§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is his definition of needy people for the purposes of the distribution of free food from United Kingdom intervention stocks;
(2) if he will make a statement on the procedure to be adopted, and by whom, for assessing the eligibility of needy people for free food from United Kingdom intervention stocks.
§ Mr. JoplingThe Community legislation provides that the food shall be made available through charitable organisations to the most needy. Assessment of eligibility is for the charitable organisations themselves, but the Government have indicated that they regard the term "most needy" as covering people in receipt of supplementary benefit and family income supplement, and those who are homeless, living in hostels, attending feeding centres, receiving meals-on-wheels or very disadvantaged in other ways.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the procedure to be used by applicants for free food from United Kingdom intervention stocks to be made available to needy people.
§ Mr. JoplingAny person who feels that he or she may qualify to receive free food should get in touch in the first instance with the local branch of one of the charitable organisations listed in the answer that I gave on 29 January to the hon. Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes).
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what help will be given by his Department to 334W charitable organisations before introducing to the United Kingdom the European Economic Community's recently announced free food for needy people scheme.
§ Mr. JoplingMy Department held discussions with the charitable organisations before introducing the arrangements and subsequently. I am not aware of any outstanding request for help.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further action he intends to take to publicise the free food for needy people European Economic Community scheme.
§ Mr. JoplingAs a result of the Government's public statements through the various media, knowledge of the arrangements appears already to be widespread among those concerned. I intend to make further public statements as required.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he intends to take to modify the recently introduced free food for needy people European Economic Community scheme in the light of representations he has received.
§ Mr. JoplingI have decided to reduce the minimum amount applying to releases of beef from intervention stores. With immediate effect, the minimum amount will be reduced from 1 tonne to 0.25 tonne.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what help will be given by his Department to charitable organisations for drawing from intervention, bulk-breaking, packaging and distributing free food for needy people under the recently announced European Economic Community scheme.
§ Mr. JoplingThe European Commission is making payments available at a flat rate per tonne for re-packing foodstuffs into small amounts where necessary and for transporting them to charitable organisations' distribution points. Costs of further distribution to individual recipients are for the charitable organisations themselves.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tonnes of United Kingdom intervention stocks of food he has estimated will be handed out as free food for the needy under the recently announced European Economic Community scheme.
§ Mr. JoplingI am not yet in a position to estimate how much butter and beef from United Kingdom intervention stores will be required by charitable organisations up to 31 March 1987.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the recently announced European Economic Community scheme for free food for the needy will be extended beyond the present expiry date of 31 March.
§ Mr. JoplingI am not aware that any such proposal is contemplated by the Commission.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will remove the condition that food provided under the European Economic Community free food for needy people scheme may only be distributed to beneficiaries as a cooked meal; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JoplingThe Community legislation provides for free distribution of beef only in the form of prepared 335W meals. It is not open to the United Kingdom to vary this condition, but it does not apply to the other foodstuffs covered by these arrangements.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many beneficiaries there have been to date of the recently announced free food for needy people European Economic Community scheme.
§ Mr. JoplingThis information is not available.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with food producers' organisations before introducing to the United Kingdom the European Economic Community's recently announced free food for needy people scheme.
§ Mr. JoplingPrior discussion with food producers' organisations was not necessary. My Department is, however, in constant touch with organisations in the food industry and this has allowed consultation on a number of points relating to the arrangements for distribution of free food.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what persons in the United Kingdom are entitled to receive free beef and butter as a result of the recent European Economic Community agreement; what arrangements have been made in Bradford to distribute beef and butter; what action has been taken to publicise this scheme and to help those eligible; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JoplingI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Thurrock (Dr. McDonald) and the replies that I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Waterside (Mr. Colvin).
§ Sir Peter Millsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has held further discussions with charitable organisations about the European Community arrangements for free distribution of food to the most needy.
§ Mr. JoplingYes. In the light of these discussions, the Government have extended these arrangements to cover provision through the charitable organisations concerned of milk, cheese, semi-skimmed milk, buttermilk and concentrated butter. With effect from 6 February, the charitable organisations are in a position to buy these products on the United Kingdom commercial market. The products must in all cases be of Community origin. The Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce, which is administering the arrangements, will make payments from Community funds to cover the full cost of purchase and delivery to a central distribution point.
The charitable organisations and the Government have agreed that the Community arrangements for distribution of sugar and flour milled from bread-making wheat cannot appropriately be operated in the United Kingdom.