HC Deb 30 March 1965 vol 709 cc214-5W
Mr. English

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is, for deciles of the farmer population classified according to value of output of individual farmers and for the most convenient and recent period of 12 months, the average output for farmers in each decile per unit of labour, and per £1,000 of capital employed, respectively;

(2) what is Her Majesty's Government's estimate of how the total value of agricultural production, in the most convenient and recent period of 12 months, is attributable to deciles of the farmer population classified according to value of output of individual farmers;

(3) what is Her Majesty's Government's estimate of how the value of subsidies to the agricultural industry, including direct subsidies and indirect or concealed subsidies, such as rating or tax reliefs not given to industry in general, may be attributed to deciles of the farmer population classified according to value of output of individual farmers.

Mr. John Mackie

I regret that this information is not available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate amount of work.

Mr. English

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is Her Majesty's Government's estimate, for the most convenient and recent period of 12 months, of the total value of subsidies to the agricultural industry, including direct subsidies, and indirect or concealed subsidies such as rating or tax reliefs not given to industry in general.

Mr. John Mackie

In 1963–64, the total cost of the direct subsidies to the agricultural industry, including the grants for horticulture and for market development, was about £295 million. No reliable estimate is available of the value of rating and tax reliefs.