asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has completed his inquiries into recent movements of wholesale, retail and import prices of beef and veal, of auction prices of cattle, and of subsidies to cover deficiency payments; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the working of the deficiency payment scheme for fatstock, and that the consumer is receiving the benefit of the low prices ruling for fat-stock; and if he will make a statement.

During the period from April to October prices for cattle were low and this led inevitably to high deficiency payments. The wholesale prices of home-produced beef reflected closely the fall in cattle prices. Imports have been appreciably lower than last year and their prices have fallen less than those of home-produced beef. Reductions in retail prices were widely made though they did not wholly reflect the fall in wholesale prices.