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Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman (Lancaster) : The profession.

Mr. Marland : I beg my hon. Friend's pardon. Members of the profession and hon. Members will be very reassured by the way in which my right hon. Friend the Minister and my hon. Friend the Minister of State have offered so kindly to be part of a listening Ministry and to leave the door open to people who want to see them at any time. There is a great deal of informed opinion on the Conservative Benches which would very much like to take advantage of that opportunity. I congratulate my right hon. Friend and my hon. Friend on the trenchant way in which they have gripped their brief. I believe that three issues are of the utmost importance. First, there is the disputes procedure. I hope that my right hon. Friend will carefully study the proposals that were put forward by the milk marketing boards for a successor body. Secondly, with regard to Milk Marque's plans for the future, I have some sympathy with the view of the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours). Milk Marque is asking for a very wide brief. I urge my right hon. Friend to look carefully at that matter. Part of Sir Leon Brittan's brief in allowing a single voluntary co-operative to be established in this country is that it should not have such a wide brief as it is looking for.

Thirdly, we should keep an eye on the exploitation of the present milk shortage by producers and manufacturers, in the interests of our producers and manufacturers, especially our producers. We do not want to turn off the users of milk. If the price is too high, they will surely look elsewhere to source their manufacturing. Housewives and other milk drinkers will give up drinking milk or look elsewhere for milk substitutes. We do not want that to happen.

In the fullness of time, the tight quota regime might be relaxed. Furthermore, under the auspices of GATT, we might find that Commonwealth countries that had to give up their markets in this country when we joined the EC will look hungrily at our market to sell their surplus milk. Even our nearest neighbours, the Irish, are beginning to buy dairy companies in this country to take advantage of our larger market and their 200 per cent. excessive self-sufficiency.

The Bill must lead to a regime which will ensure long-term success and short-term prosperity for the milk producer. In that spirit, I really wish Milk Marque well. We need a viable dairy industry providing jobs for rural communities. We need satisfied customers who continue to drink United Kingdom milk and consume United Kingdom dairy products, rather than becoming dependent on imports and milk substitutes.

I assure my right hon. Friend the Minister that many Conservative Members are anxious to see Milk Marque succeed and the United Kingdom dairy industry survive.

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When the time comes for her to give her seal of approval to any scheme which is put forward by the milk marketing boards for a successor body, I should like her to remember that many Conservative Members are willing and anxious to give advice if my right hon. Friend considers that she needs it.

9.56 pm

Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I shall respond briefly to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Marland). I thank him for his kind remarks. I assure him that we shall look most carefully at all the points that he raised in this excellent debate. I thank him also for wishing the Bill well.

9.57 pm

Dr. Strang : The Bill has three important objectives : first, the winding up of the milk marketing boards ; secondly, the enabling power to wind up the potato marketing board of Great Britain ; and, thirdly, the ending of the wool guarantee. The Labour party opposes all three objectives. We believe that there was an opportunity in the 1980s to adapt the milk marketing boards. That was the view not only of the milk marketing boards but of producers and the Dairy Trade Federation. That opportunity was missed and we are concerned about the arrangements which will follow.

As for the potato marketing board, it would be churlish not to welcome the Minister's statement this afternoon. It was a viable statement, but of course the Bill contains the enabling power to wind up the potato marketing board on a future occasion. However, from what the right hon. Lady said, I trust that we have a good chance of ensuring that the board continues as long as there is not an EC regime.

We believe that the decision to end the guaranteed wool price was wrong. This is the worst of all possible times to do it. As hon. Members will be aware, wool prices are utterly depressed. All three changes were not sought by the industry. We have a very successful industry and milk of the highest quality in Europe. We have a very successful potato industry. The wool marketing board has served the industry well. For all those reasons, there is no case for this measure. It is based on Tory dogma and we will vote against the Bill.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret that the Opposition's contribution has ended on that note because I believe that we achieved a degree of consensus during the debate. The Government feel that the changes for milk and for wool represent new challenges for agriculture and that our magnificent industry will rise to those challenges. We will take a careful look at the potato industry.

I would particularly commend to the House the Government's marketing initiatives, which will be greatly strengthened by the Bill. I believe that the future looks good for one of our foremost industries and I am delighted to commend the Bill to the House. Question put, That the Bill be now read the Third time : The House divided : Ayes 264, Noes 137.

Division No. 306] [9.59 pm

AYES

Ainsworth, Peter (East Surrey)

Alison, Rt Hon Michael (Selby)

Allason, Rupert (Torbay)

Amess, David

Arbuthnot, James

Arnold, Jacques (Gravesham)

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Column 404

Ashby, David

Ashdown, Rt Hon Paddy

Aspinwall, Jack

Atkinson, David (Bour'mouth E)

Atkinson, Peter (Hexham)

Baker, Rt Hon K. (Mole Valley)

Baker, Nicholas (Dorset North)

Baldry, Tony

Banks, Matthew (Southport)

Bates, Michael

Bellingham, Henry

Bendall, Vivian

Beresford, Sir Paul

Biffen, Rt Hon John

Blackburn, Dr John G.

Bonsor, Sir Nicholas

Booth, Hartley

Boswell, Tim

Bottomley, Peter (Eltham)

Bottomley, Rt Hon Virginia

Bowden, Andrew

Bowis, John

Boyson, Rt Hon Sir Rhodes

Brandreth, Gyles

Brazier, Julian

Bright, Graham

Brooke, Rt Hon Peter

Brown, M. (Brigg & Cl'thorpes)

Browning, Mrs. Angela

Bruce, Ian (S Dorset)

Bruce, Malcolm (Gordon)

Burns, Simon

Burt, Alistair

Butcher, John

Butler, Peter

Campbell, Menzies (Fife NE)

Carlisle, Kenneth (Lincoln)

Carrington, Matthew

Carttiss, Michael

Cash, William

Clappison, James

Clark, Dr Michael (Rochford)

Clarke, Rt Hon Kenneth (Ruclif)

Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey

Coe, Sebastian

Congdon, David

Conway, Derek

Coombs, Anthony (Wyre For'st)

Cormack, Patrick

Couchman, James

Cran, James

Currie, Mrs Edwina (S D'by'ire)

Curry, David (Skipton & Ripon)

Davis, David (Boothferry)

Day, Stephen

Deva, Nirj Joseph

Devlin, Tim

Douglas-Hamilton, Lord James

Dover, Den

Duncan, Alan

Duncan-Smith, Iain

Dunn, Bob

Durant, Sir Anthony

Dykes, Hugh

Eggar, Tim

Evans, David (Welwyn Hatfield)

Evans, Jonathan (Brecon)

Evans, Nigel (Ribble Valley)

Evans, Roger (Monmouth)

Evennett, David

Faber, David

Fabricant, Michael

Fenner, Dame Peggy

Field, Barry (Isle of Wight)

Fishburn, Dudley

Forman, Nigel

Forsyth, Michael (Stirling)

Forth, Eric

Fox, Dr Liam (Woodspring)

Fox, Sir Marcus (Shipley)

Freeman, Rt Hon Roger

French, Douglas

Fry, Peter

Gale, Roger

Gallie, Phil

Gardiner, Sir George

Garnier, Edward

Gillan, Cheryl

Gorman, Mrs Teresa

Gorst, John

Greenway, John (Ryedale)

Griffiths, Peter (Portsmouth, N)

Grylls, Sir Michael

Hague, William

Hamilton, Neil (Tatton)

Hampson, Dr Keith

Hanley, Jeremy

Hannam, Sir John

Harvey, Nick

Haselhurst, Alan

Hawkins, Nick

Hawksley, Warren

Heathcoat-Amory, David

Hicks, Robert

Horam, John

Hordern, Rt Hon Sir Peter

Howard, Rt Hon Michael

Howarth, Alan (Strat'rd-on-A)

Howell, Sir Ralph (North Norfolk)

Hughes Robert G. (Harrow W)

Hughes, Simon (Southwark)

Hunt, Sir John (Ravensbourne)

Hunter, Andrew

Hurd, Rt Hon Douglas

Jack, Michael

Jackson, Robert (Wantage)

Jessel, Toby

Johnson Smith, Sir Geoffrey

Jones, Gwilym (Cardiff N)

Jones, Nigel (Cheltenham)

Jones, Robert B. (W Hertfdshr)

Kellett-Bowman, Dame Elaine

Kennedy, Charles (Ross,C&S)

Key, Robert

Kilfedder, Sir James

King, Rt Hon Tom

Kirkhope, Timothy

Kirkwood, Archy

Knapman, Roger

Knight, Mrs Angela (Erewash)

Knight, Greg (Derby N)

Knight, Dame Jill (Bir'm E'st'n)

Knox, Sir David

Kynoch, George (Kincardine)

Lait, Mrs Jacqui

Lang, Rt Hon Ian

Lester, Jim (Broxtowe)

Lidington, David

Lilley, Rt Hon Peter

Lloyd, Peter (Fareham)

Lord, Michael

Luff, Peter

Lyell, Rt Hon Sir Nicholas

Lynne, Ms Liz

MacGregor, Rt Hon John

MacKay, Andrew

Maclean, David

McLoughlin, Patrick

McNair-Wilson, Sir Patrick

Madel, David

Maitland, Lady Olga

Malone, Gerald

Mans, Keith

Marland, Paul

Marshall, John (Hendon S)

Martin, David (Portsmouth S)

Mates, Michael

Mawhinney, Dr Brian

Mayhew, Rt Hon Sir Patrick

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