§ Dr. Winstanleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average age of the members of the Milk and Dairies Tribunal; what are the ages of the youngest and the oldest members of the tribunal, respectively; and what provision exists for the removal of members from the tribunal on the grounds of age or incapacity.
§ Mr. HoyThere are eight Milk and Dairies Tribunals for England and Wales set up under the Food and Drugs Act. Seven of these are for the various regions of England, and one is for Wales. Each tribunal consists of an independent chairman, appointed by my right hon. Friend, and two other members. One of the latter is appointed from a list of persons representative of consumers' interests, and the other from a list of persons either nominated jointly by the National Farmers Union and the Milk170W Marketing Board, or chosen as representative of the milk distributive trade, according to the case to be heard. The average age of the eight chairmen is 61 years, the oldest being 67 and the youngest 47. There are well over 200 names on the list from which the other members of a tribunal are drawn, and information on the respective ages is not readily available. Chairmen are appointed for a period of three years and may be re-appointed. If my right hon. Friend is satisfied that a chairman is incapacitated by infirmity of mind or body from discharging the duties of his office the regulations empower him to revoke the appointment.