§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) the average cost of agriculture support to United Kingdom agriculture in the forms of tariffs, levies on imports, subsidies, acreage payments etc. in the three financial years ended in 1970–71, (b) the amount spent by the United Kingdom Government and the EEC in such forms including intervention buying, in 1985–86 and the latest forecast for expenditure in the current financial year and (c) the estimated total public sector outlay on agriculture, including the overhead cost of the United Kingdom Government and the EEC Commission in the current financial year; and if he will provide a comparison in 1986 prices as well as in current prices.
§ Mr. GummerThe hon. Member is referred to figures available from the following published sources:
- (a) the cost of agricultural support to United Kingdom agriculture in the years 1968–69 to 1970–71 is given in tables 18 and 19 to the annual review and determination of guarantees 1972 White Paper (Cmnd. 4928). Details of tariffs and levies on imports can be found in the Customs and Excise annual report 1971 (Cmnd. 4826).
- (b) The provisional outturn for 1985–86 for support buying, and the estimate provision for 1986–87, are available from the Supply Estimates 1986–87 for class IV, vote 1.
- (c) For estimates of public sector outlay on agriculture in 1986–87 I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 6 May at column 93. Details of the EC Commission's overhead costs relating to agriculture are not identified separately in the Commission's section on administrative appropriations in the Community budget.