§ Mr. John Mackieasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how he proposes to control food prices; and what extra staff will be needed to do so;
(2) at what point in the chain of distribution he proposes to exercise his powers to control prices of foodstuffs affected by the dock strike.
§ Mr. Cledwyn Hughesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will arrange discussions with representatives of the retail food industry about controlling the price of foodstuffs affected by the dock strike;
(2) at what level he proposes to control the prices of foodstuffs affected by the dock strike.
§ Mr. Wellbelovedasked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food what 240W action he intends to take to deal with the increase in the retail price of apples and oranges.
§ Mr. Arthur Probertasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to provide the effective distribution of carcase meat and fresh vegetables to the housewives of the valleys of South Wales at normal prices.
§ Mr. McBrideasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the decision of orange importers to put a ceiling on their prices, he will now take action under the emergency regulations to control prices charged by distributors of all foods.
§ Mr. PriorI have had consultations with all sections of the food trade and am satisfied that they are acting with restraint and co-operation in very difficult circumstances. Some increases in food prices are inevitable, but with good sense and co-operation all round these can be kept to a minimum. I am satisfied that at present no action is required to control prices, but I will continue to watch the position daily.
The questions of the means of control and the staff involved do not therefore arise.
§ Mr. Wellbelovedasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the present stocks of frozen and chilled meat in the United Kingdom; how much is available for retail distribution; and what action he intends to take to control the price per pound weight to the housewife.
§ Mr. PriorAccording to the latest available information, about three-quarters of the 60,000 tons of frozen and chilled meat in public cold stores are held in stores that are not affected by the dock strike. I do not consider the present position requires action to control prices but I am keeping the position under review.