§ Major Beamishasked the Minister of Food on what grounds his official decided that a licence to sell imported fruit and tomatoes should not be granted to Mr. T. G. Vine, the owner of a greengrocer's and fruiterer's business in Coldean, North Moulscombe; why they reported that Mr. Vine's claim of consumer need was groundless; and whether he is aware that Mr. Vine, being over military age, cannot qualify for a licence as an ex-Serviceman and that the greengrocer's business, which Mr. Vine is now running, was run as such until the outbreak of war, being closed down owing to the ill-health of the owner.
Sir B. Smith: With regard to the first part of the Question, Mr. Vine does not qualify for allocations of imported fruit and tomatoes on priority grounds, and I am satisfied that consumer need for another distribution point in the area is not sufficient to justify the grant of allocations to him. With regard to the second part of the Question, the desire of local residents to obtain imported fruit and tomatoes from the nearest shop cannot in itself be regarded as sufficient reason for allowing another distribution point to be set up if there are, as in this case, other shops selling the commodities in question within a reasonable distance. The answer to the last part of the Question is, "Yes, Sir," but Mr. Vine did not purchase an existing business. The fact that the premises he took over may have been used previously for greengrocery gives him no entitlement to allocations of imported fruit and tomatoes.