88. Sir A. Hardasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the amounts paid in respect of the general milk subsidy to the several marketing boards in the United Kingdom in the last financial year.
§ Mr. GodberThe amounts paid during the year ended 31st March, 1960, in respect of sums due to the milk marketing boards under the Milk (Guaranteed Prices) Order, 1956, were:
£ Milk Marketing Board (England and Wales) 2,141,530 Scottish Milk Marketing Board 2,082,692 Aberdeen and District Milk Marketing Board 523,727 North of Scotland Milk Marketing Board 241,015 Milk Marketing Board for Northern Ireland 3,553,238 United Kingdom £8,542.202 But the guarantee on milk is a United Kingdom guarantee, and it would be misleading to regard the boards as separate units in this context.
§ 90 and 91. Mr. Kelleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he is aware that there is a demand in the Doncaster rural district area for milk to be available for retail distribution in half-pint containers; if, in anticipation of the next review of distributors' margins, he will cause inquiries to be made as to why retail distributors of milk in this area are reluctant to make such quantities available; and whether he will make a statement;
(2) in view of his responsibilities in connection with milk prices, if he will consult with the Milk Marketing Boards to ascertain if the present distributors' 96W profit margin is sufficient to enable retailers to supply milk in half pint containers, at all reasonable times, to meet the requirements of old-age pensioners and other persons of restricted needs and limited incomes.
§ Mr. GodberMilk distributors' margins, which are determined by my Ministry on the evidence of costings investigations, are at a level which should be sufficient to enable dairymen to supply milk in half-pint bottles to those who need this service.
I am not aware of any particular difficulties in the Doncaster rural district. But I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. Member.