Mr Ralph Howell: As most unemployed people desperately want to work and in view of the success that workfare has had in the United States, which my right hon. Friend recently visited to examine that system, will she confirm that serious consideration is being given to introducing the workfare system in this country?
Mr Ralph Howell: I add my congratulations to my hon. Friend on the success of the recent price round. Will he assure us that the cereal market will continue to be supported by intervention and that the prices will apply to feed-quality cereals?
Mr Ralph Howell: I congratulate my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Chancellor on their excellent, responsible and far-reaching Budget. I am pleased that maximum help has been concentrated on the low paid, low-income pensioners and small businesses. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, by resisting those changes, the Labour party has proved that it is the party of high taxation of the poor and...
Mr Ralph Howell: I am delighted to hear the enthusiasm with which my right hon. Friend is announcing the end of the poll tax. Bearing in mind that it was half ended by adding 2·5 per cent. to VAT, why on earth are we going through all the pain and problems that this wretched tax will engender? Why not solve the whole problem by adding a further 2·5 per cent. to VAT?
Mr Ralph Howell: I find my hon. Friend's arguments difficult to follow. I thought that we were trying to contain inflation, but he says that we are spending more and have more teachers. Is my hon. Friend aware that we have 73,000 more teachers and 750,000 fewer pupils than in 1970? How does he square that up?
Mr Ralph Howell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) overall European Commission expenditure as a percentage of overall European Community gross domestic product, (b) net European Commission expenditure on agriculture as a percentage of overall European Community gross domestic product and (c) the net United Kingdom expenditure on agriculture including net receipts from...
Mr Ralph Howell: I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Does not it prove that some of the statements that he has made about the high cost of agricultural support have been grossly exaggerated? Will he also bear in mind the fact that British agriculture is supported even less than European agriculture and we are spending less than a quarter of the amount on agricultural support than we were in 1960 and...
Mr Ralph Howell: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton (Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop) on his excellent and powerful speech. It is sad that it may be the last that we hear from him in an agriculture debate. We shall miss him. I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Mr. Alison) and with the excellent speech made by my hon. Friend the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Wiggin). We have...
Mr Ralph Howell: My hon. Friend has just beaten me to my point. In 1979, the producers received 49 per cent. of the price of food and the processors 51 per cent. Now farmers get less than 40 per cent. and the processors more than 60 per cent. The processors and retailers—the supermarket chains and so on—are making the enormous profits and benefiting from the subsidies which are generally thought to be...
Mr Ralph Howell: Can my right hon. Friend explain how it is that we spent 1 per cent. of gross domestic product on agriculture in 1960, 0·5 per cent. when we joined the European Community in 1973–74 and 0·25 per cent. now? How does that square with the claim that we are spending more than ever on agriculture?
Mr Ralph Howell: I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his bold and courageous decision to abolish the community charge and, in particular, to replace it with extra VAT. As 2½ per cent. extra VAT will solve half the problem, why will not 5 per cent. solve the whole problem?
Mr Ralph Howell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the self-sufficiency of British agriculture in 1979–80, 1984–85 and 1989–90.
Mr Ralph Howell: I thank my right hon. Friend for his reply. Will he acknowledge the great contribution that British agriculture makes to the economy in general and the special contribution that is made by the cereals sector? Will he ensure that, in any future GATT negotiations, the aggressive attitude of the Americans is kept well in check?
Mr Ralph Howell: In view of the commitment made by my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister that nothing will be ruled out when considering changes to, or the repeal of, the community charge, will my right hon. Friend confirm that it is still practical and possible to repeal the community charge and replace it with 7 per cent. VAT before 1 April 1991, thus saving us from another 12 months of agony?
Mr Ralph Howell: I was most disappointed with the reply from my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) about self-sufficiency. Would not it be in the interests of this country and every other to be as self-sufficient as possible in the production of food? Will my right hon. Friend undertake a study to find out the rate of self-sufficiency in Britain and Europe and...
Mr Ralph Howell: I fully support my right hon. Friend the Chancellor in his insistence that we must tackle inflation as a top priority. Like everyone else, I welcome the modest cut in interest rates today. I support the Government's cautious approach, which is much more sensible than that suggested by the six economists in The Times today. In that respect, I think that the Government are on course....
Mr Ralph Howell: Has my right hon. Friend read the excellent letter from Sir Simon Gourlay in The Times today and, if so, does he agree with its principal point that the MacSharry proposals would be devastating for British agriculture? May we have an assurance that he will reject those proposals outright?
Mr Ralph Howell: Bearing in mind the heavy price that the Soviet Union is paying for holding down food prices to 1945 levels, will my right hon. Friend totally reject the advice that he has just received from the hon. Member for Holland with Boston (Sir R. Body) who constantly undermines British agriculture and Europe in general?
Mr Ralph Howell: Is my right hon. Friend aware that it is no longer acceptable to take tax from people who earn less than a third of the national average wage to give child benefit to the richest people in the country? How much money would be saved if only those earning under £20,000 a year received child benefit?
Mr Ralph Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to announce proposals resulting from his review of the maintenance system; and if he will make a statement.
