§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the functions and objectives of(a) the Sugar Beet Research and Education Committee, (b) the Consultative Panel on Badgers and Tuberculosis and (c) the Salmon Advisory Committee.
§ Mr. JackThe functions and objectives of the three bodies are described in their terms of reference. These are:
(a)The Sugar Beet Research and Education Committee
The Committee is appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales to advise on an annual programme of research and education in matters affecting the growing of home-grown sugar beet.(b)The Consultative Panel on Badgers and Tuberculosis
i) To keep under review the evidence relating to bovine tuberculosis in badgers, including its distribution, its prevalence and its relationship to bovine tuberculosis in cattle;ii) to advise on operations to be undertaken by the Ministry in order to limit the transmission of tuberculosis from badgers to cattle;iii) to recommend research appropriate to the problem of badgers and bovine tuberculosis.(c) The Salmon Advisory Committee
To examine and report on those matters relating to the conservation and development of salmon fisheries in Great Britain which are referred to it by Fisheries Ministers.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of meetings held, the secretarial and advisory arrangements, the budgeted and actual expenditure and the subjects of the reports and submissions produced by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides in each of the last three years.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe Advisory Committee on Pesticides met on six occasions during 1994 and 1993 and five times in 1992. Details of the secretarial and 791W advisory arrangements along with details of matters discussed and recommendations made by the committee are published each year in the Advisory Committee on Pesticides annual report. Copies of the report are held in the House Library. The committee has an annual budget of £40,000. Expenditure for the last three years was £32,889–1993–94, £26,022–1992–93, and £30,606–1991–92.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of meetings held, the secretarial and advisory arrangements, the budgeted and actual expenditure and the subjects of any reports and submissions produced by the Sugar Beet Research and Education Committee in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. JackThe committee met four times in the financial year 1991–92, four times in 1992–93, and five times in 1993–94 excluding open days and special sub-groups. Secretarial support to the committee is provided by MAFF, and the committee1s advice is given to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales.
Expenditure on committee members1 attendance fees, and on travelling expenses for the Committee and its secretariat was as follows:
Year Total expenditure on agriculture in the United Kingdom £ million1 Current Prices Expenditure on agriculture as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product £ million 1 1993 Prices Household expenditure on food as a percentage of Personal Disposable Income Per cent. Per cent. 1964 264 2,736 0.77 20.5 1970 259 1,998 0.49 18.2 1980 1,012 2,083 0.43 14.8 1990 1,910 2,178 0.34 11.0 1993 3,015 3,015 0.47 10.0 1 Financial years.