§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total level of support provided to the British agriculture industry in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. MacGregorSupport to the agricultural industry is provided directly by means of grants and subsidies, and indirectly through expenditure on research and development, advisory services, administration and so on. The annual review of agriculture reports direct expenditure while the public expenditure White Paper covers total expenditure — direct and indirect — on agriculture, fisheries, food and forestry. The latest figures in these two categories are:
Direct support £ million Total support £ million1 1978–79 537 1,008 1979–80 677 1,244 1980–81 1,012 1,639 1981–82 972 1,669 1982–83 1,432 2,157 1983–84 1,717 2,424 1984–85 1,710 2,418 1985–86 2,162 2,879 1986–87 1,444 2,190 21987–88 1,736 2,512 1 Including fisheries, food etc. 2 Estimated.