HC Deb 16 December 1976 vol 922 cc841-3W
Mr. Walter Johnson

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps the Potato Marketing Board is tak-

was the number of questionnaires requiring an answer which were sent out by his Department and by agencies responsible to his Department to employers and self-employed persons during the most recent 12 months period for which figures are available; and how many copies of each questionnaire were sent.

Mr. John Silkin

Forty-five during the 12 months ended 30th June 1976. Details are given in the following table. Questionnaires originate in my Department except where shown.

ing to investigate the price of potatoes to establish the level of profit made by the farmer, wholesaler and retailer.

Mr. Bishop

The Potato Marketing Board operates a market intelligence service which gives details of recent producer, wholesale and retail price ranges of potatoes. While it has some information about average costs of growing potatoes, it would not be appropriate for it to assess individual producer profit levels—which depend on the marketable yield of the potatoes grown—or profit levels at the wholesale or retail stage. My hon. Friend will know that the Price Commission is reporting on distributors' margins each month.