§ 75. Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many members of his Department have visited the new Paris food market at Rungis to study marketing methods.
§ Mr. HoyTwo members of the Department made a short visit to Rungis in June, 1969 to see the horticultural section of the newly opened Paris wholesale markets in operation.
§ 76. Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, before making grants to the statutory authority, he will satisfy himself that Vauxhall Bridge and its adjacent roads will be able to carry the extra traffic entering the new Nine Elms horticultural market.
§ Mr. HoyBefore making grants to the Covent Garden Market Authority in respect of major construction of their Nine Elms Market, my right hon. Friend will require to know that the planning and highway authorities accept the Authority's plans. I understand it is hoped to start construction on stage one of the Vauxhall Cross improvement scheme at the southern approach to Vauxhall Bridge in 1970–71. The needs of the future market have been taken into account in its design.
§ Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what application he has received to enlarge and resite Brentford Market; and if he will consider an application for change of site in the light of the Nine Elms proposals.
§ Mr. HoyMy right hon. Friend has not yet received a formal application for grant from the London Borough of Hounslow for the reciting of the Brentford wholesale horticultural market but they have kept the Department in touch with their proposals and have been told that a new market would in principle be eligible for grant.
§ Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the anticipated price per square foot to market tenants in the new Covent Garden market resited at Nine Elms.
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§ Mr. HoyI understand that in approaching tenants last year to state their requirements for space in the fruit and vegetable market at Nine Elms the Covent Garden Market Authority indicated that they would need to charge rent of about 40 shillings per square foot based on construction costs and interest rates then current. However the final rent to be charged will not be known until work on the market is nearing completion.
§ Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the value of imported and home-grown horticultural produce sold in each of the last four years for which figures are available in Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Brentford, the Borough, Stratford, and Greenwich horticultural markets.
§ Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, under the prices and incomes policy, he will ascertain and publish a table showing the price per square foot to market tenants in all leading horticultural markets that have been rebuilt since 1948, specifying those which are municipal, private, co-operative or other, respectively.
§ Mr. HoyWe are not persuaded that it would be worthwhile to collect and publish this information in respect of markets rebuilt in different areas at different times and to different standards.