§ 41. Mr. Ridleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much it would cost per annum to subsidise food prices down to November 1972 levels and by how many percentage points VAT would have to be raised to bring in an equivalent sum of money.
§ Mr. NottEven assuming it was practicable to subsidise food generally, the cost would be large and unpredictable, depending mainly on the future movement of market prices.