§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff and at which grades in his Department are wholly or partly employed in monitoring price increases of consumer items.
§ Mr. AlisonCurrently four staff in the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland) are engaged part-time—5 to 15 per cent.—in monitoring retail price increases. They are one assistant economist, one executive officer II and two clerks. In addition, the Department employs eight interviewers on a part-time casual basis for approximately 14 to 15 hours per month each.
Three inspectors group I in the Department of Agriculture are engaged for a total of three hours each week on monitoring fruit and vegetable prices.