§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland, Official Report, 6 March, columns 260–61, he will (a) account for the method of distinction between severely disadvantaged land and hill sheep land in Scotland, (b) give the reasons for his selection of severely disadvantaged land in Cumbria under the published criteria for the extension of sheep annual premium to untupped shearlings and (c) say whether he intends asking the Council of Ministers to extend the arrangements for areas and breeds of ewe in the United Kingdom to qualify for premium payments.
§ Mr. JoplingThe relevant decision taken by the Council of Ministers last May referred to "well-defined regions". The proposals we put to the Commission were based on the assessment made—by my officials and those of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland—of those areas in England and Scotland respectively where the geographical conditions were such that shearlings could not usually be put to the ram. The definitions chosen covered all such areas in both countries.
As I have previously made clear, I am continuing to press for an extension of the present arrangements and it has now been agreed that a Commission official should make an inspection visit to Scotland in May.