§ 9. Mr. Stodartasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what criteria he judges whether the increases asked for in the National Plan are being carried out.
§ Mr. PeartThe Annual Review is the agreed machinery for assessing the progress made with the selective expansion programme. The recent White Paper (Cmnd. 3229) sets out the Government's review of the progress both overall and for individual commodities.
§ Mr. StodartIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a few weeks ago the Joint Parliamentary Secretary, his hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, East (Mr. John Mackie), is reported to have said that everything was going swimmingly with the National Plan, while he himself was seen and heard by millions on television not many days ago admitting that there had been stagnation in the past two years? Could we have some sort of orderly assessment of the situation by his Department?
§ Mr. PeartI cannot accept the hon. Member's wild statement. I have never said that there was stagnation. [Interruption.] The hon. Member for the Isle of Ely (Sir H. Legge-Bourke) can ask a question; he need not point at me. There has been no stagnation and no conflict with what my hon. Friend has said over a period of time since the publication of 1690 the plan. The plan is there. I have said that in certain sectors there was not the progress that we should have made, and I said that frankly in my own White Paper.
§ Mr. JoplingHow does the right hon Gentleman explain the difference between his hon. Friend's statement that we were meeting our targets in the National Plan for everything and his statement in the White Paper that farm output was static?
§ Mr. PeartMy hon. Friend said that we are generally meeting the target, which is true. In certain sections there have been increases and in certain sections there have been difficulties. I have been frank about this. That is why I have sought in the Price Review to stimulate the dairy herd, in particular, and also pig production.