HC Deb 19 June 1963 vol 679 cc434-5
14. Mr. Peart

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will present a White Paper giving details as to how he will operate the new system of control of food imports combined with the standard quantity concept for home production which he announced on 22nd May, 1963.

Mr. Soames

The consultations on detailed arrangements to which I referred on 22nd May are proceeding and I will inform the House as soon as I am able to amplify what I said then.

Mr. Peart

How will the Minister inform the House? Will it be by a White Paper? Will we be able to judge which organisations have been consulted in the working out of the details of the Minister's policy? Can we have some further information now?

Mr. Soames

So many organisations have been consulted that I would not like to name them off the cuff, but if the hon. Member will put down a Question I can certainly answer it. It is too early yet to say what form any further statement should take. There is to be the first meeting in the coming week of the cereals group of G.A.T.T. in Geneva. This is our first formal contact in a large body with our overseas suppliers. I will, however, keep the House informed as we go along.

Mr. Stodart

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that there are a great many farmers whose conception of "standard quantity" is that this is a restrictive measure which imposes a standard quantity upon individual farms, when, in fact, it does nothing of the kind but is a stimulus to greater competitive production by efficient producers? Will my right hon. Friend make this clear?

Mr. Soames

Yes, I certainly will. Indeed, I will make clear that we do not have it in mind in any way to relate the standard quantity to terms of a quota per farm for cereals or fat stock. Looking at the list of other commodities on which there are already standard quantities, I do not believe that anybody need have cause to think that that is likely to happen.