§ Mr. Turtonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give detailed figures showing how the amount of £2,044,000,000 was spent in the last financial year on subsidising foodstuffs and showing, separately, the subsidies paid to distributors, consumers and producers, respectively, for each of the principal subsidised foodstuffs.
§ Sir J. AndersonI gave full details of the make-up of these subsidies (which totalled £204,400,000 in the last financial year) in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox) on 2nd February last, and I would refer my hon. Friend to that answer. The subsidies1220W accrue to the benefit of the consumer by reducing the retail prices which would otherwise be charged. There is no basis on which any part of them can be attributed to producers or distributors who receive out of the retail price and subsidy together reasonable prices and remuneration for their services.