to move away from dates in 1939 as bases upon which to licence various activities or to allocate materials.
§ Mr. RentonWould the right hon. Gentleman say to what extent the Government are in fact adhering to that policy which, being based on 1939 allocations, is often unrealistic and unfair, and how he expects our economy to expand if we are basing our plans for the future on what happened 10 years ago?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not think that the hon. Gentleman, if he reads my reply, will find that we are basing it on that. The point I have made is that we are steadily departing from that basis which was taken at the beginning of the war.
§ Mr. H. StraussHas the right hon. Gentleman observed that another section of the Liberal Party has increased the gaiety of all English-speaking people by advocating a "more flexible yardstick "?