HC Deb 16 April 1956 vol 551 cc665-9
24. Mr. Hunter

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the heavy increase in the retail prices of potatoes, which are likely to reach 6d. per lb. in some districts, whether he will take steps to lower the present prices either by variation of the import control or by imposition of price control.

25. Mrs. Castle

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to control the price of potatoes.

Mr. Nugent

Imports of potatoes have been freely licensed since last November subject only to plant health regulations. With regard to price control, I do not consider it would help in present circumstances.

Mr. Hunter

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, resulting from his Department's policy, we have the biggest shortage and the highest price of potatoes known in this country for over 25 years? Is he also aware that when there was price control there was no shortage of potatoes and that the present policy is causing distress to many families? Will he take steps to remedy the situation?

Mr. Nugent

As my right hon. Friend said to the House last week, the shortage is due to the exceptionally dry conditions in the growing period of last year, both in this country and throughout Europe. If price control were established, the effect would be to limit the amount of imports we should attract into the country. [HON. MEMBERS: "Why?"]When we had price control and rationing together in the past, the ration was very tight indeed.

Mrs. Castle

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his answer simply will not wash? Is it not a fact that his Department cannot avoid responsibility for this shortage, which is as much due to a drop in acreage as it is to a drop in the tonnage per acre, and arises, therefore, from this Government's failure to plan agricultural production properly? [HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."] Will the hon. Gentleman, therefore, reconsider the policy of support prices, under which the consumer pays so heavily for any shortages, and return to the policy of planned production on the basis of guaranteed prices?

Mr. Nugent

No, Sir. I think that the present system will answer well. The reason for the shortage was not the acreage last year but the yield, which was exceptionally low. Due to the working of the price system now, the higher price is attracting into the country all the supplies of potatoes that are available in Europe or elsewhere. That is borne out by the fact that whereas imports last December were 3,000 to 5,000 tons a week, in the first week of April they were up to 28,000 tons.

26. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to ascertain how much of last year's potato crop is now held by home-growers and wholesalers.

Mr. Nugent

The Potato Marketing Board carries out periodic censuses of stocks of potatoes on farms and in the hands of merchants; these figures are made immediately available to my Department.

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

If the home stocks are equal to four to five weeks' supply, why the shortage and high prices? If there is any difficulty in moving clamps where substantial quantities of potatoes are being stored, will the Minister not ask the Service Department to lend a few troops to get the potatoes moving and so bring prices down?

Mr. Nugent

There is, in fact, more than four to five weeks' supply remaining in stock, but we do not get the next main crop until next autumn. Therefore, we want to be sure that we have a smooth delivery of what is available, to ensure that the supply, combined with the import of potatoes, is kept going.

Mr. Chetwynd

Is the Minister aware that even if we can get hold of some of these potatoes they are not worth having because the consumer has to cut away half of them before there is anything worthwhile left?

Mr. Nugent

In the main, ware potatoes this year have had good keeping qualities, but at this time of year potatoes run to a good deal of waste inevitably.

27. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tons of potatoes have been imported since 29th March last.

Mr. Nugent

Returns of imports of main crop potatoes are collected weekly by my Department. The latest available figures are:

  • Week ended 31st March—24,000 tons.
  • Week ended 7th April—28,000 tons.
Statistics of imports of new potatoes are collected by the Customs and Excise Department. Figures for April are not yet available.

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that 150,000 tons of Dutch potatoes were ordered weeks ago at a price well below the current level and they are now coming into the country? Why are they being sold at the same inflated prices of 6d. a lb.?

Mr. Nugent

The rate of import of potatoes has progressively increased week after week as prices have risen here. It is because of the higher price here that we have had increased supplies from abroad.

Viscount Hinchingbrooke

Has not a very satisfactory situation been established whereby imports, prices and allocation are no longer the responsibility of the Government but of market economy in private enterprise? In view of that, Mr. Speaker, are any of these Questions admissible?

Mr. Speaker

Yes, they are.

Mrs. Braddock

Is the Minister aware that new potatoes were selling in Liverpool this weekend at 15 for 3s.? Does the hon. Gentleman consider that that price is one which reflects any sort of credit on the present Government? Is he aware that there were 44,000 fewer acres under potatoes this year and that that is responsible to a very large extent for the shortage and high prices?

Mr. Nugent

I cannot accept the hon. Lady's supplementary question. As I have already said, the main cause of our shortage was the exceptionally low yield per acre last year. Whether or not the price which the hon. Lady quoted is exceptionally high I cannot say without knowing the size of the potatoes.

Viscount Hinchingbrooke

I apologise for raising the matter again, Mr. Speaker, but I do desire to put a serious point of order to you. I think that there is something in it and I would be most grateful if you would give a ruling on the matter. Are these Questions to be admissible at the Table when they are Questions to Ministers which do not affect those Ministers at all?

Mr. Speaker

The purpose of a Question normally is either to ask for information or to press for action. These are two admissible lines for Questions within the Minister's responsibility. If the noble Lord will look at the Questions he will find that most of them ask for statistics, which the Minister presumably has, because he has given the answers. I see nothing out of order in that. Any suggestion that price control ought to be established is within the limits of order, as it is pressing for action. I see nothing wrong in that.

Mr. Beswick

Further to that point of order. As you have been good enough, Mr. Speaker, to confirm that the Questions are in order, is it in order for the noble Lord the Member for Dorset, South (Viscount Hinchingbrooke), when hon. Members are asking supplementary questions, to keep up a barrage of noise so as to make the questions inaudible?

Mr. Speaker

I did not hear any interruption in the course of supplementary questions.