§ 18. Mr. PatchettTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to announce his alternative proposals for agriculture reform to those proposed by the European Commission.
§ Mr. GummerI have set out on a number of occasions the objectives we are pursuing in negotiations on the reform of the CAP.
§ 24. Mr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on any official proposals from the European Commission and member Governments to reform the common agricultural policy.
§ Mr. GummerI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler) earlier today.
§ 25. Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the budget estimate for EC spending on agriculture in 1991, expressed in pounds sterling; and if he will make a statement outlining the legal and administrative procedures for preventing overruns in this area of spending.
§ Mr. GummerThe Community agriculture budget for 1991 totals £24,240 million excluding the monetary reserve. All Community expenditure is subject to controls under Council decision 88/377 concerning budgetary discipline and any increase in budget provisions requires the approval of the Council and the European Parliament. Furthermore, there are specific procedures in the budget discipline decision to ensure that the agricultural guideline for market support of £22,656 million in 1991 is respected.