HC Deb 27 January 1953 vol 510 cc101-3W
88. Mr. Godber

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a statement on extra food allowances for the Coronation.

Dr. Hill

Yes. This historic occasion justifies some exceptional provision to help people to celebrate it in a traditionally festive spirit.

To help with private entertaining in the home a special bonus of 1 lb. of sugar and ¼ lb. of margarine will be distributed during the Coronation period. This special sugar bonus will be additional to any sugar provided for domestic jam making during the year.

Many public-spirited people will no doubt be planning street parties and similar entertainments. Bona-fide organisers of all such functions, which are neither private domestic parties nor run on commercial lines, will be able during Coronation week to obtain the full range of rationed foods, including meat, on the scales allowed to commercial caterers instead of the present limited allowances.

Our normal arrangements are flexible enough to enable caterers to meet most of the extra demands that will be made on them. To help them provide breakfasts for the increased number of tourists that we hope will be visiting this country this year, there will be made available a little extra sugar during the new rationing year which begins in May in addition to what they receive under their allocation as reduced in 1951.

Cakes, biscuits, ice cream, soft drinks, table jellies and other party fare will, of course, be in great demand. As the House will remember, the supplies of sugar to food manufacturers were reduced in November, 1951. This year, part of the sugar which was taken from them at that time will be restored by increasing the allocation to the main industries which have been suffering from reductions in their supplies of privately-imported sweeteners, such as fondant and sweetened fat. This, together with the increases in allocations of glucose and full cream milk powder already announced, should help manufacturers to cope with any exceptional demands at Coronation time. There will also be provided small quantities of sugar or fat needed to increase supplies of other items such as potato crisps, toffee apples, popcorn and candy floss which are so popular with children.

My right hon. and gallant Friend has been asked if ox roasting will be allowed. While meat is still rationed, this is difficult. He is reluctant, however, to stand in the way of traditional festivities of this kind. He has, therefore, decided that any local authority, or other responsible body which has made a custom of ox roasting at Coronations, will be permitted to obtain an ox for this purpose during Coronation week provided the cooked meat is given away free to those at the festivity.

In addition to these special arrangements, the meat ration should be reasonably satisfactory; there will be plenty of unrationed ham, sausages and canned meats; eggs will have been decontrolled and tea will be freely available.