§ 69. Mr. F. Noel-Bakerasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that, under present arrangements by his Department, many retailers are left with insufficient stock to meet even the lb. monthly sweet ration before 25th December; that they cannot hope to provide customers with the extra ¼ lb. authorised until after that date; that up to one third of their customers may get no supplies whatever until after the holidays; and if he will therefore make special arrangements to increase stocks immediately available to the public.
§ 86. Mr. Bossomasked the Minister of Food what inquiries he made as to whether retailers could supply the extra 4 oz. of sweets promised for Christmas, before he made his announcement.
§ Mr. StracheyWe consulted the industry informally, and while they could give no assurance that the necessary additional supplies would be available in every area, they thought that in most cases not only the current ration but also the bonus could be met before Christmas. In making the announcement I made it clear that272W some people would not be able to get the bonus until after Christmas but that everyone should be able to obtain the full entitlement of 32 oz. during the eight weeks ending 31st January.