asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates is spent annually on drink, tobacco, amusements and gambling combined, and in food, respectively; and what would the total food bill have been had no subsidies been included.

The total of personal expenditure on drink, tobacco and entertainments, together with the net loss on gambling, in 1951, is estimated at £1,835 million. The total of personal expenditure on food is estimated at £2,867 million. The estimated cost of the food subsidies in 1951–52 was £410 million.