Food Price Increases (Hansard, 14 December 1953)

§ 44. Mr. George Craddock
To ask the Minister of Food whether in view of the damage to public morale produced by his previous increases of food prices during the holiday season, he will give an undertaking that no further increases will be made before the House reassembles after Christmas.

§ Mr. Speaker
Mr. George Craddock.

§ Mr. K. Thompson
On a point of order. Before the hon. Member asks this Question may I ask for your Ruling, Mr. Speaker? Is it in order to put down a Question which contains a statement which is mendacious, inaccurate and calculated to deceive in the way that this one does?

§ Mr. Speaker
That is not a point of order. The Question is in order, but hon. Members must make themselves responsible for the truth of the allegations in their Questions.

§ Major Lloyd George
The answer to the Question is: Price changes must be related to rationing periods and distribution arrangements, and announcements cannot always coincide with the Sittings of the House. Like my predecessors. I must decline to be drawn into pledges about the future.

§ Mr. Craddock
Does the Minister remember that during the last Recess, and in the Summer Recess of 1952, a large number of prices were increased, which caused great concern throughout the country? I sincerely hope it will not be repeated.

§ Mr. Nicholson
On a point of order. May I respectfully ask, Sir, whether it is not wrong that Questions should contain statements of opinion? Surely it is statements of fact for which a Member makes himself responsible. No one can make himself responsible for a statement of opinion. Is not this Question largely put down for the purposes of party propaganda?

§ Mr. M. Stewart
If there had been a mis-statement of fact in this Question, would it not have been open to the Minister to say that he dissociated himself from what was said in the Question? Since he did not do so, are we not justified in assuming that he agrees with it?

§ Mr. Gower
Has my right hon. and gallant Friend noticed the findings of a committee set up by the Liberal Party, which has drawn attention to the fact that the cost of living has been more stable in recent months than at any time since the war?

§ Major Lloyd George
That, of course is perfectly true.

§ Mr. Nicholson
May I have an answer to the submission which I respectfully put to you, Mr. Speaker?

§ Mr. Speaker
When I replied to the previous point of order, I was, of course, looking at Question No. 43. As regards Question No. 44, it is true that it contains a statement which is inferential from the facts which the hon. Member used as the basis of the Question, but these things do happen in Parliamentary Questions. I find it is quite impossible to prevent a little political matter from both sides of the House occasionally percolating on to the Order Paper. I could not rule the Question out of order.

§ Mr. Pannell
Further to the question put by the hon. Member for Barry (Mr. Gower), does the Minister of Food believe that what the Liberal Party thinks is of any interest to him now at all?

§ Major Lloyd George
Anything that is in accordance with the facts always has great interest for me.