§ 47. Mrs. Mannasked the President of the Board of Trade how many departures from specifications over the Utility field have been permitted since 1951; and what practical steps he is taking to ensure a minimum standard of reliability.
§ Mr. H. StraussVarious departures from the Utility cloth and clothing specifications had been permitted before the Utility cloth and clothing schemes were revoked as from 17th March, 1952. For the progress since made in establishing new textile and clothing standards I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Members for Hammersmith, South (Mr. W. T. Williams) and Dartford (Mr. Dodds) on 26th June and 3rd July respectively. Since then agreed specifications for bedding have been published by the British Standards Institution.
Under the Utility furniture scheme, which is still in force, we have allowed variations in approximately 400 individual cases this year. These variations, of course, have not allowed any lowering of quality.