Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of money has been received for advice given following the introduction of charges by the Agricultural Advisory Service; how many persons have been given advice; and what were the comparable figures for the equivalent period prior to the introduction of charges.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyFollowing the introduction of charging by the advisory services of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland in October 1988 a total of £224,000 has been received up to November 1989.
Advice, some of which continues to be free, is given in a variety of ways both to individuals through farm visits, office consultations and by telephone and to groups through events, meetings, advisory letters, press articles, media broadcasts and publications notably "Agriculture in Northern Ireland". During any given period a farmer may get advice in more than one way. Currently our records which are compiled for each financial year are as follows:—
1987–88 1988–89 Farms Visited 16,827 14,442 Attendance at meetings/events 34,006 29,744 Advisory letters 20,268 38,500 Press articles 416 403 Media broadcasts 21 36 "Agriculture in Northern Ireland" 12,125 12,958