§ Lord O'HAGANasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will explain the basis on which they have chosen the areas eligible for the EEC's Less Favoured Area Directives; and whether they propose to alter it.
§ Lord STRABOLGIIn the negotiations for entry to the EEC, one of the United Kingdom's objectives was to ensure that the special assistance which was being given to our hill farmers would continue. The Declaration on Hill Fanning in the Treaty of Accession (Cmnd 4862–1) in 1972 gave recognition to this need and led to the adoption of the Less-Favoured Areas Directive 75/268/EEC in May 1975. This represented a satisfactory outcome to several years of negotiations in that virtually all the existing hill areas in the United Kingdom were deemed to meet the criteria of Article 3(4) of the Directive. As a result we were able to continue, with very little change, our well tried and long-standing arrangements for hill farmers, in areas extending to some 7.65 million hectares (almost 41 per cent. of our total agricultural land). The Agricultural Departments are studying the special problems of disadvantaged land outside the hill areas.
House adjourned at twenty-seven minutes before seven o'clock.