HC Deb 21 March 1972 vol 833 cc1325-7
7. Mr. Jeffrey Archer

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what price-watching machinery he plans to institute in order to act swiftly to deal with market disruption of horticultural produce.

Mr. Prior

This matter will be kept under review, but I am not at present persuaded of the need for additional machinery for official monitoring of prices in the horticultural sector since these prices can already be obtained at short notice whenever necessary.

Mr. Archer

Will my right hon. Friend explain the difference between commercial prices and prices in the horticultural industry at present given by the Ministry?

Mr. Prior

I am not certain that I understand the point my hon. Friend is making. We have a number of methods of assessing prices. At the end of each month we issue statistical information and each fortnight there is a bulletin describing retail market prices. The tables issued at the end of each week are probably the most reliable and they are based on the commercial price and not the retail price.

Mr. Buchan

Surely the right hon. Gentleman should easily get the point which his hon. Friend is making. He is saying that there is no control over horticultural prices, as there is no control over other prices.

Mr. Archer

No, I am not

Mr. Buchan

What the hon. Gentleman is trying to say to his right hon. Friend is that not only he but the people of the country are getting sick of this.

Mr. Prior

The hon. Gentleman of course never gets any point correctly. Even if he gets a point correctly, his Government certainly did not when they were in office.

Mr. John Wells

Is my right hon. Friend aware that my hon. Friend the Member for Louth (Mr. Jeffrey Archer) is on an entirely different point from that suggested by the hon. Member for Renfrew, West (Mr. Buchan)? My hon. Friend is saying that horticultural prices are deplorably low and that British horticulturists need a good bit of support.

Mr. Prior

British horticulturists do a jolly good job in supplying us with large quantities of fresh food at reasonable prices. I confirm what my hon. Friend has said.