§ Lord Elis-Thomasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to establish a general regulatory framework for the horizontal application throughout the United Kingdom of aid proposed in Article 2 of EC Regulation 2978/92 and whether they intend to seek a derogation from the regulation in order to tailor the scheme specifically to the needs of the United Kingdom; and
35WAWhether they have prepared estimates for the likely United Kingdom spending and total European Community spending on implementing EC Regulation 2978/92.
Earl HoweEC Regulation 2978/92 establishes the maximum level of export refund for white sugar exported from the Community on to the world market for the week beginning 15th October 1992. Article 1(2) clarifies that refunds may not be granted on exports to the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro except where humanitarian aid is supplied by charitable organisations under the conditions of Articles 2(a) and 3 of Council Regulation No 1432/92.
Under the EC common market organisation for sugar established by Council Regulation 1785/91, the EC, at weekly management committee meetings, invites tenders from sugar traders for export refunds to remove surplus sugar from the Community market. Sugar traders throughout the Community are eligible to bid for these export refunds.
The cost of exporting sugar from the Community are met by levies on processors and growers.