§ Mr. Chetwyndasked the Minister of Food how much whalemeat has been landed in this country during the last three months; how this has been distributed; what supplies he hopes to get in future; and what steps have been taken to popularise this food.
§ Mr. StracheyWe are encouraging the consumption of whalemeat by freely supporting the issue of import licences to private traders, but we do not control distribution. Licences have so far been issued for about 6,000 tons this year. There are as yet no statistics of the quantity imported in the past three months. The use of whalemeat here is still in the experimental stage and we are arranging for full investigation of the supply possibilities to be Carried out in connection with the next antarctic whaling expedition.