§ Mr. Morganasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the current depressed condition of the United Kingdom sheep industry, he will increase the guaranteed price for fat sheep.
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§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithMy right hon. Friend will be making an announcement later this month about the guaranteed prices for fat sheep and wool for the marketing year 1980–81.
§ Mr. Morganasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give consideration to modifying the seasonal scale of weekly standard prices in order to provide a more realistic fallback guarantee for the United Kingdom sheep industry.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe seasonal scale of weekly standard prices is fixed each year after consultation with the farmers unions. The seasonal scale for the marketing year 1980–81 will be announced when the guaranteed price for fat sheep is announced later this month.
§ Mr. Morganasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will endeavour to ensure that any common agricultural policy regime for sheep-meat will provide for a premium support scheme which would be kept in line with future increases in producers' costs.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithWe are ready to consider favourably a Community sys-
1 March 1979 1 January 1980 Grade Levels Numbers Cost Numbers Cost £ £ EO level and above … … 240,000 1,430,000,000 238,000 1,770,000,000 CO level and below — — 320,000 1,020,000,000 302,000 1,150,000,000 Notes:
(i) The staff strength relates to non-industrial civil servants in post in the Home Civil Service at the dates given.
(ii) The costs shown are the annual pay and employers' national insurance at the dates shown.