20. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether the proposed price review body will review the prices of products and services of nationalised industries, such as coal, electricity, gas, railway season tickets, and postal rates, as well as those of private industry.
§ Mr. CroslandMy right hon. Friend is not yet ready to make a statement on the scope of the references to the price review body which the Government are intending to establish. He is discussing these and other matters relating to prices 1456 and incomes policy with representatives of employers and trade unions.
Mr. Gresham CookeWhen his right hon. Friend is considering it, will the hon. Gentleman tell him that it is most important that the commanding heights of the economy be brought under control, apart from any question of the products and services of private industry? It is quite obvious that the Government cannot control the nationalised industries and they should be subject to the price review body.
§ Mr. CroslandWe propose to continue with the process of bringing under control the commanding heights of the economy by nationalising the steel industry. The Government are certainly fully aware of the importance of prices in the nationalised industries and I think that we would take the view, like most hon. Members, that it would be wrong in principle to exclude any set of prices from the operations of the price review body.