To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the EEC threshold price for cereal imports has not been reduced in line with the cereal intervention price.

Over the last three market years, the start-of-season Community intervention prices for common wheat and barley have been reduced by 3 per cent. as a result of the operation of the stabiliser. Over the same period, the threshold price has been reduced by 5·8 per cent. for common wheat and 6·1 per cent. for barley as a result of the operation of the stabiliser and, in addition, a fall in the transport costs used in calculating threshold price levels.