§ 84. Mr. Hurdasked the Minister of Food what number of staff he estimates will still be required in the points division of his Department to deal with the foodstuffs still retained on points rationing.
§ Mr. WebbAbout 10 in the points division at headquarters and rather over 1,000 in the local and regional offices
89. Mr. I. O. Thomasasked the Minister of Food, in view of the expectation that the recent changes in the points rationing scheme would cause difficulties for traders and housewives, whether he will now make a statement on the effect of the changes so far.
§ Mr. WebbIt is too soon for me to form a considered judgment on the working of the revised scheme, which has only been running for a week. However, letters I have received suggest that housewives are finding it harder to plan the use of their points, especially for small households, and that people who usually spend all their points on the foods that are still rationed are finding it difficult to do so. I am afraid these difficulties are the natural result of having so few commodities on points, but I do not think I would have been right to go on rationing plentiful foods merely in order to avoid difficulties. I undertook, however, to review the whole effect of the 157W revised scheme at the end of about four weeks working, and that review will take place.