HC Deb 30 June 1955 vol 543 cc483-4
21. Mr. Dodds

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in the costings investigations into the price of fish.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. D. Heathcoat Amory)

The necessary consultations with the fish trade organisations are now in hand and the Authority has assured me that it intends completing this investigation this year. I have asked the Authority to give it priority.

Mr. Dodds

As this investigation started as long ago as 1952, will the Minister explain how it is that the Government have always been so quick off the mark to help the interests of large firms, and why they always trail their feet when asked to give a fair deal to consumers?

Mr. Amory

The Authority has made several investigations in the last year or two. This investigation, which it intends to carry out by a new sampling technique, covers the activities of wholesaling, fishmongering and fish frying. It is a complicated business, and I quite understand that it is bound to take some time.