asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been called to the difficulty that hospitals and infirmaries are experiencing in Scotland in providing a necessary and varied diet to patients; and if he will exempt these institutions from pointage on oatmeal and potatoes.

Patients in hospitals and infirmaries in Scotland, as in England and Wales, get the same rations as they do at home. They may also get extra allowances when these are recommended by our medical advisers as necessary for the treatment of certain diseases. I greatly regret that the supply position does not permit me to do more.