§ Mr. De Chairasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is satisfied that any recent rise in the retail prices of English-grown food represents a corresponding rise in the prices received by growers for their products, or whether retailers are merely raising food prices under cover of a general rise in prices and appropriating the increased profit without passing on any corresponding benefit to the producers?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonThe retail prices collected by the Ministry of Labour refer, in part, to imported foodstuffs and are not, therefore, strictly comparable in all cases with producers' prices in England and Wales. The relation between producers' and retailers' prices varies from time to time and as between the commodities concerned. I can, therefore, give only a very general answer to my hon. Friend, but for the majority of foods which are both grown at home and imported retail prices do not appear to have risen disproportionately to producers' prices.
§ Mr. De Chairasked the Minister of Agriculture what would be the sum required on the basis of the present volume of production to supplement the current prices received by growers for agricultural products after all existing forms of assistance have been included by such margins as may be necessary to raise them to the following guaranteed prices: wheat 50s. per quarter, malting barley 45s. per quarter, oats 24s. per quarter, beef 50s. per cwt., mutton is. per lb., pigs 13s. per score, potatoes £6 per ton, sugar-beet 40s. per ton, and milk (12 months' average) is. 2d. per gallon?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonThe sum required to make up, in respect of the whole of the output in England and Wales to which 279W my hon. Friend refers, the difference between the standard prices he has suggested and current prices including any subsidies or guaranteed prices already in force may, on certain broad assumptions, be very roughly estimated at about £21 millions per annum.