§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will by order, under the powers granted him by Section 19(6)(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958. direct the British Egg Marketing Board to comply with the recommendations of the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain of a complaint of Western Egg Pasteurising Company Limited and a consortium of co-operatives;
(2) if, in view of the fact that it is now 12 months since the Report of the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain into a complaint by Western Egg Pasteurising Company Limited and a consortium of co-operatives of the British Egg Marketing Scheme; what action his department has taken to implement the findings and recommendations of that Report; and if he will make a statement;
(3) on what date he received the recommendation and comments of the British Egg Marketing Board on the Report of the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain; what these recommendations and comments were; and what action his department has taken as a result of them;
(4) what representations he has received concerning the draft proposals authorising revised arrangements for processing first-and second-quality eggs; what action he intends to take on these; and if he will make a statement;
(5) if he is aware that the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain on complaints by the Western Egg Pasteurising 60W Company Limited and a consortium of agricultural co-operatives of the British Egg Marketing Scheme found that the British Egg Marketing Board's action was contrary to the reasonable interests of the complainant; and what his department has done to ensure that these reasonable interests are met;
(6) if he is aware that the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain on complaints of Western Egg Pasteurising Company Limited and a consortium of agricultural co-operatives of the British Egg Marketing Scheme found that the British Egg Marketing Board's actions were not in the public interest; and what actions his department have taken to ensure that the public interest is met;
(7) what actions his department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain on complaints of Western Egg Pasteurising Company Limited and a consortium of co-operatives of the British Egg Marketing Scheme that urgent consideration must be given to the possibility of a system of tendering, and the opportunity to compete for the processing of records should be generally available;
(8) if he will make an Order, under the powers granted to him under section 19(6)(a) of the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958, to amend the British Egg Marketing Scheme so as to comply with the recommendations of the Committee of Investigation for Great Britain of a complaint by Western Egg Pasteurising Company Limited and a consortium of co-operatives;
(9) if he will make an order, under the powers granted him by section 19(6)(b) of the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958, to revoke the British Egg Marketing Scheme.
§ Mr. PeartMy hon. Friend, the Joint Parliamentary Secretary, set out on 17th March, 1967 (Hansard Cols. 953–956) the steps my right hon. Friends and I took in the light of the findings of the report of the Committee of Investigation. These culminated in our decision to invite comments on the Board's draft proposals, which we received in January, outlining revised arrangements for the processing of both first and second quality eggs. Fourteen replies were received in which widely divergent views were expressed. My right hon. Friends and I 61W have studied these and we have asked the Board to reconsider their proposals with a view to introducing revised arrangements as quickly as possible. I hope to be in a position to make a further statement before the House rises. In present circumstances the question of the use of any of the powers available under Section 19(6) of the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958 does not arise.