§ Mr. Spearingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the quantity of cane 495W sugar he expects to be imported into Great Britain under the Loméagreement in 1981 and 1982 together with the capacity of the sugar refineries for each year.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerAlthough the total quantities of ACP sugar to be imported into the Community under the Lomé Convention are fixed, the actual quantities imported into the United Kingdom depend on contracts between refiners and raw cane suppliers. The amount imported in 1979–80—the last full year for which figures are available—was 1.16 million tonnes. The amount to be imported in 1980–81 is expected to be less because of reductions and diversions of supplies by ACP countries. In 1981–82 I would expect imports to match the industry's refining capacity. In making its announcement about the closure of its refinery at Liverpool, Tate and Lyle said that the existing capacity at its two remaining refineries totals 1.04 million tonnes. With the prospect that it will raise this to about 1.1 million tonnes later this year it will have a capacity to refine all except 60,000 tonnes of the quantity it has been refining recently.