§ Sir J. Lambasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will publish a full list of the companies and associations which have been set up under the auspices of his Department for purposes connected with the distribution of food commodities; the number of the staff employed by such companies and associations at their inception and to-day, and the payments made annually to the companies and associations for their services; and whether he will issue a White Paper setting out the text of the agreements with the distributors concerned for the setting up of these companies and associations and of any subsequent modifications of such agreements, including any agreements for the remuneration of distributors whose services have not been utilised by the companies and associations?
§ Mr. MabaneFollowing is the list of companies and associations in operation on 30th June, 1942: Animal Feeding Stuffs C.I.F. Buyers Association of Liverpool, Limited (also London, Bristol and Hull); Associated Canned Meat Importers, Limited; Associated Tripe 957W Dressers, Limited; Associated U.K. Rice Millers, Limited; Association of Animal Gut Cleaners, Limited; Association of Casings Importers, Limited; Association of Wholesale Distributors of Imported Poultry and Rabbits, Limited; Bacon Importers National Defence Association, Limited; Bemast, Limited; British Millers Mutual Pool, Limited; Butter and Cheese Association, Limited; Cake and Biscuit Manufacturers' War Time Alliance, Limited; Candisco, Limited; Canners' (War Time) Association; Cereal Breakfast Food Manufacturers (War Time) Association; Cocoa and Chocolate (War Time) Association; Flour (Accessory Factors), Limited; F.M.S. (Potato Factories), Limited; Food Yeast Company, Limited; Frozen Egg Pool; Fruit Pulp Association, Limited; Humber Frozen Fish Distributing Company, Limited; Livestock Auctioneers Pool for England and Wales; London Tomato Distributing Association, Limited; Maize Starch Distributors Association; Marcom, Limited; Meat Importers National (Defence) Association, Limited; Milk Powder Pool, Limited; National Association of Dried Fruits Port Services, Limited; National Association of United Kingdom Oil and Oilseed Brokers, Limited; National Egg Distributors Association, Limited; Praba, Limited; Raw Fat Melters Association of Great Britain; Re-commissioned Mills, Limited; Rice Brokers, Limited; Scottish Association of Animal Gut Cleaners, Limited; Scottish Livestock Salesmen's Association; Spanish Sour Orange Importers' Association; Starch Distributors, Limited; Sugar Confectionery (War Time) Association; Tomatoes (Primary Distributors) Association, Limited; Wholesale Meat Supply Association, Limited (London, South Eastern, South Western, Midland, North Western, North Eastern, South of Scotland and North of Scotland).
Agreements have also been concluded with the following pre-war companies and associations: National Association of Flour Importers, Limited; National Federation of Corn Trade Associations; National Seedcrushers Association; Tea Brokers Association of London.
My Noble Friend regrets that he does not see his way to issue a White Paper embodying the texts of the various agreements entered into between the Ministry and these bodies, nor does he consider that the work involved in collecting the other particulars asked for in the Question 958W would be justified, having regard to the great pressure of work on the Department at the present time. Speaking generally, war-time associations and companies have only been brought into existence by the Ministry where they were required to facilitate or regulate the manufacture or distribution of food supplies under wartime conditions, they are staffed by persons who would otherwise be employed in food manufacture or distribution, and the amounts which are being paid to these bodies as remuneration would be payable to individual traders if no such associations or companies existed.