§ 21. Mr. Homewoodasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what relationship to the other items in the retail price index food prices rose over the 10 years prior to British entry into the EEC ; and what has been the same relationship since.
§ Mr. WigginAssuming that the hon. Member wishes to compare the position before and after our membership of the European Community, in the 7⅓ years before accession food prices rose by 9.0 per cent. relative to other items in the retail price index, and in the 7⅓ years since accession they have risen by only 6.0 per cent.
§ 39. Mr. Strawasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the likely overall increase in the retail price of food in 1980.
§ Mr. WigginI am not prepared to speculate on the likely future level of retail food prices. The retail food price index has risen over the last year at a substantially lower rate than the index for all other items.
647W
§ 48. Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the impact of the recent EEC budget agreement on food prices in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the agreement on farm prices which was reached at the same time as the settlement on the United Kingdom contribution to the Community budget. The CAP price package is estimated to add 0.7 per cent. to the food price index over a full year.