§ Mr. Thorpeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to ensure adequate supplies of sugar to holiday areas suffering from the present shortage.
§ Mr. BuchanAlthough less than the usual quantities of sugar have been available this year from Commonwealth countries, which are the normal source of our imported supplies, the gap is being made good from other, mostly more expensive, sources. We therefore cannot accept that there is an overall shortage. But the refining companies have been obliged to allocate the reduced supplies of normal-priced sugar, both for retail sale and for food manufacture, between their customers.
It would be impracticable for us to attempt to control this system of allocation in detail so as to increase supplies in particular areas. Our officials are, however, in touch with the refining companies and the sugar merchants, who are the first-hand purchasers of most sugar in retail packs, with a view to seeing what can be done to meet the problem.