§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of the fact that the number of lambs and sheep slaughtered in Northern Ireland in 1978 has fallen from an estimated 78,000 to an actual 22,914 and that as a result the Belfast meat plant has reduced its employees engaged in the work of slaughtering sheep from 27 to seven, whether he will seek to ensure that similar EEC grant inducements to those payable for slaughtering sheep and lambs in the Irish Republic are available to Northern Ireland producers in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Bishop:No EEC grants are payable to producers for slaughtering sheep and lambs. Grants from the EEC's agricultural guidance fund are available for building and equipping slaughterhouses under the terms of EEC Regulation 355/77 on the same basis in the United Kingdom as in the Irish Republic.