I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 30, 55, and 138 together.
At the Council of Ministers meeting on 17-19 March I secured agreement to the payment in 1997 of EU funded compensatory aid of some £46 million to producers in the milk, beef, cereals and sugar sectors. EU funded compensation of approximately £30.7 million will be available in 1998 and approximately £15.4 million in 1999. This compensation is for income losses suffered by producers as a result of price support cuts following the green rate revaluations of 8 November 1996 and 11 January this year. I am planning for the payment of this compensation to producers in May.
On 29 March 1997 there was a further revaluation of 2.765 per cent in the Irish green rate. I expect that additional EU compensation aid amounting to approximately £25.4 million in 1997, £16.9 million in 1998 and £8.5 million in 1999 will be agreed at today's management committee meeting in Brussels.