asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is the total number of different forms which his Department, and its subordinate agencies, currently have available for different purposes requiring completion by members of the general public; and how that number compares with the answer given to the hon. Member for Eastleigh on 8th March 1976.
No forms are issued by my Department for completion by individual members of the general public. Only one statistical inquiry is carried out involving a form being sent weekly to each of 40 businesses which voluntarily provide information. In March 1976 the comparable figure was 66.Forms issued by the Office of Fair Trading, the Price Commission and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission are not the direct responsibility of my Department.