§ Mr. AspinwallTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Agriculture Ministers' meeting on 18 and 19 January in Brussels; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregor[pursuant to his reply, 21 January 1988, c. 835]: A further meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers took place over the weekend of 23 and 24 January in Brussels at which I represented the United Kingdom. The meeting continued discussions of measures to stabilise expenditure on the common agricultural policy. This was in preparation for the European Council meeting on 11 and 12 February which will be discussing the Community's future financing arrangements. No decisions were reached and a report is now going to the Foreign Affairs Council.
The German presidency proposed that the European Council should be asked only to give its general approval in principle to the need for stabilisers for products other than cereals, oilseeds and proteins and that the details should be left to subsequent discussion after the European Council had made its decisions on the future financing. I made it clear that the German president's approach on this was not acceptable to the United Kingdom and that it would not lead to an agreement at the European Council. On this aspect we were supported by seven other member states.
Much of the discussion centred on a text by the German presidency covering changes in the stabilisers for cereals and oilseeds which had been before the last European Council in Copenhagen in December.
For oilseeds, the changes amount to increases in the guaranteed quantities and an alteration in the formula for
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Table 1: Total1 Number of Consultants by Specialty and Health Board: 30 September 1980 Argyll and Clyde Ayrshire and Arran Borders Dumfries and Galloway Fife Forth Valley Grampian Greater Glasgow Highland Lanarkshire Lothian Orkney Shetland Tayside Western Isles AU specialties 95 78 19 48 71 68 123 519 63 126 277 1 2 135 6 Cardiothoracic Surgery — — — — — — 2 4 — 2 3 — — — — ENT Surgery 3 3 — 1 1 3 4 19 2 3 6 — — 4 — General Surgery 10 6 3 3 5 6 9 36 8 14 20 1 2 10 2 Neurosurgery — — — — — — 2 4 — — 3 — — 2 — Ophthalmology 4 3 — 3 3 2 5 18 3 3 5 — — 5 — Orthopaedic Surgery 5 4 2 3 4 4 6 26 3 11 11 — — 9 — Plastic Surgery — — — — — — 2 4 — — 4 — — 2 — Surgical Paediatrics — — — — — — — 6 — — 4 — — — — Urology — 2 — — 1 2 2 13 — 2 3 — — 2 — Accident and Emergency 1 1 — 1 1 — 2 2 — — 1 — — — — Anaesthetics 9 14 3 5 11 9 16 75 5 10 44 — — 17 1 Communicable Diseases 1 1 — — 1 — — 3 — 1 3 — — 2 — Dermatology 2 1 — 1 — 1 3 10 1 1 3 — — 3 — General Medicine 10 7 3 4 6 7 13 45 6 16 23 — — 11 1 Cardiology — — — — — — 1 4 — — 3 — — 1 — Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Endocrinology and Diabetes — — — — — — — — — — 1 — — — — Gastroenterology — — — — — — — — — — 2 — — — — Homoeopathy — — — — — — — 2 — — — — — — — Medical Oncology — — — — — — 1 1 — — — — — — — Nephrology — — — — — — — 2 — — 1 — — — — Rheumatology — — — — — — 2 1 — — 2 — — — — Sexually Transmitted Diseases — — — — — — — 4 1 — 4 — — 1 — Geriatric Medicine 4 2 1 2 3 2 4 17 2 4 8 — — 5 1 Medical Paediatrics 4 3 1 2 3 2 3 15 2 4 10 — — 5 — Neurology — — — — — — 1 5 — — 4 — — 1 — Radiotherapy and Oncology — — — — — — 2 13 1 — 5 — — 3 — Rehabilitation Medicine — — — — — — — — 1 1 3 — — 2 — Respiratory Medicine — 3 — — 2 — 2 16 2 1 6 — — 2 — Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine — 1 — 1 — — 2 5 1 1 2 — — 2 — Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry 1 1 — 1 1 1 2 3 2 1 2 — — 1 — Restorative Dentistry — — — — — — — 2 — — 1 — — — — Obstetrics and Gynaecology 9 5 — 3 6 7 5 31 4 11 16 — — 7 1 price adjustment if production exceeds these quantities. For cereals, the proposed guaranteed quantity is higher and the stabiliser mechanism based on a different approach which is less automatic and certain than that discussed in Copenhagen. Greater emphasis is now being given within the mechanism to the cereals co-responsibility levy, including an increase and changes in the method of applying it. I firmly resisted, supported by my Dutch colleague, attempts to water down this part of the package.
The Council also continued its consideration of the Commission's proposal for an enlarged set-aside scheme for arable land on the basis of a text prepared by the presidency. Some progress was made and, although certain issues remain to be settled, I believe that it should now be possible to reach agreement on this aspect of the package. The most important point in this context is that the German presidency has now accepted, as we insisted, that a set-aside scheme should be complementary to, and not a substitute for, stabilisers.