§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is her estimate of the effect which each of the food subsidies has had on the food section of the retail price index; and what effect their abolition will have on the total index.
620W
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe present savings in the Food Index as a result of the food subsidies are estimated as follows:
Points Bread 1.1 Butter 1.0 Cheese 0.6 Household flour 0.1 Milk 2.9 Tea 0.3 It is estimated that the abolition of food subsidies would lead to a rise of 1.4 points in the General Index of Retail Prices.