§ Mr. GillTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what cash resources he has allocated for an outgoers scheme for pig farmers. [129398]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 6 July 2000]: In the "Action Plan for Fanning", £26 million was allocated to the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme (PIRS) in its first year. As the outgoers element of the PIRS will operate using a sealed bid system, it is not possible to estimate how much of this initial £26 million will be used on this part of the scheme. However, the aim of using a sealed bid system is to obtain the best value for money, with the expectation that a good proportion of the £26 million, plus the additional funds for which bids have been made, can be available for the ongoers element.