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Food Hygiene
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has received any recent representations from food manufacturers on the issue of food hygiene.
Mr. Ryder : We have received a number of such representations and will be considering these with the Department of Health in the developing of our policies.
Advertising
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest figure for the estimated spending in 1988-89 by his Ministry on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material ; and what is the 1989-90 budget for each of these categories of spending.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The latest figures for estimated spend by my Department in 1988-89 are as follows :
(a) television advertising--nil ;
(b) radio advertising--nil ;
(c) newspaper advertising--£111,000 in the trade press only and £269,000 as MAFF's contribution to press advertising about salmonella in eggs ;
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(d) other promotional material-- £992,000.Detailed decisions on expenditure by media have not yet been taken but we expect the overall publicity spend for 1989-90 to be £1.3 million.
Statistical Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts, in the press and public relations office of his Ministry ; and what is the proposed complement for 1989-90.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The number of staff and the complement in the press branch of information division and related posts in the regions is 29 and 31, respectively. The complement of staff is expected to be the same in 1989-90.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in his Ministry ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The information requested is as follows :
Grade |Staff in post 1 March |Complement 1 March 1989
|1989
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 5 |2.0 |2.0
Grade 7 |10.0 |11.0
Senior Assistant
Statistician/Assistant |10.0 |10.0
Statistician
Support staff |127.5 |136.5
It is expected that the staffing complements for 1989-90 will be similar to current levels.
Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for 1989-90.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My Department has not paid any sums to outside organisations for this purpose in the period 1979-80 to date. I keep continually under review the contribution that my Department might make to the Government's privatisation policy.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
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Mr. Donald Thompson : The total fees paid out by my Department to management consultants, excluding computer consultants, for 1984-85 to 1987 -88 and the estimated expenditure in 1988-89 are as follows :
|£
---------------------------
1984-85 |27,110
1985-86 |174,724
1986-87 |135,279
1987-88 |44,015
<1>1988-89 |164,846
<1> Estimate.
Information for earlier years is not available except at disproportionate cost.
Press and PR
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest figure for (a) the estimated expenditure by his Ministry on press and public relations during 1988-89, and (b) the budget for 1989- 90.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The latest figure for the estimated expenditure by my Ministry on press and public relations during 1988-89 is £900,000. The latest estimate for the budget for 1989-90 is £1 million.
Festival of Food and Farming
Mr. Steen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what representations he is proposing to make to help ensure that the produce of 550 hectares of English vineyards and of English and Welsh agricultural land is exhibited at the festival of food and farming in Hyde park on 4-7 May ;
(2) whether he will make a grant to the English Vineyards Association to cover the cost of the planning and organisation which the English Vineyards Association is incurring to enable vineyards to exhibit at the festival of food and farming to be held in Hyde park from 4 to 7 May.
Mr. Ryder : I have been asked to reply.
The festival of food and farming to be held in Hyde park from 4 to 7 May is being financed by sponsors in the industry, and by the many individual companies and organisations that have taken up exhibition space. It will be a fine opportunity for British producers to display the products of their enterprise to the general public. I am sure that it is right for such an event to rely on private initiative rather than on public subsidy for its success.
Bacteriological Testing
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider setting up an accreditation scheme to control the quality of bacteriological testing of food ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The Government have a well-established national measurement accreditation service (NAMAS) for all types of testing and calibration laboratories, which is managed by the Department of Trade and Industry. My Ministry is represented on the NAMAS advisory committee. Accreditation is open to any laboratory carrying out objective testing, including bacteriological laboratories and NAMAS has produced a guidance document covering the specific interpretation of the accreditation criteria for laboratories carrying out bacteriological testing.
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Abattoirs
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the general conclusions of the European Community inspector's current visits to abattoirs in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I will ensure that the hon. Member receives a copy of the letter which will be sent to all operators of export approved plants summarising the main points of the 1989 inspection visit.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food further to his answer of 8 March, Official Report, column 533-4, how many of the abattoirs which received suspension warnings in each year since 1982 subsequently received suspensions in the same year.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The number of plants which received warnings and subsequently were suspended within a year is as follows :
Number --------------------- 1982 |1 1983 |4 1984 |- 1985 |9 1986 |6 1987 |8 1988 |1
Suspension warnings specify a period within which the deficiencies must be rectified. Where changes to practices are required the period may be one or two weeks. For structural work up to six months may be permitted, depending on the work required and its urgency. Exceptionally, the Ministry may grant a further extension of the time for structural work if satisfied with the progress which is being made.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what inspection of animals is carried out in non-European Community approved abattoirs prior to slaughter ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The feeding to ruminants of animal protein derived from ruminants has been prohibited. The prohibition will remain unless and until it is possible to identify processing methods which are capable of destroying the agent which causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy and which are widely available.
Salmonella
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to prevent salmonella contamination in imported feedstuffs containing vegetable matter ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : A very small proportion of compound animal feedingstuffs is imported. The majority of imports comprise raw materials including vegetable protein which are incorporated into feedingstuffs. Detailed codes of practice will be introduced shortly for the control of salmonella in feedingstuffs and their ingredients, including measures for monitoring.
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Near Market Research
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the organisations he has consulted about near market research ; and how many times each one has been consulted.
Mr. Ryder : The following organisations were sent a consultation document on agriculture and food listing the work identified as near market. My noble Friend the Baroness Trumpington has held a series of meetings, one with each sector of the industry and one with all sectors represented. Further meetings are due to take place in the near future.
1 British Bedding Plant Association
2 Mushroom Growers Association
3 British Pot Plant Growers Association
4 National Farmers Union
5 Country Landowners Association
6 Agricultural and Food Research Council
7 Food and Drink Federation
8 Home Grown Cereals Authority
9 UK Agricultural Supply Trade Association
10 Grain and Feed Trade Association
11 Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (UK) Ltd.
12 Maltsters Association of Great Britain
13 British Oat and Barley Millers Association
14 Seed Crushers and Oil Processors Association
15 British Edible Pulses Association
16 Potato Marketing Board
17 Potato Processors Association
18 National Federation of Fruit and Potato Traders Ltd. 19 National Association of British and Irish Millers
20 Flour Milling and Baking Research Association
21 Processors and Growers Research Organisation
22 Federation of Oils Association
23 British Starch Industry Association
24 British Association of Green Crop Driers Ltd.
25 Horticultural Development Council
26 Horticultural Trades Association
27 Apple and Pear Development Council
28 National Hop Association
29 UK Hop Growers Association
30 Meat and Livestock Commission
31 National Cattle Breeders Association
32 National Pig Breeders Association
33 British Veterinary Association
34 National Sheep Association
35 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
36 Livestock Traders Association of Great Britain Ltd
37 Livestock Auctioneers Market Committee for England and Wales 38 Association of British Abattoir Owners
39 National Federation of Meat Traders
40 Federation of Fresh Meat Wholesalers
41 UK Provision Trade Federation
42 Bacon and Meat Manufacturers Association
43 British Wool Marketing Board
44 International Meat Trade Association
45 British Poultry Federation
46 British Poultry Breeders and Hatchers Association
47 National Egg Marketing Association
48 British Egg Association
49 British Egg Products Association
50 British Egg Industry Council
51 Milk Marketing Board
52 Dairy Trade Federation
53 British Food Manufacturing Research Association
54 Campden Food and Drink Research Association
55 British Society of Plant Breeders Ltd.
56 British Agrochemicals Association
57 British Hotels, Restaurants and Caterers Association 58 Federation of Wholesale Distributors
59 British Retailers Association
60 Farmers Union of Wales
61 National Farmers Union of Scotland
62 Scottish Landowners Federation
63 Agricultural Engineers Association
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