§ 42. Mr. Daggarasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount of subsidies paid to each industry since 1931, including the recently announced amount to be paid to agriculture, and to what extent the subsidies paid annually to agriculture are less than the total annual wages costs of that industry?
§ Sir J. SimonFor the first part of the question I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary yesterday to the hon. Member for East Rhondda (Mr. Mainwaring). In answer to the second part of the question, I am informed that sufficient information is not available as to the actual wages of the various classes of regular and seasonal workers and the periods of employment of seasonal workers to enable any reliable estimate to be made of the total annual wages costs of the industry. Moreover, allowance would have to be made for the value of the labour of the farmer and his family.