§ 17. Mr. SpellerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the tribunals deciding upon the final less-favoured area lines will complete their deliberations; and how long after this date he expects to make the decisions public.
§ Mr. GummerI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the appeal panels which were set up to hear appeals from farmers whose land is currently excluded from the less-favoured areas. The panels do not themselves fix the LFA line, but advise Ministers on whether the land concerned seems likely to meet EC physical criteria for LFA designation. They have now completed their work in England and all the farmers concerned have been notified of the outcome.