§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to be able to publish full and final details of the new set-aside systems.
§ Mr. CurryI hope that draft legal texts implementing the Council agreement will be adopted soon. The Commission must then table implementing regulations. Until these have been discussed and agreed in Brussels, we cannot finalise our own detailed national arrangements but we shall do our utmost to provide authoritative guidance as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with his EC counterparts on measures to ensure that member states implement the new arrangements for set-aside systems.
455W
§ Mr. CurryDetailed Commission implementing rules will be discussed by member states once the legal texts implementing the Council's decision have been agreed. EC Agriculture Ministers are also considering proposals for a new, integrated administration and control system for certain aid schemes, including set-aside. If, despite these rules, other member states make payments to producers who have not met the appropriate set-aside requirement, their claims for EC reimbursement of the area payments can be disallowed.