§ 28. Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection how many orange triangular stickers she has had printed; how many have been issued to shops and stores; what is the total cost of distributing such stickers; and what method is used to check if those shops displaying the triangle operate the system as intended.
§ Mr. Maclennan500,000 kits of red Price Check stickers for use by retailers have been printed. Each kit contains 62 stickers. Approximately 450,000 of these kits have so far been distributed. The cost of distribution is estimated at £110,000.
Retailers should have received details about the Scheme and its coverage from their trade associations. It has also been described in trade Press advertisements. An explanatory letter about the Scheme was included in each kit. This invited retailers with questions about the Scheme to contact the telephone information service which my Department is operating for retailers.
§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of the total cost to public funds of the Price Check Scheme, indicating in particular the amounts budgeted for administration, newspaper advertising, television advertising, other printed publicity material, including the Price Check symbols, and other major items, respectively.
§ Mr. MaclennanOn the amounts budgeted for administration, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend on 1st March to the74W hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Brotherton)—[Vol. 906, c. 450–1]. On the costs of advertising and publicity, I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 30th January to the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley)—[Vol. 904, c. 389]. There are no other major items of expenditure. Of the cost of advertising, it is estimated that £274,000 will be spent on television advertising and £169,000 on newspaper advertising.
§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection by what means the Price Check Scheme kits were distributed to business addresses; and at what total cost.
§ Mr. MaclennanThe kits were distributed to business addresses by direct mail. The cost of distribution was approximately £110,000.
§ Mr. Jim Lesterasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection on what criteria she came to her decision that £915,000 was an appropriate level of expenditure on publicity for the Price Check Scheme.
§ Mr. MaclennanIt was necessary to supply display and explanatory material about the Price Check Scheme to approximately 500,000 retail outlets throughout the country and also to inform the general public about the Scheme and the goods included within it. The estimate of the printing, distribution and advertising costs of these operations totalled approximately £915,000.