§ Mr. RichardsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the United Kingdom's agricultural budget is spent on administration; and what information he has on the corresponding figure in other EC member states.
§ Mr. CurryThe administration costs relating specifically to agriculture over the United Kingdom as a whole are not readily available. The costs of this Department and the Intervention Board include elements for food and fishing; the administration costs for agriculture in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are contained within the votes of the Welsh Office, Scottish Office and Northern Ireland Office respectively.
Information on general administration costs for the Department and the Intervention Board are however set out in the Departmental Report (Cm 1903) and particularly in the cash plans tables included in that document.
I have no information on administrative expenditure in other EC member states.