§ 10. Mr. Ellisasked the Minister of Public Building and Works what action he has taken to implement the Recommendation Report No. 55 of the National Board for Prices and Incomes that the margin allowed to distributors should be cut in any price rises to the consumer due to devaluation.
§ Mr. MellishNone of the materials in the early warning system for which I am responsible recommend distributors' price margins; consequently there is no action for me to take.
§ Mr. EllisDoes my right hon. Friend agree that what he is saying is that no industries in respect of which he negotiates contracts have anything to do with this Report?
§ Mr. MellishIn selecting a representative range of prices for study the National Board for Prices and Incomes did not think it necessary to include any building materials. One of the problems is that this is a complex industry which is not easily comparable with 951 others. For example, builder merchants traditionally provide credit for small builders, in many instances. It is a different industry.
§ Mr. BiffenIf this is such a complex industry, is the Minister satisfied that three part-timers are sufficient to do the job?
§ Mr. MellishAs I told the hon. Member earlier, yes. They are doing very well.