§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what have been the annual payments made to the Irish Government under the variable beef premium of the Anglo-Irish Agreement for each year since its inception.
§ Mr. BishopFollowing the precedent set by the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement, payments of variable beef premium are made under the terms of EEC legislation on eligible Irish beef imported for consumption within the United Kingdom. The amounts which have been paid during each marketing year since variable premiums were introduced in November 1974 are set out below. For comparison, the amounts of premium paid during each financial year on eligible cattle and carcase beef in the UK are set alongside.
£ million Payments to the Irish Government Payments within the United Kingdom (including fixed headage payments on cattle certified between 5th August 1974 and 29th February 1976) 1974–75 … 0.2 56.5 1975–76 … 2.3 90.2 1976–77 … 0.4 9.0 1977–78 … 0.8* 17.2† * To date. † Up to 28th February 1978.