§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland according to the most recent figures for each year since 1978, how many farmers within the areas of LFA designated severely disadvantaged receive a level of farm income at or below the level at which a family of two adults and two children of school ages 13 and 17 could expect to be entitled to family credit at the current rate.
§ Mr. HanleyThe information requested is not available.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has on the level of indebtedness among mostly sheep and sheep and beef farmers respectively in the severely disadvantaged areas for each year since 1978.
§ Mr. HanleyThe information requested is given in the table for beef cattle and sheep farms in the severely disadvantaged areas for the period 1984–85 to 1991–92. No data are available for earlier years or for mostly sheep farms.
Total external liabilities (£'000 per farm) Indebtedness (external liabilities expressed as a percentage of total assets 1984–85 6.6 3.9 1985–86 7.2 4.2 1986–87 8.8 4.7 1987–88 10.5 5.2 1988–89 9.3 4.5 1989–90 10.5 4.9 1990–91 14.5 6.8 1991–92 11.4 5.4
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes there have been in the proportion of 463W mostly sheep and sheep and beef farmers in severely disadvantaged areas in relation to the number of mostly sheep and sheep and beef farmers in total for Northern Ireland since 1978; and if he will chart the change.
§ Mr. HanleyThe proportion of mostly sheep and sheep and beef farms in the severely disadvantaged areas in relation to the number of mostly sheep and sheep and beef farms in all areas was as follows:
Year 1978 1— 1979 1— 1980 66.7 1981 65.6 1982 64.6 1983 69.5 1984 64.0 1985 63.7 1986 62.3 1987 61.2 1988 60.9 1989 58.7 1990 57.8 1991 57.9 1992 58.1 1 Not available.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many farmers were in receipt of hill livestock compensatory allowances in the severely disadvantaged areas according to the most recent figures for each year since 1978.
§ Mr. HanleyThe number of farmers who were paid hill livestock compensatory allowances was as follows:
Year Number of Farmers 1978 12,882 1979 12,596 1980 12,410 1981 12,090 1982 11,977 1983 11,959 1984 11,861 1985 12,255 1986 12,268 1987 12,160 1988 12,100 1989 12,205 1990 12,309 1991 12,333 1992 12,273
Number of geriatric patients treated by RHA, 1982 to 1991–92 In-patient and day cases 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–921 England 297,694 325,005 350,280 382,859 397,192 400,941 413,961 449,235 471,130 513,433 Northern RHA 19,324 20,538 20,507 22,148 22,166 21,624 25,843 26,887 28,180 30,859 Yorkshire RHA 34,131 36,976 39,109 44,369 45,159 47,653 47,355 51,188 51,172 53,250 Trent RHA 32,132 34,502 36,459 40,116 42,627 36,108 38,153 43,208 47,547 53,965 East Anglian RHA 14,324 15,185 16,679 18,689 18,754 19,879 20,659 21,876 23,803 26,006 North West Thames RHA 16,301 17,990 19,947 21,155 22,394 24,068 23,224 26,915 28,626 33,287 North East Thames RHA 17,496 19,278 22,152 24,946 26,916 27,253 30,096 34,343 35,407 37,865 South East Thames RHA 24,141 25,573 27,798 29,803 30,256 29,874 30,225 33,035 36,455 37,805 South West Thames RHA 16,922 18,872 21,267 21,515 22,768 23,796 22,103 23,133 25,179 30,049 Wessex RHA 14,810 15,721 16,864 18,404 20,604 21,398 23,205 26,268 29,914 34,257 Oxford RHA 14,138 15,039 15,610 15,175 14,696 14,109 13,709 14,044 13,870 14,975 South Western RHA 18,908 22,387 23,697 25,769 26,332 26,700 30,124 32,097 33,171 33,883 West Midlands RHA 28,266 29,775 34,049 37,675 38,836 38,622 38,186 37,079 36,860 40,283