§ 11. Sir J. Duncanasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has now completed the financial agreement with the Potato Marketing Board in connection with the potato guarantee; and what are its details.
§ Mr. John HareDiscussions with the Potato Marketing Board on outstanding points are being pressed forward, but a good deal of detail remains to be settled. I hope, however, that the main decisions affecting the Board's plans for implementing the new guarantee arrangements will be settled very soon now.
§ Sir J. DuncanWill my right hon. Friend tell me when the agreement will be signed, and will he publish it? Also, will the agreement provide sufficient funds for the Board to finance a surplus if there is one?
§ Mr. HareIn fairness to the House, I should say that the final agreement will be a very complex legal document which it will take some time to prepare. The important thing is to get the main decisions taken so that the Board's plans can be settled. With regard to publication, I will consider what my hon. Friend has said. I am not sure that his further supplementary question arises out of the Question, hut I am satisfied that as far as we have gone there are, in general, no real complications on the subject of finance.