Welfare Foods (Hansard, 27 February 1961)

§ 11. Mr. Redhead
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what recent instructions have been sent to his local offices concerning the issue of welfare food coupons to expectant mothers.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
Following the announcement by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health on 1st February, 1961, concerning welfare foods, local offices of my Department were instructed that vitamin token books issued in future should not contain tokens giving entitlement beyond 31st May, 1961.

§ Mr. Redhead
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the effect of these instructions is to deny to expectant mothers the opportunity, which they have hitherto enjoyed, of drawing upon their allotment for orange juice, cod liver oil and vitamin tablets in any quantity and at any time they like? Can he say under what authority intending charges in the relevant orders are being anticipated before they have been approved by this House?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I know of no legal provision laying down that the books should be of any particular duration. It is a matter of practical convenience. I should have thought that it would be quite wrong and misleading to some of the ladies concerned to have issued books carrying tokens beyond the date at which my right hon. Friend has announced that the scheme will cease.

§ Mr. K. Robinson
The right hon. Gentleman has not answered my hon. Friend's Question about the propriety of his action in anticipating the decision of the House? Does he not also think that this is an incredibly mean step? Could he not allow these welfare foods to expectant mothers at the old price for the whole term of their pregnancy? Would not the cost of this be utterly trivial?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
There is no question of anticipating the decision of the House. If the scheme should continue beyond 31st May, it would be perfectly practicable to issue further books. Concerning the propriety, I would have thought it quite wrong, as I said in my 1177 earlier answer, to issue books which my right hon. Friend had already indicated would be misleading.