§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his reply of 5 March, Official Report, column 271, concerning EEC imports of cane sugar, whether he will publish a table in the Official Report, showing what part of the total is earmarked for countries other than the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithPatterns of imports of sugar covered by the Lomé agreement are determined by freely negotiated commercial contracts; quantities are not formally allocated for particular member States.
342Wsupport, and that it is inconsistent with this need for flexibility that academic and related staff should be appointed until retirement age on terms which protect them against dismissal for reasons of redundancy or financial exigency. I welcome the CVCP's initiative in putting forward proposals designed to achieve the necessary flexibility without inhibiting academic freedom in teaching and research. These proposals are now for individual universities to consider. I hope that this consideration will lead them to bring forward in due course, where necessary, proposals for appropriate amendments to their charters and statutes. I hope also that from now on, in making appointments of new academic staff, they will do this as far as possible consistently with the long-term arrangements which they propose to adopt.