HC Deb 24 January 1968 vol 757 cc404-5
23. Sir G. Sinclair

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his current estimate of the value of all food imports in 1968.

Mr. Hoy

I regret that this information is not available for publication.

Sir G. Sinclair

Is not this deplorable at a time when we are trying to save foreign exchange by producing more at home? Is it not time that the Government turned to a system of import levies and encouraged farmers to produce more home-grown products?

Mr. Hoy

It has never been considered in the public interest to publish detailed forecasts of the United Kingdom balance of payments or of components of it.

Mr. Godber

Is it not amazing that the Joint Parliamentary Secretary should be unable to give any indication in regard to this question after what the Prime Minister has said about imports substitution? Is it not essential that we should get a clear indication of what the trends are and then real and effective action to stimulate increased home production, which is what is needed to help both British agriculture and the British balance of payments?

Mr. Hoy

I can only repeat what I said in reply to the first supplementary question. The right hon. Gentleman knows that these figures are never published because it is not in the country's interest.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Has not the time come for a package deal for the farmer so that every farmer who increases productivity gets a decrease in rent?

Mr. Hoy

I think that my hon. Friend had better put that to right hon. Gentlemen opposite.

30. Mr. Farr

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the percentage increase in all our imported food due to devaluation.

Mr. Hoy

Prices of many imported foods have increased since devaluation. Many factors have contributed to this, for example the repercussions of the foot-and-mouth epidemic, and in view of the unsettled state of the market it is not possible to isolate the effect of devaluation alone.

Mr. Farr

Is not this another deplorable case where the Minister is obviously quite unaware of what has happened since devaluation? Surely the House will agree that these are figures about which the Government should have known before the devaluation decision was taken?

Mr. Hoy

What I said was that many factors have contributed and that it was not possible to isolate the devaluation one alone.