§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will initiate an inquiry into the prices charged for potatoes and the quality of available supplies; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what study she has made of the increasing price of potatoes; if she will initiate discussions with the wholesalers and the National Farmers' Union with the aim of stabilising potato prices at no more than 10p a lb. either by voluntary agreement or by the use of her powers under the Prices Act; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will investigate the cause and effect of spiralling potato prices and seek to ensure that the consumer is protected against any exploitation by wholesalers and retailers.
180W
(New pence per lb) 17th November 1970 16th November 1971 14th November 1972 13th November 1973 12th November 1974 11th November 1975 Potatoes— old, loose, white … 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.3 3.1 7.0 old, loose, red … 2.0 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.6 7.5
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe Price Commission carried out an inquiry into potato prices and margins at my request in the summer and has continued to monitor prices since then. All the indications are that the level of prices simply reflects the supply position of a one-third decline, following a difficult growing season in which yields per acre were sharply reduced. We have no evidence that unreasonable charges are being made at any stage of distribution. The Price Code does, of course, restrict the overall margins that may be made by wholesalers and retailers.
Any action that led to prices being artificially restrained could accelerate the rundown of the remaining stocks which cannot be replaced until early potatoes are available in quantity. Already the riddle size has been reduced, exports have been banned and restrictions on the import of main crop potatoes have been lifted. I doubt whether it would be in the interests of consumers to reduce the riddle size further. The United Kingdom has also applied to the EEC to suspend common tariffs on imports from third countries.
Meanwhile officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are in regular contact with the Potato Marketing Board about the supply situation.
So far as the quality of the 1975 crop is concerned, I understand that this is generally good.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what were the retail prices of various grades of potatoes at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures on the same date in each of the previous five years.
§ Mr. MaclennanAverage retail prices for white and red loose potatoes, as collected for the General Index of Retail Prices, at 11th November 1975, the latest date for which this information is available, and comparable figures for five earlier years, are as follows: