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Child Care Facilities
132. Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he is taking to improve child care facilities for civil servants.
Mr. Luce : The Civil Service is developing child care facilities to help staff deal with work and domestic responsibilities, thereby putting it in a position to compete with other employers in recruiting and retaining skilled and experienced staff who will be in short supply as a result
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of the demographic changes in the 1990s. Some nursery facilities for under-fives are among the schemes under consideration. A number of holiday playschemes for school age children are already in operation and more are planned. An interdepartmental scheme will start in central London in the spring. There are also some local departmental schemes to help parents find good childminders. My officials are providing practical advice to Departments where required.Environmental Policies
133. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what action is being taken to ensure that the Civil Service uses recycled paper and does not use rare tropical timber ; and if he will make a statement on his Department's environmental policies.
Mr. Luce : A working party representing the paper industry and public sector users is encouraging use of recycled paper where this is cost effective, and HMSO publicises its availability. However, supplies of good quality waste are limited and recycled paper can be up to 50 per cent. more expensive than general purpose paper produced from virgin pulp. Imported wood pulp includes only small amounts from tropical countries, mainly from specially planted eucalyptus. It is my Department's practice to participate in those environmental initiatives applicable to Government Departments in general.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Eggs
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what is his estimate of the loss to cereal farmers arising from reduced sales to chicken and egg producers as a result of the recent fall in demand for eggs ; and what plans he has to compensate feed wheat growers for this loss.
Mr. Ryder : There is no evidence that the recent fall in demand for eggs has had a significant effect on the ex-farm price of wheat. The level of ex-farm prices is determined by the level of demand in the market as a whole, including demand for exports, and not by demand in any particular sector.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to introduce clearer markings on eggs or egg containers to indicate to consumers whether the egg was produced by battery or free range methods.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Eggs produced under alternative systems are already marketed in packs bearing the terms "free-range eggs", "semi- intensive eggs", "perchery eggs (barn eggs)" or "deep litter eggs". Consumers may reasonably assume that packs not carrying one of these terms contain eggs which have been produced in a battery.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the European Community has given approval for the introduction of the aid scheme to the egg industry announced on 19 December 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : Before introducing these measures, I explained to Mr. Andriessen (then Commissioner for
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Agriculture) the exceptional occurrences which necessitated them. I have since sent the Commission details of the schemes, which the Government consider to fall within the terms of article 92(2)(b) of the treaty of Rome.Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many egg packers have received compensation under the scheme he announced on 19th December 1988 ; what have been the maximum and minimum levels of compensation ; what has been the average compensation payment ; and what is the total amount of compensation paid to date.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 13 January 1989] : So far 221 payments totalling £482,450 have been made to egg packers in the United Kingdom. Payments ranged from £90 to £45,810 with an average of £2, 183. A considerable number of applications have yet to be processed to the payment stage.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many inspections of poultry farms in each of the last five years revealed salmonella enteritidis in the laying stock ; and how many revealed salmonella strains other than salmonella enteritidis.
Mr. Donald Thompson [holding answer 13 January 1989] : The Zoonoses Order 1975 requires isolations of salmonella including in laying flocks to be reported. During 1988 there were 20 reports of the isolation of salmonella enteritidis in commercial table egg producing flocks. It is not possible to identify separately how many isolations of salmonella in laying flocks other than salmonella enteritidis were reported in 1988.
As regards comparable information for previous years it is not available without disproportionate cost.
Civil Defence College
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the posts, ranks and responsibilities of those attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation central supplies agency study held at the civil defence college in June 1984.
Mr. Ryder : The arrangements for hosting the NATO study in June 1984 were undertaken by my Department. Details of the proceedings, including those attending are subject to NATO security classification and I am therefore unable to provide this information.
Water
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions his Department has after 31 March 1978 made an order under section 19(7) of the Water Act 1973, in relation to applications made to him for an option charges order, giving the date of any such order and the location to which it applied.
Mr. Ryder : The power was replaced by section 62 of the Land Drainage Act 1976 but nevertheless has not been used.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what directions he has issued to a water authority under the provisions of section 24(11) of the Water Act 1973, since the implementation of that Act, giving details of the date and circumstances of any such order.
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Mr. Ryder : No directions have been given.
Deer (TB)
Mr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the organisations which have been invited to nominate representatives to form an advisory group to consider controlling tuberculosis in deer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My officials have written to the following organisations inviting them to nominate representatives to form an advisory group to consider setting up a deer health scheme : British Deer Society
British Deer Producers Society Ltd.
British Deer Farmers Association
National Farmers Union
British Veterinary Association
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The purpose of the deer health scheme will be to establish a pool of tuberculosis-free herds in Great Britain. It is not the aim of the scheme to control tuberculosis in deer. Control will be by means of the new legislative measures I announced in my statement of 15 December 1988 at columns 674-675.
Mr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the details of his proposals for an industry funded programme for the compulsory slaughter of tuberculosis infected deer.
Mr. Donald Thompson : In response to calls from industry for compulsory slaughter I have suggested that it might consider the possibility of an industry funded programme. Whether to proceed with such a programme, and the details of it, would depend partly on the industry's response.
Mr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from how many organisations he is awaiting a response about the possibility of his Ministry introducing an industry-funded compulsory slaughter programme for deer infected with tuberculosis ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My officials have written to 13 organisations in England and Wales about the measures which the Government propose to introduce and also referring to the request to the deer farming industry to consider the possibility of an industry-funded slaughter programme. A similar letter has been sent to two organisations in Scotland. The letters invited comments from the organisations consulted. Four have replied so far ; responses from the others are awaited.
Ministerial Meetings
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meetings he or his ministerial colleagues have had in 1988 with (a) the National Farmers Union, (b) the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, (c) the Council for the Protection of Rural England, (d) the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, (e) the World Wide Fund for Nature, (f) the Friends of the Earth, (g) the National Consumer Council, (h) Consumers in the European Community Group, (i) the London Food Commission, and (j) the United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association.
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Mr. MacGregor : Ministers in my Department have contact with a vast number of organisations and individuals. These contacts include many with similar interests to those listed in the question, but also inevitably go much wider than this.
The number of identifiable formal ministerial meetings which Ministers had during 1988, which included the national
representatives of the organisations listed was : (a) 37, (b) 4, (c) 2, (d) 0, (e) 0, (f) 0, (g) 2, (h) 0, (i) 1, (j) 7. However, these meetings form just a small part of the very wide ranging contacts which my Ministers and officials have all over the country with these and other organisations.
Bovine Somatotropin
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the field trials on bovine somatotropin, being conducted by two pharmaceutical companies, to cease ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : This is primarily a matter for the pharmaceutical companies involved who are responsible for generating the data needed to support applications for product licences.
Meat Inspectors
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meat inspectors he has employed in each year since 1980 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : None. Meat inspection is the statutory responsibility of local authorities (district councils) which are required to appoint sufficient meat inspectors to carry out the duties required of them by the regulations.
Slaughterhouses (Hygiene)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to improve hygiene standards in slaughterhouses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The maintenance of hygiene standards in slaughterhouses is the statutory responsibility of local authorities (district councils). Officials of the Ministry's state veterinary service visit all slaughterhouses to give advice on the standards to be achieved. In preparation for the single market after 1992 we are discussing with other EC member states the implementation of a single set of rules for all slaughterhouses throughout the European Community.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to ensure that standards of hygiene, and the possibility of inspection, in British slaughterhouses are not adversely affected by increases in the rate of slaughter.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Enforcement of slaughterhouse hygiene and meat inspection legislation is the responsibility of local authorities. They have the duty to ensure that all meat sold for human consumption is produced under hygienic conditions and has been inspected and passed as fit for human consumption.
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Sheep (Radiation)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if any restrictions are place on the movement of sheep in farms in north Yorkshire as a result of the Chernobyl accident under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Extensive monitoring of sheep in north Yorkshire in 1987 revealed two breeding ewes above the level of 1,000 Bequerrels of radiocaesium per kilogramme. The animals were not destined for the food chain, but as a precaution, I served a direction on the owner of the flock preventing the movement of sheep out of the flock without my express permission. The direction remains in force.
Ministerial Advisers
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the ministerial advisers appointed in his Department for each year since 1979, the salary each person received, whether paid directly or to another employer, and the duties undertaken, whether solely in his Department or in conjunction with other Departments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : The special advisers appointed in this Department since May 1979 are :
Mr. T. Boswell (part-time) May 1984-November 1986
Mr. R. Gueterbock February 1988-Date
It is not our practice to reveal the salaries of individual advisers, as they are individually negotiated in relation to previous outside earnings and are therefore confidential. Special advisers in this Department assist the Minister and junior Ministers in the presentation of the Government's policies for which the Department is responsible.
Aflatoxins
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to introduce a legal limit on the level of aflatoxins permitted in food ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : Following a recommendation by the Food Advisory Committee regulations are currently being drafted placing a limit of 10 microgrammes/kilogram on the level of aflatoxins in nuts and nut products.
Butter (Storage and Sale)
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost to European Economic Community and to national Government funds, respectively, of the sale of 887,105 tons of butter from public storage and of the storage aid of 264,000 tons in private storage in the period from 1 November 1987 and 31 October 1988.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The loss on the sale of 887,105 tonnes of butter from Community intervention between 1 November 1987 and 31 October 1988 is estimated at approximately 2,145 mecu. The cost of granting private storage aid to 264,000 tonnes of butter in 1988 is estimated at approximately 70 mecu, on the assumption that all butter remained in store for the maximum 180 days. Expenditure in both these areas is met from Community funds, partly on the basis of deferred reimbursement.
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Milk Quota Scheme
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost to the European Community and to national Governments of the sums paid to farmers for not producing milk, under the milk quota scheme, in each year since the commencement of the scheme.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Until the 1987-88 milk quota year there was no provision for the Community to finance withdrawal from milk production. Community provision for the cost of the outgoers scheme and permanent quota cuts agreed in 1986 and the United Kingdom share of this provision to date are as follows :
Total cost to EC Expenditure in the
budget United Kingdom
|Mecu |£ million|Mecu |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |129 |82 |18.9 |12.0
1988-89 |194 |123 |28.3 |18.0
The provision made to compensate for the temporary suspensions of quota agreed at the same time is as follows :
Total cost to EC Expenditure in the
budget United Kingdom
|Mecu |£ million|Mecu |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |416 |264 |61.3 |39.0
1988-89 |572 |381 |84.3 |56.1
All the expenditure provided for is fully financed from the Community budget.
Member states may make separate provision to compensate producers for total or partial withdrawal from milk production. Expenditure in the United Kingdom under these arrangements has been as follows :
|£ million
-------------------------------
1984-85 |5.0
1985-86 |9.6
1986-87 |9.5
1987-88 |11.1
<1>1988-89 |11.7
<1> Estimated.
Information on spending on national schemes by other member states is not available.
Community measures to compensate for the reduction or cessation of milk production are an essential part of a programme to reduce the total amount of milk produced in the Community. The full cost of these Community measures over seven years will be some 1.4 billion ecu. At current disposal costs, the extra spending arising from the continued production of a corresponding amount of milk would be 3.6 billion ecu.
Butter Sales
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the total amount of butter sold from EEC public intervention storage of butter in each of the five years previous to the period 1 November 1987 to 31 October 1988.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The information requested is most readily available on a calendar year basis. The amounts of butter sold out of EC intervention stores in calendar years 1982-1987 were as follows :
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E
Year |Tonnes (to nearest 100
|tonnes)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |49,600
1983 |57,100
1984 |357,200
1985 |336,200
1986 |367,300
1987 |811,400
Source: EC Commission.
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Food and Wine Sales
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the sale prices, in pence per pound, of the sales of food and wine agreed by the management committee since he last reported on these to the House.
Mr. MacGregor : At any one time CAP arrangements provide for a number of sales schemes from intervention and from the open market. These tend to follow established patterns, but the following sales to non-EC countries, agreed since I last replied to my hon. Friend on this subject on 8 November at column 155, have distinguishing features ;
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Date and Commodity |Quantity (t) |Destination |Price (p/lb) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 1988 Beef |46,000 |Eastern Europe |15.3<1> Wheat |2,232,000 |USSR/Other destinations<3>|3.3<2> Barley |1,665,000 |USSR/Other destinations<3>|3.0-3.1<2> Wheat |1,350,000 |China |3.2<2> <1>The price is the sale price that would have been obtained if the beef had been exported from the United Kingdom, which it was not. <2>Price is calculated from the dollar equivalent of the price actually paid by the puchaser (including mcas) converted into sterling at spot rates at time of sale. <3>It is not possible to identify quantities destined for the USSR, which benefited from an additional subsidy of 0.13p per lb.
Food Surpluses
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total amount spent on the disposal of food surpluses by Government funds in the most recent annual period for which figures are available ; and what were the comparable figures in each of the previous five years.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Public expenditure in the United Kingdom on exports and subsidised disposals of commodities in surplus in this country (cereals, beef and milk products) is as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1982-83 |547.3
1983-84 |533.2
1984-85 |491.5
1985-86 |449.1
1986-87 |340.5
1987-88 |545.5
Set-Aside Scheme
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the acreage of land which will be affected by the set-aside
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scheme in 1989 ; what reductions in the production of wheat will stem from the scheme ; and what is his estimate of the sums to be expended by the United Kingdom Government and by the European Economic Council ; respectively.Mr. Ryder : We have received applications to set aside about 60,000 hectares of arable land in the United Kingdom in the current crop year, at an estimated cost of over £11 million in 1989-90. About 42 per cent. of this expenditure would be eligible for reimbursement from Community funds. It is too early to judge what the impact of set-aside will be on wheat or other arable crop production in this country.
Butter Imports
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by country of origin the percentage of imports of packet butter consumed by United Kingdom households in each year since 1973.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The percentage share of total butter imports into the United Kingdom by country of origin since 1973 is given in the following table.
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|1973 |1974 |1975 |1976 |1977 |1978 |1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |<2>1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
France |1.1 |7.1 |7.8 |5.0 |4.5 |2.0 |0.8 |0.9 |0.6 |0.6 |0.5 |0.8 |0.9 |0.8 |0.9 |1.0
Belgium/Luxembourg |1.3 |2.9 |2.4 |1.2 |1.3 |1.4 |1.0 |1.3 |1.0 |1.6 |1.8 |0.6 |0.6 |2.3 |2.2 |2.5
Netherlands |18.2 |22.3 |22.9 |21.6 |17.8 |13.2 |10.9 |6.6 |10.4 |6.2 |13.8 |7.9 |9.7 |6.3 |3.6 |4.9
Germany |0.0 |10.3 |13.2 |11.0 |9.0 |4.8 |3.9 |5.8 |4.5 |3.5 |0.5 |0.4 |0.8 |0.2 |0.2 |0.2
Ireland |11.5 |8.0 |11.1 |12.4 |9.7 |16.9 |17.5 |15.3 |14.7 |15.9 |11.5 |14.1 |10.0 |14.5 |10.4 |12.3
Denmark |22.0 |20.6 |17.0 |17.9 |19.4 |20.2 |18.0 |19.9 |20.5 |21.5 |21.7 |21.7 |22.7 |21.1 |22.7 |27.5
New Zealand |39.0 |28.8 |25.3 |30.8 |38.2 |41.4 |47.9 |50.2 |48.3 |50.7 |50.2 |54.5 |55.3 |54.8 |60.0 |51.5
Other |<1>6.9 |0.0 |0.3 |0.1 |0.1 |0.1 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |0.1
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0
<1> Mainly Australia, South Africa and Poland.
<2> January to October.
Source: Eurostat.
Veterinary Medicine (Research)
Mr. Madel : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of money that his Department is providing in the current financial year on the funding of research into veterinary medicine ; to what organisations this money is given ; and what sum of money is planned for the financial year 1989-90.
Mr. Ryder : My Department is planning to spend £10.7 million on veterinary research in 1988-89 and £10.9 million in 1989-90. These figures do not include certain costs for Ministry staff, such as superannuation which is not borne on my Department's Vote.
SCOTLAND
Ayrshire and Arran (Hospital Sales)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what agreement he has reached with Ayrshire and Arran health board regarding the responsibility for spending and concerning the application of funds received from the sale of Heathfield, Ayr County and Seafield hospitals, or any part of the three, following the opening of the South Ayrshire hospital.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : None. The allocation of receipts will be made in accordance with the rules in force when the properties are sold.
Ayrshire and Arran Health Board
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the waiting list and waiting times for orphopaedic operations within the Ayrshire and Arran health board area has been each month from January 1985 to the most recent available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information on waiting lists is collected centrally twice in each year. Data on waiting lists for orthopaedic operations are not held ; but the number of people waiting for admission as in-patients to orthopaedic units in Ayrshire and Arran health board hospitals at 31 March and 30 September for the years requested is set out in table 1.
The mean waiting times for those admitted from the waiting lists for operations in orthopaedic units in Ayrshire and Arran health board hospitals during each month for the years requested, is set out in table 2.
Table 2
Mean length of wait in days
for cases admitted from the
orthopaedic waiting lists for
operations
Month |Mean wait
------------------------------
1985
January |128.5
February |96.5
March |104.2
April |106.7
May |97.7
June |94.1
July |163.9
August |115.5
September |134.3
October |109.0
November |102.8
December |105.4
1986
January |108.4
February |115.1
March |120.3
April |118.9
May |105.8
June |103.0
July |100.8
August |150.7
September |143.2
October |135.4
November |132.3
December |139.3
1987
January |150.6
February |152.2
March |152.2
April |135.0
May |113.2
June |159.2
July |138.2
August |261.5
September |248.3
October |204.4
November |182.9
December |170.8
1988<1>
January |109.1
February |121.4
March |119.9
<1>These figures are
provisional and are based on
incomplete interim data.
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Table 2
Mean length of wait in days
for cases admitted from the
orthopaedic waiting lists for
operations
Month |Mean wait
------------------------------
1985
January |128.5
February |96.5
March |104.2
April |106.7
May |97.7
June |94.1
July |163.9
August |115.5
September |134.3
October |109.0
November |102.8
December |105.4
1986
January |108.4
February |115.1
March |120.3
April |118.9
May |105.8
June |103.0
July |100.8
August |150.7
September |143.2
October |135.4
November |132.3
December |139.3
1987
January |150.6
February |152.2
March |152.2
April |135.0
May |113.2
June |159.2
July |138.2
August |261.5
September |248.3
October |204.4
November |182.9
December |170.8
1988<1>
January |109.1
February |121.4
March |119.9
<1>These figures are
provisional and are based on
incomplete interim data.
Electricity Boards
Mr. Rhodri Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of total sales of the two Scottish electricity boards is accounted for by customers in each of the following categories of supply : (a) 10 MW-50MW, (b) 50 MW-100MW, (c) 100 MW-200 MW and (d) over 200 MW ;
(2) how many customers each of the two electricity boards currently have in each of the following categories of supply : (a) 10 MW-50 MW, (b) 50 MW-100 MW, (c) 100 MW-200 MW and (d) over 200 MW.
Mr. Lang : This is a matter for the South of Scotland Electricity Board and the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and I am asking the chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Ministerial Advisers
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the ministerial advisers appointed in his
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Department for each year since 1979, the salary each person received, whether paid directly or to another employer, and the duties undertaken, whether solely in his Department or in conjunction with other Departments ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Rifkind : The first and only special adviser in the Scottish Office, whose appointment was made in August 1987 is Mr. Graeme Carter. It is not our practice to reveal the salaries of individual advisers as they are individually negotiated in relation to previous outside earnings and are therefore confidential.
Mr. Carter is paid directly by my Department. His duties are undertaken solely in my Department. Primarily he assists me as Secretary of State ; he contributes to the preparation of speeches and supports my ministerial colleagues in the Scottish Office as far as time permits.
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