§ 30. Miss Burtonasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that the present method of ascertaining actual take-up of rationed foods is unsatisfactory; and if he will make inquiries as to the possibility of securing a more accurate return from individual consumers.
Dr. HillNo, Sir. The National Food Survey already provides information 24 about the take-up of rationed foods by individual families.
§ Miss BurtonIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that on 26th November he said that this method
… does not necessarily reflect the position as it really is."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 26th November, 1952; Vol. 508, c. 534.]That was a reference to the take-up in the shops. Does not he agree that it is most important to settle the difference between the two sides of the House, because we maintain that these rationed foods are not being taken up by the poorer sections of the community?
Dr. HillThe National Food Survey does not set out to give the ration take-up by the retailer from the wholesaler. It sets out to investigate, on the basis of family budgets, the take-up by the individual purchaser.
§ Miss BurtonIf that survey shows that bacon and butter are being taken up by old-age pensioners, is not it time that we had another?
Dr. HillThe hon. Lady must not criticise statistically valid conclusions because they are inconvenient.
§ Mr. BeswickCan the hon. Gentleman say how many families were questioned by the survey to elicit the information that more milk is being bought by the poor and less by the rich?
Dr. HillThe weekly budgets of 1,000 families are taken. That is the same number as were taken under the previous Administration which used this method.
§ Mr. WilleyIs the Parliamentary Secretary telling the House that the figures he gave were based on the National Food Survey? If that be the case, did he order a special inquiry, because it usually takes two or three months to prepare the figures?
Dr. HillI have not got the hon. Member's point. Any figures I gave from the National Food Survey were from its official conclusions.
§ Mr. WilleyI asked whether the figures were given from the National Food Survey or from other sources?
Dr. HillI have given no figures in answer to this question. Some of the figures I gave a week ago were from the National Food Survey.
§ 37. Mr. Lewisasked the Minister of Food the take-up of bacon, meat and butter for each of the four weeks in November, showing the comparison with October, and similar details for 1951 for the same period.
Dr. HillAs the answer involves a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Deliveries from Ministry stocks (which, except in the case of meat, are made to the wholesale trade) fluctuate considerably from week to week, and even over a four week ration period they provide only an approximate indication of take-up by consumers, owing to changes in the level of distributors' stocks and other special circumstances.
§ The following tables show the quantities of bacon, meat and butter delivered from Ministry stocks during the relevant four-weekly periods, and also the percentage of entitlement which those quantities are estimated to represent.
| DELIVERIES FROM MINISTRY STOCKS thousand tons | |||||||
| Four weeks ended | Bacon | Meat | Butter | ||||
| 1951 | 1952 | 1951 | 1952 | 1951 | 1952 | 1951 | 1952 |
| 3rd November | 1st November | 23.2 | 35.3 | 104.7 | 104.2 | 19.5 | 12.8 |
| 1st December | 29th November | 25.1 | 35.1 | 88.5 | 101.8 | 18.7 | 16.3 |
| NOTE: The 16.3 thousand tons delivered in the period ended 1st December, 1952, includes some supplies issued in readiness for the increase of the ration to 3 oz. on 30th November. |
| ESTIMATED TAKE-UP per cent. | |||||||
| Four weeks ended | Bacon | Meat | Butter | ||||
| 1951 | 1952 | 1951 | 1952 | 1951 | 1952 | 1951 | 1952 |
| 3rd November | 1st November | 99 | 91 | 100 | 99 | 99 | 100 |
| 1st December | 29th November | 102 | 90 | 100 | 99 | 97 | 98 |