Beef

HC Deb 09 December 1976 vol 922 cc325-6W

15. Mr. Hal Miller

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he

Mr. Kilfedder

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total amount of the funds which have been deducted from the Agreed Public Expenditure Survey Allocations for health, welfare, housing and agricultural support, to be added to the sums already available for law, order, prisons, borstals, remand homes and the RUC and RUC Reserve.

Mr. Mason

A White Paper on Public Expenditure will be published shortly.

Mr. Kilfedder

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportions of total expenditure on education and library and health and welfare services in each financial year from 1974–75 to the latest year for which the information is available, was expended on (a) equipment, (b) salaries and related expenditure and (c) new construction.

Mr. Carter

Following are the estimated proportions:

will make a statement on the beef sector of the industry.

Mr. Strang

In recent months average market prices for fat cattle have been well above the intervention and target price levels and much higher than last year. Home production of beef has been lower than last year's peak and seems likely to decline again in 1977. But with a prospect of firm market prices and signs of an upturn in the dairy herd—from which nearly 70 per cent. of our beef comes—beef production should begin to pick up in 1978.