§ 7. Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection how many copies of the Price Commission's quarterly reports for the periods 1st June to 31st August 1976, and 1st September to 30th November 1976, were sold to the general public.
§ Mr. MaclennanSeparate figures for sales to the general public are not available. The latest figures available show total bookshop sales as 1,192 and 1,078 respectively.
§ Mr. DykesAre not those sales rather meagre? Incidentally, the report now costs £1.65 compared with the original £1. Was the Minister surprised that the Commission said that new code changes had made it impossible to draw up comparative profit figures, so that it was no longer making judgments about the future movement of profit margins? Is not that an astonishing assertion from a Commission that is supposed to bear in mind all factors when drawing up its price control policy?
§ Mr. MaclennanThe Price Commission's general conclusions, reported in its quarterly reports, are given widespread currency by the Press and other media following publication of the reports. The increased price of the second report reflects increased costs of production, which I understand have been considered most carefully by the Commission.