§ Mr. J. Hudsonasked the Minister of Food the actual tonnage of barley issued to the brewers for each of the months during which the cut to meet the food shortage has been in operation, and what were the figures for the corresponding months in what is described as the standard prewar years, namely, 1938–9.
§ Mr. Strachey,pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 23rd October, 1946, Vol. 427, c. 371], supplied the following information:
The system of licences to acquire barley was not in operation during the brewing year ended 30th September, 1939, and it is not, therefore, possible to furnish particulars of monthly deliveries of barley for brewing purposes during that year. Before the war beer production relied for its cereals not only on home produced grain, but on imported grain as well. In the year ended 30th September, 1939, sufficient grain and other materials were used to produce 19,080,000 standard barrels of beer. At the present time barley 99W for brewing is obtained from the home crop, but licences to acquire barley for these purposes are issued on a yearly, not a monthly basis. The following statement shows the monthly quantities (in thousands of tons) of barley delivered for brewing purposes from May to September, 1946: May, 32.1; June, 11.8; July, 12.0; August, 66.0; September, 138.0.