§ Captain Kerbyasked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food if he is aware that in the recent election of a special member of the British Egg Marketing Board some voting papers were collected by the National Farmers' Union from registered producers instead of voting papers being posted direct to the board's returning officer by the registered producers themselves, thus destroying the secrecy of the poll and opening up the possibility of interference with voting papers; and if he will amend the marketing schemes so as to ensure that future elections held by marketing boards are conducted fairly and in secret.
§ Mr. Soames:No agricultural marketing scheme requires that a ballot paper shall be posted by the registered producer in person, and it is for him to decide whether to post it personally or to entrust it to someone else. As a practical matter this is an unavoidable feature of postal ballots.