Oral Answers to Questions — Food Supplies – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 17 Rhagfyr 1947.
Mr Anthony Hurd
, Newbury
12:00,
17 Rhagfyr 1947
asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking, to increase the supply of fishmeal for feeding to pigs and poultry; and the prospective supplies for 1948 compared with 1938.
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
Our supplies of fishmeal, which are mainly home produced, depend largely on the size of the fishing catch. During the war they fell to one-third of our prewar quantities. For 1948 it is estimated that we shall have three-quarters of the supplies available in 1938. We shall buy all we can obtain from foreign supplies, the main source being Iceland.
Mr Anthony Hurd
, Newbury
We all agree that nature has something to do with this; but is the Minister of Food making proper provision for surplus fish, such as herring, which are not required immediately for human consumption, to be taken up and made into these valuable foodstuffs for pigs and poultry?
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
We are prepared to take any herring from the fishermen at 30s. a cran.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
