| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 681
SOCIAL SECURITY
Community Care (Grants and Loans)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will indicate the number of cases in the year ended 31 March for the Walthamstow, Leytonstone and Woodgrange park offices of his Department in which loans were not allowed because (a) the claimant's inability to repay was considered a factor and (b) other reasons, and in which a grant was also not provided to the claimant.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Information is not collected in a format which identifies applications where both a loan and a community care grant are refused for the same item or service.
A reason for decision is used once on each application, but more than one reason for decision can be given in a particular application. Because a record is kept of the total number of times each reason is used, the count of the total number of reasons does not equate to the total of applications to which they were applied. The table contains the available information :
Office |Inability to repay |Other reasons considered
|considered a factor in
|loan refusal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walthamstow |45 |773
Leytonstone |27 |450
Woodgrange Park |23 |599
Housing Benefit
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps his Department is taking to publicise the extension until 30 June of the deadline for claiming housing benefit transitional payments ; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage take-up of housing benefit transitional payment.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The extension of the closing date for housing benefit transitional payments to 30 June was announced in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxbourne (Mrs. Roe) on 3 March at column 365 and publicised in a press release issued on the same day. A guidance circular was issued to each local authority and local social security office on 6 March, and this has also been sent to the major advice agencies. Leaflets (RR4 Housing Benefit--New Rules), which contain an application form, for anyone still wishing to apply for transitional protection are available from a wide variety of outlets, for example local council offices, local social security offices, from the freephone and freepost service at the transitional payments unit and advice agencies.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the average waiting time between a claim for housing benefit transitional payment and its subsequent payment to the claimant ;
(2) how many outstanding claims for housing benefit transitional payments are still awaiting process at the Glasgow transitional payments office ;
(3) what steps are being taken to expedite the processing of claims for housing benefit transitional payment.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Up to 10 April, 467,419 applications for housing benefit transitional payments had been received, of which 422,029 have been assessed. Of the
Column 682
45,390 applications outstanding, 41,153 are cases where an inquiry form is still awaited from the local authority. The clearance time for applications varies considerably from case to case and depends on how long local authorities take to return inquiry forms and whether further inquiries have to be made from the transitional payments unit (TPU). For straightforward cases, it takes two days from receiving an application in the TPU to sending the inquiry form to the local authority, 30 days for the local authority to return the inquiry form to the TPU, a further five days from receiving that inquiry form at the TPU to deciding whether a payment can be made, and depending upon the point in the payment cycle the first payment will be made within two to four weeks and at four weekly intervals thereafter. The TPU has contacted all those local authorities who have had inquiry forms outstanding for more than eight weeks requesting an urgent response.Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate the number of single parent families on family credit who suffered a net loss in income as a result of the housing benefit changes in 1988 ;
(2) if he will estimate the average weekly amount lost by a single-parent family as a result of family credit being included in the calculations in order to determine elegibility to housing benefit ; and what savings have accrued to his Department's annual budget as a result.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The estimated effects on claimants of the April 1988 changes were set out in the "Impact of the Reformed Structure of Income-Related Benefits" published in October 1987. Further information is not available.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to increase financial assistance to single-parent families who have suffered increased housing costs as a result of changes in the housing benefit rules.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We have no plans to do so. An enhanced premium was included within the housing benefit applicable amounts for all lone parents last April in recognition of their special needs and transitional protection was offered to all those who had lost more than £2.50 per week as a result of the changes in the rules. Since then there have been no changes in the housing benefit rules for single parent families which would have resulted in increased housing costs.
Unemployed Couples (Earnings Disregard)
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to increase the £15 earnings disregard for unemployed couples annually in line with the rise in earnings of those in full-time work ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. Earnings disregards have never been increased in line with the rise in earnings. However, we are monitoring the earnings rules and we will consider whether any change is necessary.
Transitional Protection
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received regarding the financial impact suffered by claimants whose annual uprating has been nullified by loss of transitional protection.
Column 683
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Various representations have been received on this subject.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the numbers of claimants in each benefit category expected to receive no cash increase after the payment of their annual benefit uprating in the current year.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We estimated that some 3,840,000 income support claimants will receive an increase at this year's uprating. The estimated number of claimants receiving no increase, by client group, is as follows :
|Number
--------------------------------------------
Pensioners 80+ |40,000
Pensioners 60-79 |180,000
All pensioners |220,000
Sick or disabled |20,000
Lone parents |40,000
Couples with children |10,000
Others |300,000
|-------
Total |<1>590,000
<1> Figures do not sum due to rounding.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what savings will accrue to public funds by clawing back benefit uprating by withdrawal of transitional protection.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Precise information is not available. Had income support transitional additions not been reduced by increases at uprating, the estimated additional cost in the year 1989-90 would have been around £100 million.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has undertaken to investigate the effect of the loss of transitional protection on claimants ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We are monitoring all aspects of the reformed social security system. Information about transitional protection will be available from our usual stastistical returns.
Disabled Children (Attendance Allowance)
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases his Department has issued demands for repayment of attendance allowance to the parents of disabled children who have had to spend periods in hospital ; what is the average amount involved and highest amount in any particular case ; if he intends to insist on the repayments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The requested information is not available. The question of whether an overpayment of benefit is recoverable is a matter for the independent statutory authorities to decide. Our policy is to seek repayment of recoverable overpayments where possible, but repayment may be waived depending on the circumstances of the individual case.
Benefits
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of South Yorkshire to date what percentage of the
Column 684
total number of applications made to date for (a) budgeting loans were (i) full or part awards and (ii) nil awards and (b) community care grants were (1) full or part awards and (2) nil awards.Mr. Peter Lloyd : The monthly figures to date of the numbers of applications for budgeting loans and community care grants processed are available in the Library. There is no information available on part awards.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will now reply to the invitation of the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent, North to visit young people under 25 years old from Stoke on Trent, North, highlighted in Channel 4's "Dispatches" programme, who have been adversely affected by changes in benefit payments which came into force on 10 April.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I wrote to the hon. Member today.
Child Fostering Allowance
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether the income available to a family by means of a permanent child fostering allowance is taken into account in assessing the family's entitlement to community charge rebate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Paragraph 24 of schedule 3 of the Housing Benefit (Community Charge Rebates) (Scotland) Regulations 1988 requires such income to be disregarded in full.
Disabled People and Deaf People
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the amount of money given under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to (a) all organisations working with and for disabled people and (b) all organisations working with and for deaf people, for each year from 1980 to the latest available date.
Mr. Freeman : I have been asked to reply.
I shall let the hon. Member have such information as can be obtained as soon as possible.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Grain (Price)
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the tonnage and average price of grain exported from the United Kingdom (a) generally and (b) separately for each country to which grain was exported in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Ryder : The total quantity and average price of grain exported from the United Kingdom in the calendar years 1986 to 1988 were as follows :
|Quantity |Average price
|(tonnes)<1> |(£/tonne)<2>
--------------------------------------------------------
1986 |8,148,941 |108.18
1987 |7,238,589 |72.41
1988 |4,750,249 |74.51
Wheat and barley represented over 95 per cent. of total United Kingdom grain exports in each of the calendar years 1986 to 1988. The quantity and price of these two grains exported to individual countries were as follows :
Column 685
Quantity (tonnes)<1> Average Price
(£/tonne)<2>
Commodity and Country |1986 |1987 |1988 |1986 |1987 |1988
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheat<3>
France |57,826 |78,999 |- |114.08 |121.37 |-
Belgium-Luxembourg |184,010 |110,620 |250,059 |115.00 |118.04 |110.86
Netherlands |366,078 |128,109 |87,250 |114.13 |117.31 |110.11
Federal Republic of Germany |737,604 |343,122 |210,285 |114.70 |114.77 |112.27
Italy |802,896 |503,159 |323,742 |114.95 |115.04 |115.80
Irish Republic |132,666 |135,983 |128,884 |139.79 |135.20 |120.33
Denmark |107,508 |48,970 |- |122.78 |115.60 |-
Spain |643,319 |161,600 |78,779 |111.07 |111.14 |110.36
Greece |- |83,502 |- |- |120.57 |-
Soviet Union |508,389 |1,091,333 |94,713 |113.50 |48.45 |52.77
Poland |50,012 |424,036 |- |105.57 |59.15 |-
Morocco |62,999 |- |- |103.33 |- |-
Ethiopia |30,921 |- |- |122.31 |- |-
Lebanon |79,779 |- |- |115.04 |- |-
South Korea |158,758 |241,934 |283,906 |99.57 |64.59 |41.11
Bangladesh |- |245,027 |176,536 |- |40.10 |47.58
German Democratic Republic |- |141,225 |- |- |44.23 |-
Other |64,416 |383,787 |290,416 |72.09 |40.73 |53.17
Quantity (tonnes)<1> Average price (£
tonne)<2>
Commodity and country |1986 |1987 |1988 |1986 |1987 |1988
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barley<4>
France |36,428 |- |- |134.84 |- |-
Belgium-Luxembourg |697,807 |280,363 |223,277 |117.57 |123.48 |129.96
Netherlands |120,873 |93,614 |- |118.84 |113.02 |-
Federal Republic of Germany |138,994 |146,439 |117,729 |118.01 |111.62 |109.29
Italy |414,356 |410,200 |275,007 |111.96 |113.33 |119.30
Portugal |59,741 |- |- |99.60 |- |-
Spain |720,373 |- |79,327 |107.52 |- |111.03
Soviet Union |583,983 |1,062,843 |919,265 |90.26 |41.42 |47.82
Romania |85,597 |- |- |100.33 |- |-
Bulgaria |150,431 |- |- |77.60 |- |-
Tunisia |43,999 |- |- |121.16 |- |-
Libya |162,493 |158,199 |- |100.43 |41.68 |-
Cyprus |86,478 |- |- |88.80 |- |-
Israel |110,158 |- |- |64.76 |- |-
Saudi Arabia |645,156 |626,343 |391,914 |93.95 |41.97 |41.95
German Democratic Republic |- |- |506,404 |- |- |53.00
Other |89,800 |309,827 |297,510 |100.91 |71.55 |59.37
<1> Quantities rounded to nearest whole tonne.
<2> Average prices have been calculated from export values on a free on board basis.
<3> Customs heading 041.2: Unmilled wheat (including spelt) and meslin, excluding durum wheat.
<4> Customs heading 043: Unmilled barley.
Source:
United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics. (A "-" signifies that exports to a country were not separately identified in the published Overseas Trade Statistics for the year in
question and are included under "Other" for that year).
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total tonnage and average price of imported grain from each country which exported grain to the United Kingdom in each of the years 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Column 686
Mr. Ryder : Wheat, barley and maize together represented over 95 per cent. of total United Kingdom grain imports in each of the calendar years 1986 to 1988. The quantity and price of these three grains imported from individual countries were as follows :
Column 685
Quantity (tonnes)<1> Average price
(£/tonne)<2>
Commodity and country |1986 |1987 |1988 |1986 |1987 |1988
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheat<3>
France |680,700 |622,676 |596,551 |136.22 |134.44 |142.07
Belgium/Luxembourg |27,084 |44,201 |75,475 |199.31 |120.65 |140.92
Federal Republic of Germany |97,900 |69,348 |191,215 |157.22 |149.62 |153.05
Irish Republic |99,408 |88,640 |53,635 |135.23 |137.33 |119.53
Denmark |- |40,212 |97,421 |- |133.49 |138.82
Spain |- |323,674 |52,936 |- |157.32 |155.57
Australia |219,129 |- |- |138.02 |- |-
Canada |468,890 |461,980 |491,572 |130.75 |98.89 |113.07
Others |83,199 |25,883 |28,004 |139.91 |119.54 |113.56
Barley<4>
France |29,748 |14,709 |16,549 |150.97 |116.87 |130.40
Irish Republic |129,821 |180,951 |173,757 |132.32 |129.55 |119.39
Denmark |92,121 |33,949 |100,654 |143.95 |158.71 |145.61
Others |27,437 |6,957 |26,410 |100.74 |168.75 |124.84
Maize<5>
France |943,486 |970,581 |834,731 |146.97 |150.62 |138.67
Belgium/Luxembourg |107,372 |62,425 |- |143.22 |164.26 |-
Italy |47,158 |- |- |159.89 |- |-
Greece |136,746 |76,723 |139,226 |162.83 |164.21 |147.76
Spain |27,303 |68,190 |135,305 |173.35 |160.83 |155.20
United States of America |76,092 |84,489 |- |134.60 |77.34 |-
Argentina |70,804 |134,046 |163,814 |132.72 |60.46 |69.05
Others |63,804 |114,038 |73,087 |133.49 |91.52 |117.44
<1>Quantities rounded to the nearest whole tonne.
<2>Average prices have been calculated from import values on a cost, insurance freight basis.
<3>Customs heading 041.2: unmilled wheat (including spelt) and meslin, excluding durum wheat.
<4>Customs heading 043: unmilled barley.
<5>Customs heading 044 for 1986 and 1987, and 044.9 for 1988: unmilled maize (1988 heading excludes sweetcorn).
Source: United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics (a "-" signifies that imports from a country were not separately identified in the published Overseas Trade Statistics for the year
in question and are included under "Other" for that year).
Sheep and Single Ewe Premiums
Mr. Steel To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he now expects to announce the end of the variable sheep premium and the choice of base year for calculation of the replacement single ewe premium.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Proposals to phase out the sheep variable premium scheme and replace it with a single ewe premium form part of a package of proposals by the EC Commission for a review of the sheepmeat regime. Discussion on these proposals have made little headway.
Cow Subsidy
Mr. Steel : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will consider raising the cow subsidy from £34 to £46 per head as the permitted maximum within the European Community.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The Government are currently considering what rate of suckler cow premium should apply in the United Kingdom and an announcement will be made before the start of the 1989 scheme year on 15 June.
EC (Abattoirs)
Mr. Steel : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects European Community Ministers to achieve common standards for abattoirs throughout the Community.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I expect the Council of Ministers to apply a single set of rules to slaughterhouses throughout the European Communiity by 31 December 1992.
Beef Regime
Mr. Steel : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will monitor the new beef regime, starting in April and in particular the effect of the £28 headage payment on male cattle to establish the effect on the quality of beef thus being produced.
Mr. Donald Thompson : We shall be monitoring closely the number of animals on which beef special premium is
Column 688
paid and comparing this data with data on slaughterings of male animals to monitor the effects of the headage limit. There are no quality standards attaching to this premium, but the Meat and Livestock Commission will continue to report deadweight prices on a sample basis. These reports classify the carcases reported on according to the EC carcase classification grid and will thus give us some indication of whether overall standards are rising or falling. I am confident, however, that in the absence of a national quality specification set by the beef variable premium scheme, the market will in fact pay a premium for the quality of beef which it wants and that producers will respond to the signals given by the market place.Game
Mr. Goodlad : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had with his European Economic Community counterparts on the draft game meat regulations directive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : None. I understand that the European Commission are working on a text but no proposal has yet been made to the Council of Ministers.
Animal Welfare
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive the European Economic Community Commission's proposals for new regulations on the welfare of animals in transit.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I understand that the Commission expects to present its proposals to the Council shortly.
Badgers
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which institutions are currently researching the development of a tuberculosis test for live badgers ; what such work his Department is funding ; and when he expects field trials for such a test to commence.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Ministry funded work on the development of a live test for tuberculosis in badgers,
Column 689
which is suitable for field use, is being carried out at the central veterinary laboratory. It is too early to predict when field trials might commence.Porcine Somatotropin
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions field trials have been authorised for porcine somatotropin.
Mr. Donald Thompson : On one occasion ; the ATC issued has since expired.
Bovine Somatotropin
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a product licence application in respect to bovine somatotropin was submitted to the European Economic Community committee on veterinary medicinal products ; and whether it has made any recommendations.
Column 690
Mr. Donald Thompson : Two applications for product licences for BST products have been referred to the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products, in September and November 1987. The committee has not yet adopted an opinion on either.
Food Destruction
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton, 16 March, Official Report, column 352, if he will list each food item, and the quantity of it, destroyed during 1988 under the European Community arrangements in all the Community countries.
Mr. Ryder : The latest figures relating to fruit and vegetables withdrawn from the market are for the 1986-87 season and are set out in EC Commission working documents. From these it is possible to derive the following figures for produce which became unfit for consumption before reaching its destination :
Column 689
Tonnes
|Belgium |Germany |Greece |France |Ireland |Italy |Netherlands |United Kingdom|Spain
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cauliflowers |258 |4,824 |- |58,910 |- |45,274 |- |19,669 |-
Tomatoes |20 |- |80,305 |23,520 |194 |513,127 |- |- |-
Aubergines |- |- |- |452 |- |92 |- |- |-
Peaches |- |- |165,194 |18,751 |- |99,078 |- |- |-
Apricots |- |- |12 |420 |- |2 |- |- |-
Lemons |- |- |23,769 |- |- |422,724 |- |- |19,841
Pears |527 |- |956 |861 |- |34 |- |32 |-
Apples |3,681 |- |80,949 |15,247 |86 |331 |- |4,535 |-
Mandarins |- |- |9,596 |- |- |189,625 |- |- |-
Oranges |- |- |243,099 |998 |- |395,330 |- |- |-
Figures for the various ends to which fish withdrawn from the market is put in each member state are not available, but the majority is used for animal feed.
Ammonia Gas
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is investigating methods of reducing and controlling emissions of ammonia gas from agricultural systems ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : Yes. Ammonia is released from animal urine and faeces. Research is being done to understand the mechanisms of ammonia release and to devise systems of farm waste treatment and application to land that will minimise volatilisation and losses.
Vaccination
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what discussions he has had with Hoechst about the use of vaccines to control clostridia and pasteurella and the potential link with the deaths of sheep and lambs ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will make a statement about the results of his investigations into the use of vaccines to control clostridia and pasteurella and the potential link with the deaths of sheep and lambs.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My officials have met Hoechst representatives and discussed the nature of the data required for a thorough investigation of suspected adverse reactions in sheep to vaccines against clostridia and pasteurella. My Department is still receiving reports, all of
Column 690
which will need to be investigated in detail before reliable conclusions can be reached on this matter. These vaccines have been very widely used in the national flock for many years and the reports so far received concern a small percentage of ewes vaccinated. We shall be looking particularly carefully at the nutritional levels in ewes, following the mild winter, and at the incidence of other diseases in the flocks affected.Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information his Department possesses about the effectiveness of vaccination schemes against foot and mouth disease and clinical swine fever.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The role of vaccines has been carefully assessed at frequent intervals. Vaccination can be an effective means of controlling foot and mouth disease and classical swine fever where there are significant disease problems. When the number of cases has been reduced eradication by a slaughter policy is a better and ultimately cheaper option than routine vaccination.
Cattle (Slaughter)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the total number of (a) , dairy cattle and (b) all cattle slaughtered for human consumption in Britain during 1988 ; and how many of these were slaughtered at European Economic Community export- approved slaughterhouses.
Mr. Donald Thompson : It is provisionally estimated that 3.4 million cattle and calves were slaughtered in the
Column 691
United Kingdom in 1988, 1.8 million of which were in EC export-approved slaughterhouses. Dairy cattle slaughtered are not separately distinguished.Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will introduce a scheme of compulsory veterinary ante- mortem inspection of all bovines submitted for slaughter to European Economic Community export approved and non-export approved slaughterhouses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The carcases of all animals slaughtered for human consumption are inspected post mortem. In EC export-approved slaughterhouses, an inspection of animals prior to slaughter is also required. I plan to introduce ante mortem inspection of animals in non-EC export-approved slaughterhouses by 1 January 1991.
Veterinary Product Licencer
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is currently reviewing existing veterinary product licences approved for the United Kingdom ; what action he is taking to ensure products imported from the European Economic Community will continue to meet British standards ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : All veterinary product licences are being reviewed to ensure that they conform to up-to-date standards of safety, quality and efficacy. Imports from both EC and other countries, except under emergency provisions, are permitted only in accordance with a product licence issued on the criteria mentioned and following a satisfactory inspection of the manufacturing premises overseas.
Animal Diseases
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those animal diseases which are currently notifiable and indicate the number of confirmed cases of each disease in England and Wales for each of the last three years.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The number of confirmed cases of notifiable diseases over the last three years in England and Wales is as follows :
Number of cases
Disease |1986 |1987 |1988
------------------------------------------------------------------------
African horse sickness |- |- |-
African swine fever |- |- |-
Anthrax |9 |4 |3
Aujeszky's disease |6 |6 |5
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy<1> |- |- |2,136
Brucella melitensis in cattle |- |- |-
Cattle plague in ruminants and swine |- |- |-
Classical swine fever |10 |1 |-
Contagious equine metritis<2> |- |- |-
Dourine in horses, asses, mules and
zebras |- |- |-
Enzootic bovine leukosis |1 |1 |1
Epizootic lymphangitis in horses, asses
and mules |- |- |-
Equine encephalomyelitis |- |- |-
Equine infectious anaemia |- |- |-
Foot and mouth disease in ruminants
and swine |- |- |-
Fowl pest (fowl plague, Newcastle
disease and paramyxovirus) poultry
of all kinds |- |- |-
Glanders and farcy in horses, asses and
mules |- |- |-
Paramyxovirus in pigeons |276 |251 |205
Pleuro-pneumonia in cattle |- |- |-
Rabies |- |- |-
Sheep pox |- |- |-
Sheep scab |55 |37 |35
Swine vesicular disease |- |- |-
Warble fly |34 |8 |4
Teschen disease of pigs |- |- |-
Tuberculosis in cattle (certain forms) |- |- |-
<1> Notifiable since 21 June 1988.
<2> Notifiable since 20 May 1987.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which member states of the European Economic Community operate schemes of compulsory vaccination of livestock against foot and mouth disease ; and if it is his policy to retain quarantine periods in respect of live animals imported from these countries.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 11 April at column 439.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will introduce restrictions on the movement of offspring of animals which have been confirmed as suffering from bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I have no plans to introduce such measures.
Veterinary Checks
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his response to the European Commission proposal to replace veterinary checks on animal health and animal products at national frontiers by checks in the country of origin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer the hon. Member to the explanatory memorandum concerning draft instrument 8062/88 which was deposited in the Library on 7 November 1988.
Interest Rates
Mr. Cox : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with the National Farmers Union on the recent increase in interest rates ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I have had no recent discussions with the National Farmers Union on interest rates. Policy on interest rates is, of course, the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has made it clear that interest rates are set at an appropriate level to maintain downward pressure on inflation.
Sheepmeat
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he
Column 693
has received concerning the sheepmeat stabiliser system for the 1988 marketing year, and in particular the base line used for the calculation of the final stabiliser figure for each European Community country ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Donald Thompson [holding answer 10 April 1989] : When the Commission fixed the sheepmeat stabiliser for 1988 it had census figures indicating that, for the Community excluding Great Britain, the reduction in the support level resulting from the stabiliser should be 7 per cent. They chose to adjust this figure downwards to 4 per cent., the same level of reduction as applied to Great Britain. They justified this on the basis that there were anomalies in certain countries' statistics.
We have received a number of representations concerning the application of the stabiliser for 1988. We made clear our objections to the Commission's course of action, particulary in a situation where the Commission has itself been pressing the need for measures to control the rapidly rising cost of the sheep regime.
| Next Section
| Home Page |