Dr. ThomasTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of(a) butter, and (b) beef allocated to each region of England under the European Community free food scheme for 1988–89, the total amount distributed to date and the total amount still undistributed.
§ Mr. RyderThe allocation of produce in England for 1988, which was made to designated organisations rather than on a regional basis was 1,677 tonnes of butter and 570 tonnes of beef, all of which has been withdrawn from intervention store for distribution. The arrangements for local distribution is a matter for the organisations. for 1989,the Commission has recently notified member states of their allocations. In the United Kingdom up to 4,075 tonnes of butter and 2,975 tonnes of beef is available within a financial allocation of about £14.5 million. We expect to be consulting designated organisations soon.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list(a) the total number of applications and (b) the local authorities which made applications to distribute beef and butter under the European Community free food scheme for 1988–89 in each region of England.
§ Mr. RyderExcluding parish councils, there are approximately 400 local authorities in England, of which seven applied to participate in the surplus food scheme.