§ 9. Captain Duncanasked the Minister of Food how much tinplate was used by the fruit canning and jam making industry last year; and how much he proposes to allocate for these purposes in 1951.
§ Mr. WebbLast year about 16,000 tons were used for fruit and about 8,000 tons for jam. I hope that about the same quantities will be available this year.
§ Lord DunglassIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the acreage for fruit and vegetables is increasing at a fairly fast rate this year, and that that allocation will probably be unsatisfactory? Is he in close touch with the trade?
§ Mr. WebbYes, I am in very close touch with the trade. We are to have a debate on the whole subject tomorrow, and then we can give rather more information, but we are very well aware of the difficulties of this situation, and, indeed, of the extent to which the shortage of tinplate is causing problems to the manufacturers and producers. Perhaps tomorrow's debate may elicit some rather important and revealing facts of the situation.
§ Captain DuncanIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that unless there is a sufficient allocation of tinplate for canning fruit and making jam that will have a serious effect on the growers?
§ Mr. WebbYes, I am very fully aware of that, but I think that the allocation for the second quarter, which is a very crucial quarter, will be better than we hoped it would be.