HC Deb 11 April 1973 vol 854 cc296-7W
Mr. Carter-Jones

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many complaints about price increases have been submitted to his Department since the freeze; how many of these price increases have been allowed to stand, and how many have been turned down; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Fenner

Up to 7th April my Department had received 15,523 complaints about food price increases. Of these 12,702 have so far been investigated with the following results:

Those where price rise took place before 6th November or where investigation showed no price rise 3,527
Those involving fresh or imported foods subject to fluctuations arising from external or seasonal causes 2,562
Those involving the cessation of special offers or increases authorised by my right hon. Friend 5,415
Those where as a result of the complaint or investigation a price reduction has been made 1,198

These figures show that the requirements of the first stage of the Government's counter-inflation programme have been fully accepted by the food trades. In the relatively small number of cases where there has been a breach in the requirements, traders have readily cooperated in bringing their prices down.