§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what discussions he is having with abattoirs in respect of the cuts in price being paid to farmers for beef; [153186]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that farmers receive a higher price for beef following the foot and mouth epidemic; [153183]
(3) if he will make a statement on the price being paid by abattoirs for beef; [153184]
(4) what help and assistance he can give to farmers to compensate for the collapse in the beef price at abattoirs. [153185]
258Wsystem of justice, improve the availability of affordable and good quality legal services and to improve the lives of children and help build and sustain strong families.
In particular, the constituency of Lancaster and Wyre is part of the North-West Lancashire Community Legal Service Partnership. The partnership is recently formed and is in the process of agreeing its priorities for future funding.
The current annual Legal Services Commission expenditure for the partnership on Civil Legal Help is £451,100.
Also, the Trustee Act 2000 came into force on 1 February this year. It sweeps away the restrictive default investment powers granted to trustees, including charitable trustees, by the Trustee Investments Act 1961. They are replaced by a much wider investment discretion for the trustees and the power to make use of modern investment practices. These new powers will continue to be exercisable as default powers by trusts and charities whose founding documents give no, or no sufficient, investment powers themselves, and contain no restrictions which forbid the taking of such powers. It is expected that older trusts and charities will be the most likely to benefit. There are over 500 charities on the Register of Charities associated with Lancaster and Wyre by name, and no doubt many more trusts, charitable and otherwise associated with the area. It is not possible to say which of them might benefit, but the potential for benefit is there for all of them.