§ Sir E. Graham-Littleasked the Minister of Supply why labour and materials allocated for the production of hearing-aid batteries have been diverted to meet the requirements of a Government Department, thus depriving the deaf public of supplies intended for their use; and if he will give an assurance that in future the claims of the deaf public to a supply of both labour and materials, adequate to meet an urgent need, will receive priority of allocation.
401W
§ Mr. WoodburnMy information is that the difficulty is due, not to Government contracts, which form only a small part of the load on the capacity in question, but to a temporary shortage of components. We are doing all we can to see that the needs of the public are met, and adequate supplies of this particular type of battery should be available within the next week or two. Meanwhile other types are available as emergency alternatives.