§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for the last three years for each member state of the European Union the amount in ecu they have been entitled to claim as compensation for falling beef prices as a result of BSE; and how much is deducted from rebates that would otherwise have returned to that country. [31220]
§ Mr. RookerFinancial aid specifically aimed at compensating the beef and veal sectors for the effects of the BSE crisis on beef prices was made available to Member States in 1996 under two separate Council Regulations, EC No. 1357/96 and EC No. 2443/96. The following expenditure has been made by Member States in 1996 and 1997 under these Regulations (the 1997 figures are still provisional).
ecu millions Member State 1996 1997 Belgium 28.5 21.7 Denmark 15.3 11.6 Germany 116.4 96.9 Greece 7.9 2.3 Spain 63.0 28.2 France 218.6 141.6 Ireland 89.2 37.9 Italy 53.1 45.2 Luxembourg 1.9 1.5 Netherlands 21.6 31.0 Austria 25.0 10.2 Portugal 14.1 6.6 Finland 9.1 11.9 Sweden 16.9 13.9 UK 134.0 74.2 Under the Fontainebleau agreement, only the UK receives a rebate on its contributions to the EU budget. Under this agreement, any increase in UK receipts results in a reduction of the UK rebate by 66 per cent. of the amount of those receipts.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many prosecutions are pending for breaches of the regulations on imported beef which were introduced on 1 January in(a) Scotland, (b) England and Wales and (c) Northern Ireland; [31257]
(2) how many prosecutions there have been for breaches of the regulations on imported beef which were introduced on 1 January in (a) Scotland, (b) England and Wales and (c) Northern Ireland. [31258]
§ Mr. Rooker[holding answer 25 February 1998]: No prosecutions for breaches of the Specified Risk Material Order 1997 have been made or are pending.