§ 30. Mr. Doddsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement indicating what influence his policy is having on reducing the cost of living to below that operating in October, 1951; and what further steps he is taking in pursuance of this policy.
§ 42. Mrs. Mannasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that, taking the index of retail prices at 100 for January, 1952, the cost of tea and sugar is now 148, butter and margarine 134, meat, bacon, ham and fish 119, flour, biscuits and cakes 117, rent and rates 112.5, and as these commodities are still continuing to increase and as they 1260 represent basic food, if he will consider the repercussions on our national economy and indicate what steps he will take to stabilise the cost of living.
§ The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. R. Maudling)I would refer the hon. Members to the reply which I gave to the hon. and learned Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes), on 21st October, 1954, of which I am sending them copies. I would only add that I do not think it is true to say that the prices of all the individual commodities mentioned in Question No. 42 are still continuing to increase.
§ Mr. DoddsI took the precaution of looking up that answer, and it is most unsatisfactory. Would the hon. Gentleman now direct his attention to that part of my Question which asks what influence his policy is having in reducing the cost of living to below that operating in 1951? Will he bear in mind that the cost of living in the case of food went up 8 per cent. in 1954? Surely he can give us something better, or at least admit complete failure.
§ Mr. MaudlingI am sorry that the hon. Gentleman found my previous answer unsatisfactory, but I thought it covered the Question adequately.
§ Mrs. MannIs not the hon. Gentleman making an amazing display of ignorance when he says that these prices are not continuing to increase? He ought to go out with a shopping basket. If the party opposite genuinely believes that 1951 prices were unjustifiably high, why have they not tried to stabilise prices since then, instead of allowing them to soar into the stratosphere?
§ Mr. MaudlingI should hate to enter a shopping contest with the hon. Lady. The last time I did some family shopping I found the prices of butter and margarine somewhat lower than they had been. Perhaps the hon. Lady does not patronise the right shops. On the general question, she will find that prices have been much more stable under this Administration than under the previous Administration.