§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the fall-off in the supply and drinking of beer has, or will, reduce the revenue to the Exchequer; and whether he will make a statement on his meeting with representatives of the brewing industry held on 23 January to discuss this and related issues.
§ Mr. Peter ReesIt would be contrary to practice to revise the Budget forecast for the current year. At the meeting on 23 January representatives of the Brewers' Society gave their views on the current state of the industry and these will be taken into account in reviewing the level of the beer duty.