HC Deb 14 February 1957 vol 564 cc1433-5
38. Mr. Dodds

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress of the investigation by the White Fish Authority into the price of fish.

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

The White Fish Authority's report on their investigation of distributive costs and earnings is now in the hands of the printers, and should be on sale early next month. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Dodds

Whilst thanking the Minister for that statement, which has taken a long time to come out, can he say what are the effects of this report, and what classes of fish it is likely to affect?

Mr. Amory

I will ask the hon. Gentleman to await the report, because it is a mass of detail and I think he will find it interesting.

Mr. Willey

Would the right hon. Gentleman look into the current difficulties of the fishing industry, owing to the bad weather and the increased cost of fuel oil, to see whether it can be afforded any relief?

Mr. Amory

I am conscious of the present difficulties. The weather has improved lately for fishing. I am not seeking to take immediate credit for that fact, but the landings of fish have been somewhat better in the last week.

58. Mr. G. Jeger

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has now received from the National Federation of Fish Fryers a complaint that the further rise in the price of fish caused by the Suez Emergency Surcharge has led to a fall in sales and seriously threatens their trade; and what reply he has sent.

66. Mr. Short

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to take in response to the complaint by the National Federation of Fish Fryers about the adverse effect on their industry of the extra cost of oil to trawler owners.

Mr. Amory

I have received a copy of the circular letter dated 30th January to which the hon. Member presumably refers. The circular did not call for a reply, but I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a Question from the hon. Member for Feltham (Mr. Hunter) on 4th February. The recent high prices have been due to the exceptionally low level of landings resulting from the prolonged gales in recent weeks and have not been caused by the Suez Emergency Surcharge which the trawler owners have temporarily imposed.

Mr. Jeger

In reply to a Question on 4th February, the Parliamentary Secretary referred to the high price of fish being due to the persistent bad weather at sea. Why do the Government persistently blame bad weather for their misdoings when the circular to which the right hon. Gentleman has referred states specifically that a surcharge of 6s. per kit of 10 stone on all fish sold has been imposed to meet the increased cost of fuel and diesel oil owing to the Suez crisis? Why does he evade the consequences of his own action?

Mr. Amory

No. It is the hon. Member who is wrong in this case. The surcharge is applied, but where the market price is substantially above the minimum price plus the surcharge, the surcharge has no effect. That is the point. The present price, which is substantially above the minimum price plus the surcharge, has been due almost solely to the bad weather.

Mr. Short

Does not the Minister agree that the surcharge, arising from the increase in the price of oil, should be borne by all fish landed, including fish going to meal factories, and not merely by fish for human consumption?

Mr. Amory

The point is that the surcharge is at present not being borne by anybody. As evidence of that, a week after the surcharge was applied the market price was 1s. or so lower than in the week before the surcharge was applied.