§ 66. Mr. Sydney Irvingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what decision he has made about the future of the Horticultural Marketing Council.
§ 67. Mr. Goodhewasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now make a statement about the future of the Horticultural Marketing Council.
§ Mr. SoamesThe Horticulture Act, 1960, which set up the Council, provided for finance from the Exchequer for its first three years. During the passage of the Bill my predecessor made it clear that, unless a scheme for raising revenue from the industry could be introduced, the Council would have to come to an end, since no more Government money would be forthcoming.
On 25th September the Council fulfilled the statutory obligation laid upon it by Section 11 of the Act by submitting to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland, and myself a proposed charges scheme. But this scheme, as the Council recognised, has commanded only limited support within the industry. As evidence of this we have had before us the results of ballots carried out by the three national organisations: growers, wholesalers and retailers. We have also taken into account the views of other organisations; and I have had consultations with the Chairman of the Council and with the leaders of the three national organisations.
25WAs a result my right hon. Friend and I have consulted the Council itself on a proposal to dissolve it under Section 17 of the Act; and the Council has accepted this as inevitable. Accordingly we have made an Order, which is being laid today, to dissolve the Council on 31st March, 1963.
It is a matter of great regret to me and to my right hon. Friend that we have been forced to this conclusion. We welcome, however, the assurances we have had from the leaders of the growers', wholesalers' and retailers' organisations that they fully intend to establish a co-ordinating and consultative body, and thereby to build on the foundations laid by the Council.