§ Mr. John Carlisleasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what representations he has received concerning the delay in payment for barley and wheat offered to the intervention board;
(2) what has been the average length of time between receipt of grain from the 1982 harvest into an intervention board store and payment to the supplier; and how this compares with the normal payment terms when grain is bought by the trade direct from the farmer.
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§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithI have received representations and inquiries from a number of bodies and individuals interested in sales of cereals to intervention. The average time for making payments has been eight weeks, whereas traders normally pay within four. There is no valid comparison between commercial transactions and sales to intervention, which are subject to strict statutory requirements.