§ Sir E. Graham-Littleasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that the Lambeth Borough Council has protested against the issuing by his Ministry of secret instructions as to the composition of national bread, which prevent the effective discharge by the council of its duties under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938; that samples of flour and bread sold as national wheatmeal were found by the public analyst of the borough not to be of 85 per cent. extraction; why such secret instructions were issued; and will he place 401W in the Library copies of all secret instructions and statutory orders immediately on their issue?
Major Lloyd GeorgeI am aware of the protest of the Lambeth Borough Council. The Lambeth Borough Council's protest concerned the technical and operative instructions issued to flour millers, and I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Stokes) on 18th December last. These instructions have since been included in the definition of National Wheatmeal in S.R. & 0. No.451, 1942. I have also seen statements by the medical officer of health for the borough of Lambeth to the effect that samples of National Wheatmeal and National Wheatmeal bread were not of the required standard. My Department on 8th February last asked that official for detailed information of any such cases so that investigations could be made, but is unable to trace any reply to this request. Regarding the last part of the Question, as statutory orders are available to all Members, free of cost on application, there would not appear to be any occasion to place copies in the Library nor would there seem to be any occasion to place in the Library copies of technical instructions issued from time to time by my Department as part of the normal process of administration.