§ 11. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that the charges for carriage of milk in bottles have been so increased by Messrs. MacBrayne Limited, that in the Inverness area the public has to pay an additional 2d. per pint bottle and 3d. per quart bottle; and what steps he proposes to take to relieve this serious addition to the cost of living in this area.
§ Mr. WebbI am not aware of any increases of this kind, but if the noble Lord will let me have details I will have them examined to see if there are any steps which I have the power to take.
§ Lord Malcolm Douglas-HamiltonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that these increases are real, and will he also bear in mind that this is just another example of how high transport charges bear on the cost of living in the Highlands? Could he have a talk with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport to see whether they cannot do something to ease this burden?
§ Mr. WebbI am not sure what power I have over a company of this kind which, as the noble Lord knows, is a semi-independent, private company. If I could have details of the particular matters 869 which he has in mind I would like to investigate them to see if I have any power to correct them.