§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Food what is the cost in salaries and expenses of the Director of Canned Fish Supplies and an Assistant Director; what is the number of the staff at headquarters and at local food offices dealing with allocations of canned fish; and what is the cost of their salaries and expenses.
§ Mr. WebbCanned fish is only one of the commodities dealt with by the Canned Fish, Fruit and Vegetables Division of the Ministry of Food. The Director of this Division is unpaid and the present annual salaries of the staff, numbering 33 at Headquarters, amount to about£16,000. It is not possible to say how much of this cost relates to canned fish alone. Expenses for the various Divisions at Headquarters cannot be separately assessed. No staff in local food offices are engaged wholly on the work.