60. Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Food whether he will now give some explanation of the advanced payments made by the British Government to the Argentine Government for supplies of meat which have not been delivered, and of the circumstances in which the full quantities of meat have not been forthcoming.
§ 77. Mr. Turtonasked the Minister of Food whether he will make a statement on the reduction in the weekly ration of carcase meat; and explain what steps he is taking to ensure that the ration is restored in the near future.
§ Mr. StracheyThe circumstances in which payment was made in advance for the commodities, including meat, purchased from Argentina under the Anglo-Argentine Trade Agreement on 12th February, 1948, were fully explained by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the statements on the subject which he made to the House on 16th and 23rd February last. We shall not, of course, suffer any financial loss128W from the fact that some of the meat cannot now arrive by 31st March next. The remainder of the meat which we have paid for will arrive during the following months. But we have suffered and are suffering from the slow rate of arrival of this meat and, as the House knows, very vigorous representations have been made to the Argentine Government on the matter, as we cannot accept as adequate the reasons advanced for the slow rate of shipment of the meat.