House of Commons Hansard Debates for 14 May 1991

Farming and Livestock

Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement listing the public money his Department has invested in all aspects of

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farming and livestock work in the constituency of Waveney in the past 10 years ; and how much he expects to contribute over the next three years.

Mr. Curry : No. The range of schemes involved is extremely wide and information does not exist in a form enabling such a list to be compiled for individual constituencies.

Fishing

Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement listing the public money his Department has invested in all aspects of the fishing industry ; and what range of services has been covered, in the constituency of Waveney for the past 10 years ; and how much he expects to contribute over the next three years.

Mr. Curry : The Ministry's departmental report--Cm. 1503--shows that estimated expenditure on support for the fishing industry in 1990-91 was £19 million and that this is planned to increase to £20 million in 1993-94. In addition, the Department carries out research and other scientific work in relation to marine fisheries : this cost some £7 million in 1990-91. Details of expenditure in the fishing industry in individual constituencies are not available.

Coastal Protection

Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement listing the public money his Department has contributed to sea defence and coastal protection schemes in the constituency of Waveney during the past 10 years ; and how much he expects to contribute over the next three years.

Mr. Curry : This Department has contributed nearly £2 million by way of direct grant to sea defence and coast protection schemes in the constituency of Waveney during the past 10 years. A further contribution of approximately £2.5 million is likely to be made over the next three years.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any source of BSE other than scrapie has been identified by his Ministry ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer : No. The detailed epidemiological study continues to show that the most likely cause of BSE was the scrapie agent in cattle feed.

Farm Animal Welfare Council

Mr. Brazier : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has considered an exhibition relating to the Farm Animal Welfare Council to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

Mr. Maclean : I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities in the House for an exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 10 June to Friday 14 June. I hope that as many hon. Members as possible will avail themselves of the opportunity to see at first hand the excellent work the Farm Animal Welfare Council does.

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Agriculture Expenditure

Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the amount spent in each of the last 10 years in supporting British agriculture both in (a) direct and (b) indirect expenditure, in both cash and real terms.

Mr. Gummer : Details of direct agriculture support, including national grants and subsidies, in the United Kingdom for the 10 years from 1980-81 are given in the table :


Financial     |Cash terms   |Real terms                 

Year          |(£ million)|(£ million)              

                            |(1989-90                   

                            |baseline)                  

--------------------------------------------------------

1980-81       |1,012        |1,715                      

1981-82       |972          |1,502                      

1982-83       |1,433        |2,068                      

1983-84       |1,729        |2,385                      

1984-85       |1,712        |2,247                      

1985-86       |2,165        |2,693                      

1986-87       |1,449        |1,744                      

1987-88       |1,630        |1,861                      

1988-89       |1,380        |1,467                      

1989-90       |1,258        |1,258                      

<1>1990-91    |1,958        |<2>1,843                   

<1> forecast                                            

<2> using estimated deflator                            

Sources: 1980-81 to 1985-86-Annual Review White Papers. 

1986-87 to 1990-91-Agriculture in the United Kingdom

Over the period 1988-90, expenditure under the CAP fell due to favourable world and EC market conditions.

Various items could be seen as offering indirect support. Details of all expenditure of each of the agriculture Departments appear in the supply estimate and appropriation accounts which are in the Library of the House. Those for this Department are published in class III.

Food Additives

Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the food additives for which he has withdrawn approval since 1979, giving in each case the year when the additive was withdrawn ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 21 December 1989, Official Report, column 457. Since then, the approval for the use of potassium bromate as a flour treatment agent has been withdrawn.

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