§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report the recommendations for action by Government made in the last report of the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry Economic Development Council, together with details of the action taken by the Government to implement those recommendations.
§ Mr. StrangThe 1979 progress report of the Food and Drink Manufacturing Economic Development Council has just been published and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House. The principal recommendations of the EDC arise from the work of its sector working groups and are listed on pages 13 to 15872W of the report. In addition, budget recommendations are set out on page 16 and some other general recommendations are made on pages 5 to 7.
In accordance with the recommendations made in this and previous reports of the EDC, the Government have been pressing for reductions in tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade during the multilateral trade negotiations, have secured reductions in the monetary compensatory amounts on pigmeat and on certain other processed foods and are continuing to press for further reductions, have obtained an increase in supplies of manufacturing beef from third countries, imported at reduced or nil levy have urged that the EEC's food harmonisation programme should be concentrated on areas where genuine barriers to trade exist, have revised the milk pricing system and provided for the maintenance of the marketing arrangements broadly along the lines suggested by the relevant sector working group, have raised research and development expenditure on food and drink have given support in various ways to small companies, have kept Excise duties on alcoholic drink stable since January 1977, are seeking improved protection of the good name of Scotch whisky through a revision of the statutory definition and in other ways, have pressed in EEC discussions for an effective system of production refunds on Scotch whisky and have actively promoted the utilisation of low-grade heat from distilling.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment the Government have made of the impact of the recent increase of 20 per cent. in road haulage costs on the food and drink industry, of the likely level of future profit margins in that industry and of the long-term prospects for investment and employment in that industry.
§ Mr. StrangThe recent increase in the wage levels of workers engaged in road haulage is unlikely to have raised the costs of the food and drink industry by more than about 1 per cent. It is impossible to predict with any certainty future levels of profitability, investment and employment in the industry.