§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1) if he will list all expenditure on the price check scheme under the following headings: (a) television, radio and newspaper advertising, (b) staff salaries and on-costs, (c) printing and (d) all other expenditure;
(2) if he will make a statement on the price check scheme indicating the following: (a) its duration, (b) what percentage of retailers participated, (c) what monitoring was carried out of its results, (d) what effect it is estimated to have had on retail prices and (e) why it has not been continued.
§ Mr. MaclennanOn the costs of the Scheme, I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to hon. Members for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) on 30th January 1976, for Louth (Mr. Brotherton) on 1st March 1976 and for Pudsey (Mr. Shaw) on 29th March 1976.
My right hon. Friend reported to the House on the final results of the scheme in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, South-West (Mrs. Wise) on 20th October.—[Vol. 917, c. 488–90.]
The extent of participation was high. The manufacturing trade associations who recommended their members to participate, and the constituent bodies of the Retail Consortium, made checks of their members in May. All reported an encouraging response.
The Scheme was negotiated with representatives of manufacturers and shopkeepers to cover a six-month period only.