§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what 39W present terms butter is being sold to Russia.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartI am not aware that any butter is now being sold to the USSR either from the United Kingdom or from the rest of the Community. If any such sales were taking place they would attract the normal export restitution.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the minimum amount of butter a registered non-profit-making organisation can buy from the Intervention Board under EEC Regulation 1717/72 at the subsidised rates.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe minimum quantity of butter that will be released direct from intervention stocks will be one ton. Organisations can, however, obtain smaller amounts through special arrangements that have been made with the distributive trade.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of those non-profit-making institutions and organisations which have registered with the Intervention Board to receive subsidised butter.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe first applications to register have just been received and are being considered by the board. No registrations have yet been made.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is his estimate of the amount of subsidised butter from the Intervention Board which will be supplied to private schools in the next 12 months ; and what is the cost of that butter to the European taxpayer and British taxpayer, respectively ;
(2) how much subsidised butter he estimates that hospitals in the National Health Service will receive in the next 12 months ;
(3) what is his estimate of the total cost of selling subsidised butter from the Intervention Board to non-profit-making organisations in the next 12 months ; and how many tons of butter this represents.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe arrangements for supplying cheap butter to nonprofit-making40W organisations should enable a wide range of bodies to benefit. It will, however, be for individual organisations to decide whether or not to take advantage of the arrangements so long as intervention stocks last. The difference between the cost of intervention purchases and their sale is reimbursed from Community funds.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of subsidising the sale of butter from the Intervention Board to non-EEC countries in the next 12 months.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartNo estimate can be given. Much would depend on market factors and the demands made on stocks by other means of disposal determined by the Commission. If any sales did take place the selling price would be £14.08 per ton below the intervention price. This would be recoverable from Community funds.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for how long butter can be held in cold storage by the Intervention Board before it becomes unfit for human consumption.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartButter held in cold storage under the conditions required by the Intervention Board presents no hazard to health merely from the time it is in store, and should remain fit for human consumption for any likely period of intervention storage, and in any case for not less than 12 months.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the cost of storing one long ton of butter by the Intervention Board for one month.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe rates vary in different parts of the country and are the subject of commercial negotiations with cold store operators. These are reimbursed on a standard rate basis from Community funds.
§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the price per long ton at which the Intervention Board for Agricultural Products buys butter in the United 41W Kingdom ; and what is the current selling price of that butter to countries outside the EEC.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe price at which the Intervention Board is buying butter at present is £402.82 per ton. The selling price for export to third countries is £388.74, although no sales have in fact taken place. The difference—£14.08—is met out of Community funds.
AGRICULTURAL ADULT MALE WORK ERS IN ENGI LAND AND WALES Statutory Minimum Weekly Wage Year Commencing Date Ordinary Craftsmen Grade II Grade I Average Weekly Earnings £ £ £ £ £ 1970 2nd February 1970 … … 13.15 — — — 18.61 1971 4th January 1971 … … 14.80 — — — 21.06 1972 17th January 1972 … … 16.20 — — — 29th May 1972 … … 16.20 17.82 19.44 21.06 23.67 1973 1st April 1973 … … 19.50 21.45 23.07 24.69 25.52 (3) Notes : (1) As laid down in Agricultural Wages Board Orders (which contain details of corresponding minima for women, youths and girls). (2) Derived from Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Wages and Employment Enquiry. This includes ordinary workers, craftsmen and graded workers, but separate information on their earnings is not readily available. (3) Based on latest 12 months for which figures are available viz. July 1972–June 1973.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the increase awarded to farmworkers in the recent pay award ; and what is now the difference between their minimum and average wage.
§ Mrs. FennerThe Agricultural Wages Act 1948 provides for objections to be made against any decision by the Agricultural Wages Board to adjust the statutory minimum wages for agricultural workers ; and no increases are confirmed until any such objections have been considered. The proposed increases announced by the board on 9th November were :
AGRICULTURAL ADULT MALE WORKERS IN ENGLAND AND WALES Increase Proposed new minimum Ordinary. 2.30 21.80 Craftsmen. 3.55 25.00 Appointment, Grade II 3.09 26.16 Appointment, Grade I 3.65 28.34 No realistic comparison can be made between these proposed minimum rates and average weekly earnings ; firstly because our data for the latter does not distinguish between skilled and unskilled workers ; and secondly because the latest available figures are based on the 12