§ Sir R. Blairasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why his Department has not, during the past year, instituted plans for increasing the production of hard and soft cheeses instead of allowing a decrease, seeing that cheese has the highest nutritional food value for persons of all ages; and will he now, in co-operation with the Ministry of Food, take the initiative with the milk authorities, and superintend a policy of increased cheese production on behalf of his Ministry?
§ Mr. BoothbyMy noble Friend is fully alive to the desirability of increasing the home production of cheese but my hon. Friend will appreciate that the supply of liquid milk available for manufacturing purposes is not unlimited. Cheese is only one of several essential milk products and the Ministry, in determining the allocation as between these products of milk available for manufacture, must take fully into account the stock of each commodity and the possibility of obtaining supplies from overseas, in order to secure that 993W the milk available will be used to the best advantage in the national interest.