§ 67. Sir W. Anstruther-Grayasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give figures showing the extent to which Scottish barley sales are influenced by the demand of Scottish distillers for Scotch barley; and what steps he proposes to take to stimulate this demand in the interest of barley producers.
§ Lord John HopeProduction from the Scottish barley crop of 1956 amounted to 268,000 tons, of which 65,000 tons were sold to Scottish distillers.
In a free market there is no action that my right hon. Friend can take to compel the use of Scottish barley for distilling; but the National Farmers Union of Scotland initiated discussions with the Scotch Whisky Association last September and it is hoped the results will be helpful.