§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the highest and the lowest restitution payment made in respect of wheat exported from the United Kingdom since 1 August.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonDifferent levels of restitution are paid for grain exported from the open market and from intervention. In the latter case, the subsidy required to export the grain is reflected in the selling price, which also takes account of the level of the MCA. The refund itself is small and fixed; during the period since 1 August 1987 it has been less than the MCA, resulting in a charge on exports; the highest and lowest charges have been £6.26 and £2.98 per tonne respectively.
The highest and lowest levels of refund on exports from the open market during this period have been £65.37 and £47.98 per tonne respectively (net of the United Kingdom MCA). Since these refunds apply throughout the 123W Community and export licences are valid for five months, it is impossible to say what levels of refund applied to exports from the United Kingdom during this period.