§ 12. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, having regard to further rises in food prices, whether he will now state the aggregate increase and percentum rise in retail food prices since 18th June, 1970, and what measures he has in hand to prevent further increases in retail prices.
§ Mr. PriorBetween 16th June, 1970, and 16th March, 1971, the latest date for which information is available, the Food Index rose by 7.8 points or 5½per cent. Inflationary wage settlements are the main cause of these increases and the first requirement is to get these under control.
§ 44. Mr. Kinseyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent he estimates the Food Price Index has risen since June, 1970, due to delays by the National Board for Prices and Incomes in considering requests of companies for changes in prices.
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§ Mr. PriorWhile it is not possible to quantify the extent, I accept that the residual effects of the previous Government's prices policy, of which the National Board for Prices and Incomes formed part, have contributed to the rise in food prices since June, 1970.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has obtained of reductions in food prices, other than seasonal reductions in the last three months.
§ Mr. PriorPromotional price reductions are a regular feature of most retailers' pricing policies. In addition a number of leading food chains have already made special price reductions following the announcement of the forthcoming reduction in selective employment tax.