§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the foods and the tonnage of surplus EEC foods that have been distributed to pensioners in the United Kingdom during the current year.
§ Mr. CurryThe information sought by the hon. Member is not available in the form requested. However, under the EC surplus food scheme the United Kingdom has some 3,000 tonnes of butter and 3,000 tonnes of beef available for distribution. All this produce has been released from intervention stores, and I have no reason to believe that most of it will not be distributed before the end of 1989. The timing of distribution is a matter for the designated organisations to decide according to local needs and their own capacity. Those who qualify for assistance under this Scheme are people in receipt of income support or family credit and those of no fixed abode or living in welfare hostels. Pensioners falling into one or other of these categories are, of course, eligible to receive produce.