§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning the safeguarding of the sugar refining industry, its output and production costs and the foreign currency earning capacity of this industry: what action he has taken or intends taking; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe position of the sugar refining industry, in the event of our entry into the European Economic Community will depend largely on the price and volume of its supplies of raw sugar. In so far as the industry must look to sources outside the Community for these supplies, the special arrangements requested for Commonwealth sugar, which I have described in my reply today to another Question from the hon. Member, will be of advantage to it.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as full and detailed a statement as may be available of the amounts of 286W raw sugar imported from Commonwealth N.P.Q., guaranteed price sources and from other Commonwealth sources; and how these amounts are likely to be affected on Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community on any known terms.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe amounts of sugar which the United Kingdom is contracted to purchase each year at a negotiated price under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement are:
Tons Australia 335,000 West Indies and Guyana 725,000 Mauritius 380,000 Fiji 140,000 East Africa† 7,000 British Honduras 20,500 India 25,000 Southern Rhodesia* 25,000 Swaziland 85,000 1,742,500 * Quota suspended. † Not currently taken up. Other imports of raw sugar from Commonwealth sources during 1970 were:
In the event of entry into the European Economic Community the United Kingdom remains contractually obliged to observe the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement up to the end of 1974. Thereafter we have proposed to the Six that there should be a form of continuing arrangement, subject to review, for exports of sugar to the enlarged Community from the developing countries whose sugar industries are party to the Agreement, and that the Australian quota should be phased out gradually over the remainder of the transitional period.
Tons Australia 27,466 Canada 2 Mauritius 11,050 Swaziland 9,498 48,016
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as full and detailed an explanation as possible of the existing situation regarding the sugar industry in the United Kingdom; which are the main companies operating in this field and the percentage 287W of their domestic refined output, the number of employees, and their assets, where these refineries are situated and their annual tonnage of output of refined white sugar for the home and export trade, respectively; and to what extent he estimates this industry will be affected by Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community on any known terms.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe main companies concerned are the British Sugar Corporation Ltd., Manbre & Garton Ltd. and Tate & Lyle Ltd., and I would refer the hon. Member to them for the additional information he requires. As arrangements for sugar in the event of our entry into the European Economic Community are still subject of negotiations, I cannot answer the last part of the hon. Member's Question.