asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state whether he has instructed any local authorities to withhold payments from bread contractors who supplied bread to local authorities either prior to or subsequent to 31st March, 1942; and, if so, if he will state the nature and the extent of the instructions so issued and the reasons for these instructions.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bread Contractors' Payments.
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state whether he has directed local authorities to request persons who either prior to or subsequent to 31st March, 1942, supplied or have contracted to supply local government institutions with bread, either to forgo payments properly due to them or to refund payments properly made to them by way of bread subsidy; and, if so, if he will state under what authority he has made such a request and the amount which, as a result, has been forgone or refunded; and if he will state how it is intended that these sums shall be disposed of.
I propose to reply to questions Nos. 13 and 14 together. No instruction has been issued to local authorities to withhold payments from bread contractors. The bread subsidy is intended to offset certain increases in the cost of producing batch bread. Local authorities were informed in March last of the payment of a subsidy on batch bread produced and sold by bakers licensed under the Emergency Powers (Bakers) Order, 1941, and that the subsidy would apply to batch bread supplied by such bakers under contract to public institutions or for any school meals schemes of local authorities. It was at the same time intimated to local authorities that the contractors for the supply of bread should be consulted with a view to securing reduction in contract prices corresponding to the amount of subsidy paid. The price of bread supplied under contract to local authorities was generally lower than the ordinary supply price. In some cases bakers had already raised their prices and subsidy received by such contractors for batch bread would be a matter which ought to affect the contract price. I have no definite information as to the result of any consultations between local authorities and contractors in this matter.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary say whether local authorities have in fact withheld payments from bakers who supply bread to their institutions?
I am not so aware.