§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will give the total amount spent on food subsidies on an annual basis since the programme began, together with her estimated figures for expenditure on food subsidies over the next three years.
§ Mr. MaclennanThe cost of the general food subsidy programme since 1st April 1974 is as follows:
£ million … Total Expenditure under Prices Acts 1974–75 … 518 460 1975–76 … 572 540 1976–77* … 409 400 * Estimates. The difference between the two columns above is accounted for by contributions from FEOGA towards the general butter subsidy—about £12 million in 1974–75, £21 million in 1975–76 and £9 million in 1976–77—and also expenditure on milk borne on the vote of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under the Appropriation Acts—£46 million in 1974–75 and £10 million 1975–76.
Planned provision for later years was set out in the White Paper "Public Expenditure to 1979–80" (Cmnd. 6393).
§ Mrs. Sally Oppenheimasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection, pursuant to the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Taylor) in the Official Report on 27th May 1976, column 374, precisely what effect this Government's food subsidy programme had on the Food 66W Index during the period from 25th March to October 1974.
§ Mr. MaclennanOn 15th October 1974 the Government's food subsidy programme is estimated to have saved a total of 5.3 points on the Food Index, of which 1.5 points related to a continuation of subsidies introduced before 25th March by the previous Administration.