§ Q5. Dr. Gilbertasked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Home Office and the Minister of Agrculture, Fisheries and Food with respect to the affairs of the brewing industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir.
§ Dr. GilbertWill the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that he is not as naive as his hon. Friend the Financial Secretary, who yesterday tried to persuade us that the standstill in beer prices was due to the cut in S.E.T., when everybody knows that it is due to the record profits which the brewers have been making, even at the present level of S.E.T.? Is the right hon. Gentleman 706 satisfied with the present state of affairs in which the British public have to rely on the Sunday Mirror to learn what is in their beer, a large proportion of which would not qualify for that name even in the days of prohibition in the United States? Is he aware that we cannot get this information from his colleagues?
§ The Prime MinisterThe matters raised in the second part of that supplementary question are certainly not for me. The answer to the first part is that I would not have thought that anyone would doubt the effect of halving the rate of S.E.T.
§ Mr. MartenIs it not a fact that some breweries, such as Courage, have reduced the prices of some of their beers because of the cut in S.E.T.
§ The Prime MinisterThat is exactly right.
§ Mr. AshtonHas the right hon. Gentleman seen the profit figures announced yesterday by Courage? Is he aware that the workers of that firm have not had wage increases of anything like the percentages of the increase in the firm's profits? Does he agree that profits at this level are due to prices being shoved up, when the Government should be controlling them?
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government have no responsibility for that. It is a matter of commercial judgment.