§ Lieut.-Colonel Kingsmillasked the Minister of Food what is the controlled retail price in this country for Australian apples and the corresponding price for British apples; and what arrangements were made to allow dealers to choose which type of apple they wished for retail sale.
§ Mr. StracheyAs laid down in the Home Grown Apples (No. 2) Order, 1948 and the Imported Apples Order, 1948 the maximum retail prices in the greater part148W of England and Wales for both homegrown and imported apples are 1s. 1d. per lb. for large apples of the dessert varieties listed in Group 1 in the Orders and 8½d. per lb. for large apples of other varieties. To allow for the extra cost of transport slightly higher maximum prices are prescribed for Scotland and some districts in the North of England. There are no Australian apples at present available in any part of the country. Retailers are free to choose for themselves whether to sell home-grown or imported apples if supplies of both are available to them at the same time.