§ Q5. Mr. Ashleyasked the Prime Minister if he will discuss the world food crisis at his meeting next April with the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 26th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Molloy).—[Vol. 882, c. 113.]
§ Mr. AshleyIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Minister of Overseas Development made a constructive contribution to the World Food Conference and many Members are most grateful for that? But is he also aware that it is highly regrettable that the European Community should have largely excluded India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from aid in the past? As those are the poorest of the poor nations, does my right hon. Friend agree that they should be assisted first by the Community?
§ The Prime MinisterI understand my hon. Friend's anxiety in this matter, which I share, although I believe I have better news for him today. I have paid tribute to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Overseas Development for the negotiations which she carried out not so much in Rome as within Protocol 22 and associated questions on behalf of Commonwealth and other countries in Africa and the Caribbean.
But it was noticeable that nothing then was done about the Indian sub-continent. Her Majesty's Government expressed great concern about the exclusion of the Indian sub-continent, and the Community has now agreed a mandate for the Commission to open negotiations with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to conclude trade agreements. Negotiations with Pakistan and Sri Lanka opened earlier this month and a trade agreement with India came into effect in April.
Besides this, significant improvements under the generalised scheme of preferences have recently been agreed by the Council of Ministers. It has also been agreed that early in 1975 there should be a full review of the Community's future generalised scheme of preference strategy.
§ Sir Bernard BraineEven so, does the Prime Minister recognise the widespread concern about the slow response of Governments to the growing world food shortage? Is he aware of the authoritative evidence of increasing malnutrition and rising death rates in at least 12 developing countries? Will he undertake to arrange for an early ministerial 623 statement in the House on what the Government are doing about the situation, so that the matter may be debated?
§ The Prime MinisterI entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman. Many years ago he and I used to exchange from opposite sides of the House agreement, not disagreement, on this question. Some of the countries which are hardest hit by the oil crisis and the shortage of food are those which are already suffering deprivation and premature deaths, on the one hand by drought and on the other hand, tragically, by floods. We have been going into this very fully, and I will consider the question of a ministerial statement.