§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was (a) the overall cost and (b) the net cost to the Exchequer of support to United Kingdom agriculture in each year from 1960 to 1986 in actual and real terms; and if he will show each set of figures as a percentage of the gross domestic product.
§ Mr. JoplingI refer my hon. Friend to the following published sources which are available in the Library
(a) The costs of agricultural support to United Kingdom agriculture in the years from 1960–61 to 1986–87 are shown in the annual review and determination of guarantees White Papers as follows:
Years Source 1960–61 to 1967–68 1969 Cmnd. 3965 Appendix V —Table A
1968–69 to 1971–72 1973 Cmnd. 5254 Table 24 1972–73 to 1975–76 1977 Cmnd. 6703 Table 25 1976–77 to 1978–79 1981 Cmnd. 8132 Table 25 1979–80 to 1982–83 1984 Cmnd. 9137 Table 28 1983–84 to 1985–86 1987 Cmnd. 67 Table 28 1986–87 (forecast) (b) Gross domestic product for the years up to 1984–85 are given at pages 9 and 10 of the Economic Trends Annual Supplement 1986. For the years 1985–86 and 1986–87 this information is given in table 2.5 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1986–87.
(c) Retail price indices at pages 116 and 117 in the Economic Trends Annual Supplement 1986 may be used to convert figures from earlier years to current prices.