Agricultural Subsidies

HC Deb 10 February 1965 vol 706 cc79-80W

9. Mr. Gresham Cooke

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the approximate cost of agricultural subsidies during the first nine months of the current financial year; and what Supplementry Estimate is anticipated in this connection.

63. Mr. James Johnson

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for presenting Supplementary Estimates for agricultural subsidies in the present financial year.

Mr. Peart

The payments for agricultural subsidies made out of Class V, Votes 3, 4 5 and 6 for the nine months ended 31st December, 1964, amounted to £186 million approximately.

As regards the second part of the Question, Supplementary Estimates were introduced in November, 1964, and further Supplementary Estimates have been published today.

53. Mr. Park

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of agricultural subsidies during the first nine months of the current financial year; and whether he is satisfied that the benefits of these subsidies are being obtained by those for whose assistance they were designed.

59. Mr. Floud

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of agricultural subsidies during the first nine months of this financial year; and to what extent, and in what proportions, he estimates that farmers, middlemen and consumers, respectively, have benefited from these subsidies.

Mr. Peart

As I have said in more detail in my reply today to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke), the figure is approximately £186 million. The whole of these payments apart from small payments to agricultural landowners have benefited the farmers since they have been made to maintain the value of the guarantees under the Agricultural Acts. As regards the consumer, food in this country is very considerably cheaper as a result of our system of agricultural support than in almost all countries, for example, which have a managed market. Middlemen under any system get what profit they can but their opportunities are no greater under ours than under any other system.