§ 56. Mr. P. Robertsasked the Minister of Food when allocating 25½ tons of sweets to be sold without coupons at a price allowing for a profit of approximately £1,000, what firms, other than the one in Wakefield which got the contract. he asked to tender for these sweets.
§ Mr. StracheyThe sweets were offered to three manufacturers for processing, and refused. They were then sold, for disposal30W to hospitals, institutions and industrial canteens only, to a firm known to have many customers of this type. Tenders were not invited because the delay might have caused further losses through deterioration. The maximum gross profit was less than £600 before overheads, cost of collection and delivery and losses through deterioration had been met.
§ 63. Mr. W. Fletcherasked the Minister of Food if he will give an assurance that it is not proposed to reduce the recently-increased sweet ration below its present level.
§ Mr. StracheyAs the House will recall we propose to de-ration the cheaper sweet altogether. After that the size of the ration for the remaining more expensive sweets—essentially chocolates—will naturally be less than the present 1 lb. a month. But the total amount of sweets—rationed and unrationed—available to the public will not be reduced from its present level—it will on the contrary be further increased.