Surplus Food (Hansard, 6 July 1992)

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the criteria applied in selecting persons or agencies empowered to distribute European Community surplus foods to certain pensioners at the time of the last distribution.

§ Mr. Curry
Charitable or non-profit making organisa-tions were designated to distribute food to eligible persons if they appeared to the Agriculture Minister to be appropriate and were of a non-commercial character; already involved in the provision of goods or services to the most needy; and not concerned by way of commerce in production, wholesaling, storage or retailing of butter or beef. Preference was given to organisations providing cooked meals to the homeless or destitute, or capable of undertaking the distribution of food widely throughout their local community.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects some of the European Community's food surpluses next to be available for distribution to pensioners in the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. Curry
I shall shortly be announcing the arrangements for the distribution of food in the United Kingdom under the 1992 EC surplus food scheme. I have already announced that the only change to the categories of people eligible for produce would be the inclusion of recipients of the disability working allowance.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the income, or other criteria, applied to decide which pensioners qualified for a share of the European Community's food surpluses at the time of the last distribution.

§ Mr. Curry
The following categories of people were eligible to receive food under the 1991 surplus food scheme: the homeless and destitute and those in receipt of income support or family credit, living in welfare hostels.

§ Mr. Mackinlay
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what method, and by which agencies, the share of the European Community's food surpluses was distributed in the borough of Thurrock at the time of the last distribution.

§ Mr. Curry
Thurrock borough council and the South Ockenden gateway club, were designated to distribute food under the European Community surplus food scheme in the Thurrock area. Arrangements for distribution of food were made by designated organisations in accordance with the conditions laid down in leaflets LP45 and LP46, copies of which were placed in the Library of the House.