HC Deb 10 November 1958 vol 595 cc13-4
20 and 21. Mr. Wiley

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what action he is taking in view of the fact that the Committee of Public Accounts has reported that it appears from the provisional results that egg packers' profits have been some four times as great as intended;

(2) what action he is taking in view of the fact that the Committee of Public Accounts regard it as highly unsatisfactory that the substantial sums involved in milk retailers' margins and allowances should be determined by costings of so small a sample selected upon so inadequate a statistical basis.

Mr. John Hare

The Committee's Report is being carefully studied. In accordance with the usual practice, such action as the Government decides to take as a result will be reported to the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute.

Mr. Wiley

With regard to the profits of egg packers, does not the right hon. Gentleman realise that the Public Accounts Committee has stigmatised his Department year after year without any results, that in one year alone according to the Ministry's own figures the taxpayers lost £1¼ million, and that in respect of milk retail margins the Committee reports that the Ministry is working to within a margin of error of £2 million? This nonsense must be stopped. Will the right hon. Gentleman deal with it as a matter of extreme urgency?

Mr. Hare

I cannot go much further than what I have just said. A reply in the form of a Treasury Minute is being prepared, and there are other Government Departments besides my own which are concerned. In fixing the guaranteed prices for the Egg Marketing Board for 1958–59, the scope for saving in the packer's margin was taken into consideration.

Mr. Grimond

While egg packing stations undoubtedly perform a useful function in agriculture, has the Minister any further comments to make on the criticisms made of the siting and size of the new headquarters of the Egg Marketing Board?

Mr. Hare

The hon. Gentleman should table a Question on this interesting subject. It is not in any way relevant to the Question with which I am at the moment dealing, as he will admit.