§ Sir F. FLANNERYasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he has considered further action with regard to the constitution of the local Food Control Committee at Halstead, in Essex; whether he is aware that the rural parishes in the Halstead Union and urban district of Halstead have a combined committee of twelve; whether six parishes out of seventeen have direct representatives, seven from the town of Halstead, two from its borders, two a few miles from Halstead, and one from another rural village; whether there are therefore nine representatives for 6,000 population but three for 10,000; and whether the number of representatives will be increased proportionately?
§ Mr. CLYNESThe Halstead Urban and Rural District Councils have combined to appoint a Food Control Committee. These committees are intended to represent the whole body of consumers in their area, and not necessarily to represent particular districts; and the Food Controller has no reason to suppose that the interests of the rural district have not been duly safeguarded in the agreement reached between the two appointing councils. It is not clear that an increase in the membership of this committee is desirable, but representations have been made by the Divisional Food Commissioner in regard to the number of persons interested in food distribution appointed to the committee, and this matter is understood now to be before the councils concerned.
§ Mr. CROOKSasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether local food committees are prohibited from allowing representatives of the Press to attend their meetings; whether members of local food committees are prohibited from submitting reports of the committees' proceedings to the bodies they represent on the committees; and, if so, will he state the reasons for these prohibitions?
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§ Mr. CLYNESThe Food Controller has issued no such prohibitions. Committees, in the course of their work, receive returns from traders and other confidential documents, and their attention has been called to the obligation imposed upon every member by this fact. Subject to this important consideration, it rests with each committee to decide whether the Press should be admitted to its meetings, and the attention of committees is being called to the valuable assistance which the Press can give in making the policy of the committees widely known in their area. Subject to the same consideration, the Food Controller sees no reason why a member should not keep the body which he represents informed of the action taken by his committee.