Meals in Establishments Order (Hansard, 31 July 1946)

HC Deb 31 July 1946 vol 426 cc194-5W 194W

§ Sir J. Mellor
asked the Minister of Food why he failed to consult the catering industry before making the Meals in Establishments Order, 1946; why the 195W representatives of the industry were not informed until 18th July of the contents of the Order which was made on 12th July; and why, having regard to the existing commitments of caterers and the complexity of the Order, it was made operative within two days after publication.

§ Mr. Strachey
The catering industry was consulted on the proposed amendments at meetings held on 18th June and 11th July and the most important of the new provisions of the Order were communicated to the catering trade associations on 17th July. I regret that it was not possible to arrange for a longer period between date of publication of the Order and the date on which it came into operation but the main provisions were already well understood.