§ 75. Mr. D. J. Williamsasked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to ensure that miners will receive the extra rations allowed to them; what machinery he proposes to set up for the distribution of these rations; and if he is now in a position to make a statement on the matter.
§ Mr. StracheyCoalminers are entitled to the following extra rations
(a) Underground workers only:Is. worth extra meat per week.(b) All coalminers:
- (i) 6 extra B.U's. per week, in addition to the ordinary 6 extra B.U's. allotted to heavy manual workers.
- (ii) Special ration scales for pithead canteens (as provided for all heavy industrial workers); or where these are not used an allowance is made to the miner himself of 12 0zs. of cheese instead of 2 0zs. and 6 further B.U's. a week.
Surface workers only get the extra bread and cheese if there is no canteen; underground workers can get them even if there is a canteen, provided that the majority of them do not use it.If my hon. Friend knows of any instances of difficulties experienced by miners in obtaining their extra rations I should be most grateful if he would let me have particulars of them. They will be speedily put right; in addition to these extra rations, the areas, formerly depressed by unemployment and low earnings, which include practically all the coalfields, will receive as from 31st March additional supplies of sugar and fats for cake making; meat for the manufacture of meat products and oil for fish frying. This is because I found that since distribution was based upon a percentage of the supplies which these areas received in 1939, they were still, in effect, being penalised for their low prewar purchasing power.