HC Deb 15 March 1994 vol 239 cc609-10W
Ms Mowlam

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress has been made in his Department's review of museums, announced after the financial statement in 1993.

2 Includes the following main types: SDA specialist sheep, SDA specialist beef, SDA mixed cattle and sheep, DA cattle and sheep, means sample too small to provide reliable results for individual size groups. In some cases size groups have been combined.

Dr. Strang

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 7 December,Official Report, column 1068, if the weighting of the sample information from the farm business survey analysis of less-favoured area livestock farms takes into account the economies of scale achieved in relation to farm size; what mechanism there is for measuring the economies of scale achieved by less-favoured area livestock farms in relation to farm size; and if she will publish the results according to standard farm classification in terms of the size group set out in her answer of 2 March, Official Report, column 744, for (i) specialist sheep farms and (ii) mixed cattle and sheep farms.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

[holding answer 10 March 1994]: The weighting system ensures that sample results from the farm business survey for farms of different size, type, region and tenure are combined in proportion to the number of farms recorded at the June agricultural census. An analysis of three performance ratios for small, medium and large farms for all LFA cattle and sheep farms represented in the farm business survey is published in "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom".

There are insufficient farms in the sample to allow an analysis for each of the size groups set out in the previous reply; however, the table shows the results for small, medium and large farms.

Mr. Sproat

No formal announcement has been made about a decision to review the Government's policy on museums. However, the Museums and Galleries Commission is considering ideas for a national policy, and I am taking a close interest in this initiative.