§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the total of outstanding payments to United Kingdom food manufacturers from the IBAP;
(2) if he will estimate the payments outstanding to small firms arising from the IBAP processing delays; and what arrangements are being made for loans to cover emergency requirements;
(3) what representations he has had from the makers of cakes and biscuits regarding the adequacy of the export refund system;
(4) what is his estimate of the total cost of the current backlog of the export refund payments in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe net value of outstanding export refund payments is currently estimated at around £35 million, about 70 per cent. below the peak in the summer. I regret that separate figures are not available for any specific category or size of trader. There have been a number of representations to both Ministers and officials from cake and biscuit manufacturers about the impact of delayed payments. The Intervention Board is doing all in its power to reduce outstanding payments and estimate that by the end of the year some 95 per cent. of all claims by value will be paid within two months of becoming payable. As announced on 28 July, the board has been authorised to pay compensation on export refunds paid after more than two months from the time they become payable. This is a fair means of recompensing all exporters who incur additional costs as a result of delays and, by comparison with other methods of compensation, minimises the need to divert resources from processing claims and eliminating payment delays.