§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state(a) the total amount paid by each member state of the EEC in cereals co-responsibility levy for each year since the co-responsibility levy has been operative and (b) the total tonnage of cereals produced in each member state of the EEC, showing in each case how much per tonne the co-responsibility levy represents.
§ Mr. RyderInformation provided by the Commission. of the European Communities on cereals co-responsibility 97W levy payments and cereals production by member states is set out in the table. This information covers the first two years of the levy's operation. Details of payments for 1988–89 are not yet available. The following points should be noted:
1. The Commission's figures for levy payments in 1987–88 cover 13 months from 1 July 1987 to 31 July 1988 whereas those for 1986–87 cover 12 months. Both sets of production figures are for 12 months.
2. Small cereals farmers in Spain and Italy were exempt from paying the co-responsibility levy during the period to which the figures relate.
3. Levy collection in all member states in 1986–87 and all, except Italy and France, in 1987–88 was at the point of processing, sale into intervention or export from the Community. This meant that the levy was not necessarily collected in the country of origin of the grain.
4. In the 1987–88 season collection of the levy in Italy and France was changed to the point of first sale. This affected the amount of levy collected in a number of member states.
5. In a number of cases levy collected in 1986–87 does not appear in the Commission figures until 1987–88. Changes in the green rates further increase the levy payments recorded for 1987–88 in relation to 1986–87.
6. Under its accession arrangements Portugal does not yet collect cereals co-responsibility levy.
(a) (b) (c) Amount of co-responsibility levy collected in member states' national currency (million) Production (million tonnes) Levy in national currency per tonne (a) ÷ (b) 1986–87 Belgium 816.6 BF 2.3 355.0 Denmark 77.3 KR 8.0 9.7 Germany 148.2 DM 25.6 5.8 Greece 580.7 DRA 5.3 109.6 France 565.0 FF 50.1 11.3 Ireland 3.7 I£ 1.8 2.1 Italy 52,467.3 LIT 17.8 2,947.6 Luxembourg 14.3 LF 0.05 286.0 Netherlands 38.9 FL 1.3 29.9 Spain 3,548.8 PTA 16.0 221.8 United Kingdom 39.4 £ 24.5 1.6 1987–88 Belgium 791 .0 BF 1.9 — Denmark 117.8 KR 7.3 — Germany 171.0 DM 23.8 — Greece 1,705.9 DRA 5.1 — France 1,791.9 FF 52.2 — Ireland 5.1 I£ 2.0 — Italy 65,784.1 LIT 17.4 — Luxembourg 16.3 LF 0.06 — Netherlands 54.5 FL 1.1 — Spain 5,620.1 PTA 19.8 — United Kingdom 56.2 £ 21.7 —