§ Mr. F. Noel-Bakerasked the Minister of Food what steps he has taken to prevent excessive prices being charged for fried fish of poor quality; and whether he will undertake an investigation into the price and quality of fried fish sold to customers in Middlesex.
§ Mr. StracheyIt is not possible to control the price of fried fish directly, just as it is impracticable to control the price of individual courses in restaurant meals, because of variations54W in the quality and service offered. We have, however, encouraged competition in the trade in order to keep down prices. In particular 3,000 new licences were issued in October, 1948, when we had some extra fat available. If my hon. Friend will send me particulars of any district where prices seem unduly high, I will willingly investigate.