§ Motion made, and Question proposed,
That the Eggs (Protection of Guarantees) (Amendment) Order, 1961 (S I, 1961, No, 90), dated 18th January 1961, a copy of which was laid before this House on 23rd January, be approved.—[Mr. Vane.]
§ 9.37 p.m.
§ Mr. Geoffrey de Freitas (Lincoln)I see from the Explanatory Note that this Order prohibits the sale for hatching or use for hatching of eggs which have been marked with an approved mark in accordance with Article 3 of the principal Order. For several years I have been a director of a fairly large cooperative egg packing station owned by a large number of very small producers of eggs, but until I saw this Order it never occurred to me that there was this possibility of abuse.
Will the Joint Parliamentary Secretary tell me what is the size of this abuse if it exists and what is the possibility of abuse? In other words, what sort of loophole is this Order designed to stop?
§ 9.38 p.m.
The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. W. M. F. Vane)The hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. de Freitas) spoke about a possible abuse and of attempts which may have been made to obtain subsidy on eggs intended for hatching. To the best of our knowledge there has never been any widespread abuse, if any abuse at all. I do not think that it has occurred to the great majority of people who are concerned in this business that there is any possibility of obtaining subsidy on eggs used for hatching, because it has always been understood that the subsidy is not intended for eggs for hatching.
On the other hand, in the principal Order it has not been made so clear that it would necessarily stand up against all tests that it was an offence to claim subsidy on eggs afterwards used for hatching purposes. We therefore thought it better to be wise before rather than after the event, and I ask the House to accept this very simple Order, which introduces nothing new in the general administration of the control of egg subsidies and which is introduced with the approval of all the trade interests concerned.
§ Question put and agreed to.