§ 35. Miss Fookesasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will exercise his powers under the Weights and Measures Act, 1963 so as to require prepackaged biscuits to be sold in standardised prescribed quantities.
§ Mr. RidleyI am not convinced that it would be in the interests of consumers to exercise these powers in respect of biscuits, but I will keep the matter under review.
§ Miss FookesCan my hon. Friend explain how the great god competition, of which I thought the present Government were devoted high priests, is served by bamboozling consumers with such weights as 6¾ ounces, 7½ ounces, and 8 ounces?
§ Mr. RidleyThe difficulty is that biscuits are mostly of different densities. Therefore, if they were to be made up in standard packs all the sizes would be different, and the situation might be even more confusing to the consumer than it is now.
§ Mr. PavittIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the United Biscuits factory in my constituency has for many years produced packs of biscuits weighing exactly 8 ounces—no more and no less? If one company can do it, why cannot the Government persuade others to do the same?
§ Mr. RidleyIt would be perfectly possible to insist on that, but it would result in many more different sizes of pack than there are now. Although I shall be very happy to look at the matter carefully—and we are doing so—I am not convinced that it would be in the interests of the consumer to insist upon standard packs.