asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will consider the recasting of the Meat Control Scheme in England; and whether he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement as to the sites of slaughter houses, the area served by each, the names of the meat executive officers and the rates of salary?

I can undertake that in any locality in which it is found that the arrangements made under the Meat Control Scheme do not operate satisfatcorily, those arrangements will be reconsidered. In view of the large number of selected slaughter-houses, in England and Wales, my hon. and gallant Friend will perhaps agree that a statement of the sites of each slaughterhouse and of the area served by each as well as a list of the names of the personnel would be too lengthy to circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I will, however, arrange for a list of the selected slaughterhouses to be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

May I ask when that will be, and whether in the scheme which my right hon. Friend now envisages he will permit the continuance of slaughtering at Wellington and other towns in Shropshire which have been put out by his Department?

The list will be available as soon as possible. I am reconsidering the second matter mentioned by my hon. and gallant Friend.

Does this mean that Smithfield is shortly to be reopened?

No, Sir.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the meat control is working satisfactorily?

Is the Minister aware of the amount of difficulty to which butchers are put, having first to go to market to buy their offal and then not being allowed to collect after four o'clock in the day the allocations of meat made to them? Will he consider in his control supplying to butchers meat of the type they have been used to serving to their customers owing to the fact that many people cannot afford the higher prices of English meat?

If the hon. Member will give me particulars I will gladly reconsider it.

Owing to the abandonment of the fish scheme will the Minister consider the abandonment of the meat scheme?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what quantity of meat has been handled by the 10 meat depots in the outer London distributing areas since they were established; and what staffs are maintained, including their numbers?

I have made inquiries from the London Wholesale Meat Supply Association and have been informed that the quantity of meat handled in the 10 meat emergency depots in outer London distributing areas since they were established at the outbreak of war amounts to 3,773 tons. The total staff at these depots is at present 631 persons, of whom 206 occupy executive and clerical posts. The staffs are being drawn upon as the need arises at the inner depots. I understand that these men were employed in the London wholesale meat trade before the war; that their salaries and wages, which are equivalent to 0.0875 pence per lb. of the meat being handled by the Association, are met by economies affected in other directions, and that consequently no cost falls on the taxpayer nor any additional cost on the consumer on account of the staffs of these depots.

Does not the Minister realise that figures which show that only five tons per person were handled over a period of seven weeks point to a complete redundancy of staff?

The hon. Member is dividing the total staff, including clerical and executive workers, into the total amount of meat.

Of course.

If the hon. Member gives me further particulars, perhaps I can examine his calculations at leisure.

But did not the Minister tell us that a certain number of tons of meat were handled and so many persons were employed, and is it not very simple to divide the one by the other?