Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further assessment he has made of the prospects for United Kingdom agriculture in an enlarged European Economic Community, following the recent agreement in Brussels on transitional arrangements for United Kingdom adaptation to the common agricultural policy.
Mr Eric Deakins: Has the future of production grants, particularly those for hill farms, yet been cleared up, or is it likely to be cleared up in the next round of negotiations? Is the hon. Gentleman's interpretation of the functions of marketing boards, which will be allowed to continue under the common agricultural policy, the interpretation accepted by the E.E.C. authorities?
Mr Eric Deakins: Does that mean that the hon. Gentleman thinks that, the longer that the debate goes on in the country, the less likelihood there is that the people will look favourably upon the terms that emerge?
Mr Eric Deakins: The Leader of the House may not consider it surprising that I wish to advance some reasons why the Whitsun Recess should be shorter. I will adduce five reasons why the House should be recalled next Thursday, 3rd June, and, again perhaps not surprisingly, they are all connected with the state of the Common Market negotiations. My first reason is concerned with sugar. Next Wednesday, 2nd June,...
Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria the Government use to obtain an accurate measure of housing need in each local authority area.
Mr Eric Deakins: Would the right hon. Gentleman explain why his Department takes no account of the size of council house waiting lists as being one of the most important criteria of housing need?
Mr Eric Deakins: Can the hon. Gentleman assure us that his proposals, when they are published, will not discriminate unfairly between the different types of housing in that concessions given to home owners will also apply to rented accommodation?
Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent he intends that the system of planning-programming-budgeting shall be introduced in his own Department.
Mr Eric Deakins: Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that management of Government expenditure is not merely a matter of providing accounting information, which is basically all that the Treasury gets at the moment, but also a matter of providing management information, which is different? Surely if the Treasury is to insist, as I hope it will eventually, that all Government Departments should introduce some form...
Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his proposals for the United Kingdom percentage contribution to the European Economic Community Budget were based on the assumption of a 10-nation European Economic Community; and what alteration would be needed in his proposals in the event of Denmark and Norway not joining the European Economic Community.
Mr Eric Deakins: Would the right hon. and learned Gentleman confirm, therefore, that in the event of Britain entering a Community of seven, eight, nine or ten nations, no alteration would be needed in the proposals he has put before the Community as a compromise on this issue?
Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why it took his Department over 13 years to discover that it had wrongly interpreted Section 3(1)(b) of the Agriculture Act, 1957, when calculating changes in farm costs from one year to another.
Mr Eric Deakins: Is not that a very serious state of affairs? Is not the right hon. Gentleman saying that he is right in his interpretation of the phrase relevant costs of production in Section 3(1)(b) of the 1957 Act, and that all previous Ministers of Agriculture from 1958 to 1970 were wrong in their interpretation? This is a very serious state of affairs for the House, because it affects taxpayers' money.
Mr Eric Deakins: On a point of order. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment.
Mr Eric Deakins: Do not these figures show that British farming under the postwar Agriculture Acts of 1947 and 1957 has been able to grow in prosperity and confidence, based on investment, because of the guarantees in the 1947 and 1957 Acts which are now being removed?
Mr Eric Deakins: Can the hon. Gentleman say how much of the exports of the Federal Republic of Germany, France and Italy were of subsidised agricultural products?
Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many requests for advice he has received from private companies who, in view of the Government's policy of controlling inflation, want to know whether they should increase their prices to the consumer because of increased operating costs; and what replies he has sent.
Mr Eric Deakins: Does not this lack of requests by private firms, in co-operation with Government policy, show that they are unconcerned about controlling inflation, simply passing on price increases to the consumer without regard to the effect on the cost of living? Does it not also show that these firms are not concerned to absorb their cost increases by increased efficiency of operation?
Mr Eric Deakins: asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list, at the latest available date, those local education authorities which have not submitted to her any scheme for reorganisation of their secondary education on comprehensive lines.
Mr Eric Deakins: Is it not time that local education authorities were asked to end the selection and segregation of children at 11-plus, since it is a policy which is generally agreed now to be both socially divisive and educationally unsound?