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Mr. Wyn Roberts : As explained in paragraphs 109 and 110 of circular 36/88, there are two factors which may affect formula funding of small primary schools.
First, authorities' schemes of local management may allow, through the formula, for any additional costs of supporting the curriculum in small schools compared with larger schools. Schemes will need to be considered individually to ensure that a case for additional support exists. Accordingly, no advice has been given on size of school. Second, LEAs' formulae may take account of the extent of variations between the actual teaching costs of some small schools and the LEA's average cost of employing teachers. In some small schools, it may be necessary to charge average rather than actual salaries, at least in the initial years of formula funding. Circular 36/88 does not set a precise limit on the size of school. Because the great majority of primary schools in Wales are relatively small, LEAs have been advised that actual teaching costs could be used for all primary schools.
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Pre-school Education
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current percentage of children of pre-school age currently enrolled in state-run pre-school education in Wales.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The information in respect of pre-school age children (excludes the rising fives) as at January 1988 is as follows :
Nursery or primary schools--68.8 per cent. of which : In nursery schools or nursery classes in primary schools--36.7 per cent.
Bathing Water
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the estimated cost for each of (a) Southendown, (b) Sandy Bay Porthcawl and (c) Swansea bay of (i) a long sea outfall, (ii) full sewage treatment works with a short sea outfall, (iii) full sewage treatment works with a long sea outfall to enable them to comply with EEC bathing water directive 76/160/EEC ; and when the appropriate solution will be put in place, giving the estimated date of commencement and completion.
Mr. Grist : The authority is currently reviewing its programme of remedial works which aims to achieve compliance of all listed water. The full cost of the programme has yet to be evaluated.
Forests
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has concerning the extent of die-back or other forms of ill- health in Welsh forests.
Mr. Peter Walker : Wales is included in the annual forest health surveys carried out by the Forestry Commission. The results of the 1987 survey were published in Forestry Commission bulletins Nos. 74 and 79, and the preliminary results of the 1988 survey were published in the Forestry Commission's research information note 139. Copies of these publications are in the Library of the House.
Trees (Pollution Damage)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has concerning the extent of pollution damage to trees adjacent to the Welsh water authority's Beacons reservoirs ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Grist : I am not aware of any pollution damage to trees adjacent to the Welsh water authority's Beacons reservoirs. The green spruce aphid (Elatobium abietinum) has, however, increased in numbers as a result of the recent mild winters. It causes browning of spruce needles and defoliation, but does not affect new growth. Evidence of aphid attack is visible throughout Wales, particularly adjacent to the Beacons reservoirs, but I am assured by the Forestry Commission that the next cold winter should reduce aphid numbers to their normal levels.
Railways (Gwent)
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will reply to the hon. Member for Newport, East concerning his letter dated 14 March, regarding rail matters affecting Gwent referred to in the Official Report on 1 March, column 304.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend wrote to the hon. Gentleman on 17 March.
Partnership (EC)
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will be replying to the hon. Member for Newport, East concerning his letter dated 2 March, regarding the partnership arrangement between the Welsh Office, the county councils and the EEC referred to in the Official Report, 1 March, column 345.
Mr. Peter Walker : I hope, as was indicated in the interim reply to the hon. Gentleman on 20 March, to reply shortly. In the interim, all local authorities involved in EC programmes have now been consulted on the EC plans relating to their areas, and the plans have now been formally submitted to the Commission.
Local Education Authorities (Finance)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much from each local education authority's capital allocation has been spent on the improvement or replacement of existing school buildings in each of the last five years.
Mr. Wyn Roberts [holding answer 27 April 1989] : Local education authority capital expenditure on acquisition of land, existing buildings, new construction and works for the periods requested is given in the following table. Figures on improvement or replacement of existing school buildings are not collected separately.
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Local authority capital expenditure on acquisition of land,
existing buildings and works in respect of nursery, primary,
secondary and special
schools
£000
|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88
----------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |3,118 |3,231 |3,833 |4,507 |5,200
Dyfed |3,898 |2,957 |2,432 |3,382 |5,281
Gwent |4,617 |4,521 |4,648 |4,528 |5,590
Gwynedd |1,132 |1,210 |1,704 |1,576 |2,083
Mid Glamorgan |5,521 |5,183 |2,871 |4,251 |5,939
Powys |1,555 |1,067 |475 |1,961 |1,739
South Glamorgan |1,334 |1,945 |1,384 |2,138 |1,893
West Glamorgan |2,840 |2,206 |3,191 |3,677 |4,738
Source: Capital Outturn Returns.
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TRANSPORT
London Buses (Security)
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish such information as may be in his possession about the proportion of buses in London which have video cameras installed in order to deter assaults on staff.
Mr. Portillo : I do not believe that it would be in the interest of crime prevention to publish this information.
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Railway Inspectorate (Prosecutions)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) each occasion on which there was a prosecution by the railway inspectorate in each of the years 1980 to 1988 inclusive, (b) the defendant in each case, (c) the date of the first criminal proceedings in each case, (d) the court in which criminal proceedings commenced and (e) the outcome of the proceedings in each case.
Mr. Portillo : This information is given in the following table :
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Prosecution in respect of |Defendant |Date of first criminal |Court |Outcome
|proceedings
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craigentinny, Edinburgh |(1) BRB |25 July 1982 |Sheriff's Court, |(1) Guilty, fined £250
|Edinburgh
|(2) George Walls |(2) Guilty, fined £50
Denham Station |BRB employee |25 April 1983 |Aylesbury Crown |Not guilty
|Court
West Cliff Lift |Bournemouth BC |24 November 1983 |Bournemouth |Guilty, fined £750 plus £500 costs
|Magistrates Court
Crofton |BRB |23 July 1984 |Wakefield Magistrates |Guilty, fined £300 plus £400 costs
|Court
Barking Station |(1) BRB |3 December 1984 |Barking Magistrates |(1) Guilty, fined £1,000 plus £500
|Court |costs (BRB appealed successfully and costs
|awarded against HSE)
|(2) Fairbrother |(2) Case against Fairbrother withdrawn
|(employee)
Birmingham |BRB employee |10 September 1984 |Solihull Magistrates |Absolute discharge
International |Court
Swann Carr Farm, |(1) Wm. R. Selwood |25 July 1985 |Darlington |(1) Guilty, fined £300 plus £50 costs
Bradbury, Stockton on |Ltd. |Magistrates Court
Tees
|(2) BRB |12 November 1985 |(2) Not guilty
West Cliff Lift |Bournemouth BC |25 January 1985 |Bournemouth |Guilty, fined £2,000 plus £500 costs
|Magistrates Court
Shields |(1) BRB |Not known |Glasgow Sheriff Court |(1) Not guilty
|(2) Two staff |(2) Guilty, fined £150 plus £125 respectively
Leicester North Station |BRB |25 June 1985 |Leicester Magistrates |Guilty, fined £500 plus £250 costs
|Court
Coquet Viaduct |A. Monck & Co. |23 September 1985 |Alnwick Magistrates |Guilty, fined £1,250 plus £1,100 costs
|Plc |Court
Bridgnorth Loco |Severn Valley |8 July 1985 |Bridgnorth |Guilty, fined £2,000 plus £150 costs
Workshops |Railway |Magistrates Court
Glasgow Central Station |Camrex Corrosion |2 July 1985 |Glasgow Sheriff Court |Company, which was in liquidation,
| Engineers |received an admonition
Sunderland Station |BRB |8 August 1985 |Sunderland |Guilty, fined £1,500 plus £300 costs
|Magistrates Court
Liverpool Street Station |London & Midland |13 January 1987 |Central Criminal |Guilty, fined £5,000 plus £900 costs
| Scaffolding Ltd. |Court
|Scaffolding Ltd.
| (Monks)
Etches Park, Derby |BRB employee |24 February 1987 |Derby and South |Guilty, fined £500 plus £50 costs
|Derbyshire
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Pisa Flight (Baggage)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate urgently the circumstances under which baggage belonging to passengers from Stoke North on Britannia flight BY5784 15.00 to Pisa on 26 March did not travel on the same aircraft as the passengers concerned ; and if he will make a further statement about aircraft security.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : This matter is being investigated. I shall write to the hon. Member when the conclusions are known.
I refer the hon. Member to the replies on 24 April by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friends the Members for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) and for Wealden (Sir G. Johnson Smith).
Severn Bridge (Toll Charges)
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the report of Mr. J. B. Fitzpatrick, CBE, LLB, following the inquiry in Bristol into the proposal to double toll charges on the Severn bridge ; and how long he will be considering its findings.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : This report has not been received.
Private Motor Cars
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, South, 13 January, Official Report, column 800, he will give the latest available figure of the estimated proportion of private motor cars using roads in the Greater London area whose costs are not met by the taxable income of their owners ; and if he will state when the results of studies in hand on this and related topics will be published.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The information is not available. Results of the studies are expected early next year.
Civil Aviation Authority
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has set a new financial target for the Civil Aviation Authority.
Mr. Channon : With the agreement of the Civil Aviation Authority, a new financial target of an average annual rate of return (current cost operating profit) before taking account of interest, of 8 per cent. on net assets revalued at current cost, has been set for the three-year period 1989-90 to 1991-92. The target applies only to one third of the authority's assets since en-route navigation service charges have, by international agreement, to break even and its subsidiary Highlands and Islands Airports Limited is subsidised by the Scottish Development Department.
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
Mr. Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what terms he has agreed to capital reconstruction of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Channon : As part of the company's capital reorganisation proposals, I have agreed to waive the
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repayment of Government grants totalling £110 million and to cancel £1.5 million of Government loans. In exchange, the company accepts that it will no longer be eligible for support under the Ports (Financial Assistance) Act 1981 and that the Department's guarantee of its overdraft will cease. The Government's shares in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company will be voted in support of the board's proposal to capitalise the company's loan stock at the extraordinary general meeting on 30 May.If the shareholders approve the capital reorganisation, I intend to sell the whole of the Government's current holding of company shares at the earliest appropriate opportunity. Following that, I shall relinquish the special share which empowers me to appoint up to three directors to the company's board.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Plastic Explosives
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's response to the proposal made by the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister, Jaremir Johanes, inviting Her Majesty's Government to enjoin in a British-Czechoslovak initiative in the United Nations on the conclusion of a convention on the control of plastic explosives.
Mr. Waldegrave : We have kept in touch with the Czechoslovak Government since I first discussed this proposal at my meeting with Mr. Johanes on 10 January. A team of British officials visited Czechoslovakia on 26-27 April and held most useful discussions. I am arranging for a copy of a joint press statement following the talks to be deposited in the Library of the House.
Prisoners of War
Mr. Hayes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to request the Japanese Government to ratify the 1929 Geneva convention on the treatment of prisoners of war ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : No. Japan signed but did not ratify the international convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war (Geneva, 27 July 1929), to which the hon. Gentleman refers. However, on 21 April 1953, she acceded to the Geneva convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war (Geneva, 12 August 1949), which replaced the 1929 convention.
Brazil
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the Secretary General of the Brazilian Ministry of the Interior ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs did not meet the Secretary General during his visit in April, but my hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development had very useful discussions with Dr. Mello, covering a wide range of environmental issues, including urban pollution and the future of the Amazon rain forests.
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Common Foreign Policy (Europe)
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next proposes to have discussions with his European Community partners concerning the development of common European foreign policies.
Mrs. Chalker : My right hon. and learned Friend expects to meet colleagues from the Twelve to discuss political co-operation matters on 12- 13 June in Luxembourg.
Security Studies
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response has been offered by Her Majesty's Government to the proposals by Mr. Rocard in regard to the establishment of a European institute of advanced security studies within the framework of the Western European Union.
Mr. Waldegrave : This question is being considered by the WEU Permanent Council, which will then report to Ministers.
Ballistic Missile Control
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to institute an examination of effectiveness of the ballistic missile control regime.
Mr. Waldegrave : As a founder member of the missile technology control regime, it is our policy to ensure, in conjunction with our MTCR partners, that the regime operates effectively. To this end we keep the effectiveness of the regime under constant review.
Panama
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the preparations for the election in Panama on 7 May ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : We have noted recent reports quoting Opposition concerns at the use of fraud by the Government to manipulate the election results in favour of the Government coalition candidate. We would deplore any such tactics, and call upon the authorities in Panama to ensure that free and fair elections are held in accordance with established democratic principles ; and to allow individuals from abroad to travel to Panama to observe the elections.
Mr. Arshad Iqbal
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mr. Arshad Iqbal is to be issued with a visa by the post in Islamabad to join his wife in the United Kingdom ; when Mr. Iqbal's appeal, No. -TH/36030/87/6216, was upheld by the immigration appeal tribunal ; and when the post was instructed to issue a visa to Mr. Iqbal.
Mr. Eggar [pursuant to the reply 25 April 1989, c. 463] : I am now replying in full rather than referring the case to the FCO correspondence unit, in the light of the circumstances of this case.
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Mr. Arshad's appeal was upheld by the immigration appeal tribunal on 9 December 1988, and a copy of the determination was sent by the Home Office to the entry clearance officer at Islamabad on 10 January 1989. Unfortunately, it appears that no covering letter was attached to the determination, which was therefore filed away to await instructions. The Home Office is now taking steps to ensure in future that appropriate instructions are attached to all determinations sent to entry clearance officers.The hon. Member will, however, be pleased to know that instructions were sent to Her Majesty's embassy, Islamabad on 24 April directing it to issue an entry clearance to Mr. Iqbal. I should be grateful if the hon. Member could kindly convey my apologies to Mr. Iqbal's family for any distress or inconvenience caused by the delay in acting on the tribunal's determination.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Community Charge
51. Mr. Buchan : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to extend the 56-day deadline on the backdating of rebates.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. The Scottish community charge rebate scheme provides for claims made within 56 days of 1 April 1989, or of the date of receipt of the first community charge demand notice where this is later, to be treated as having been made on 1 April 1989, subject to certain prescribed conditions. The purpose of this provision is to help people at the outset of the scheme who may not realise that rebate cannot normally be awarded until it is claimed. The 56-day period allows sufficient time for the making of a claim, and we see no need for it to be extended. The scheme also provides for a claim to be backdated where the claimant can show good cause for not having claimed earlier.
Hostel Charges
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to review his Department's payments used to cover hostel charges.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Details of changes in benefit payments for hostel dwellers were announced to the House by my right hon. Friend on 16 March 1989 at columns 546-48 .
Doncaster and Mexborough Offices
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the present number of staff at his Department's offices in Doncaster and Mexborough ; what was the number of vacancies at each of these offices on 31 March ; what percentage this is of the formal complement ; and what were the comparable figures five and 10 years ago.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information is as follows :
|Doncaster East|Doncaster West|Mexborough NIO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 March 1989
Staff in post |155 |188 |19
Complement |14 |183 |20
Vacancies |0 |0 |1
Per cent. of formal
complement |- |- |5
31 March 1984
Staff in post |133 |180 |20
30 September 1979
Staff in post |148 |212 |36
Notes:
1. Records of Local Office complements and vacancies are no longer available
for 1979 and 1984.
2. Staff in post figures for 31 March 1979 are not available; figures for 30
September 1979 have been provided.
Benefits
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his reply to the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham, Official Report, 8 February, column 713 , if he will estimate the number of low-income families with children who are ineligible for either family credit or income support.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I regret that this information is not available.
Pensions
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will indicate when he expects to publish a response to the Occupational Pensions Board report on protecting pensions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : When my right hon. Friend published the Occupational Pensions Board report, "Protecting Pensions", he launched a consultation exercise and asked for comments to be received by 30 April. We are now considering the responses to the consultation exercise and will announce decisions in the light of the comments received.
Social Fund
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether independent research has been commissioned into the extent to which the social fund is meeting its objectives.
Mr. Peter Loyd : Yes. We have commissioned the social policy research unit at the university of York to carry out this research.
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the total numbers and amounts of applications for the period 5 April 1988 to 31 March 1989, inclusive, in respect of (a) social fund community care grants, (b) social fund crisis loans and (c) social fund budgeting loans.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 17 April 1989] : The information requested is set out as follows and is provisional :
|Community care grants|Budgeting loans |Crisis loans
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications processed |296,149 |867,571 |468,232
Financial value (£ million) |79.029 |267.437 |26.899
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Earnings Rule
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the abolition of the pensioner earnings rule will affect pensioners receiving income support.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 24 April 1989] : Abolition of the pensioners earnings rule will affect pensioners currently having their basic pension reduced on account of earnings over £75 a week, those individuals currently deferring receipt of basic pension because of earnings over £75 a week and who may now choose to draw their pension, and those with earnings of under £75 a week who may now choose to earn more. Pensioners with earnings over £75 a week are unlikely to be entitled to income support.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Apples
Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to investigate the effects of the apple crop spray known as Alar ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides has advised Ministers responsible for the control of pesticides that there should be no changes to the approval of the pesticide, Daminozide. At its meeting on 20 April the advisory committee considered the information which had been submitted to the American authorities, and concluded that the use of Daminozide did not pose a health risk to consumers.
Ministers are grateful for the committee's willingness to consider the available data on a basis of such urgency, and have accepted the advice.
Monitoring will be continued to assess the occurrence of residues in apples and apple products sold in the United Kingdom.
Farming Policy
Sir John Farr : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to take steps to introduce a low-input low-output system of farming, on the lines of that introduced in other European Economic Community countries.
Mr. Ryder : The Community extensification scheme envisaged incentives to farmers for less-intensive production of a range of supported agricultural products. Now that the Council has adopted the relevant legislation--which, in particular, allows extensification to be applied on a pilot basis initially--I will be considering in consultation with the interests concerned what pilot schemes might be appropriate.
Bread and Wheat
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give for each year from 1979 to 1989 (a) the price of bread to the consumer and (b) the price of wheat to the producer, in actual and at 1979 prices, showing the percentage increase or decrease in each year.
Mr. Ryder : The price information requested for bread and wheat is set out in the table. Final figures for 1988 and
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forecast figures for 1989 for wheat will not be available until published in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1989".Column 125
Average price of <1>Weighted average
standard white wrapped price of United Kingdom
and sliced loaf (800g) wheat at point of sale
Actual price <2>1979 price Actual price 1979 price
|Pence per loaf |Percentage change|Pence per loaf |Percentage change|£ per tonne |Percentage change|£ per tonne |Percentage change
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |29.3 |29.3 |95.92 |95.92
1980 |33.7 |15.0 |28.2 |-3.8 |99.30 |+3.5 |82.96 |-13.5
1981 |36.3 |7.7 |27.2 |-3.5 |108.92 |+9.7 |81.65 |-1.6
1982 |37.1 |2.2 |25.8 |-5.1 |113.74 |+4.4 |79.21 |-3.0
1983 |37.6 |1.3 |24.9 |-3.5 |124.80 |+9.7 |82.70 |+4.4
1984 |38.5 |2.4 |24.4 |-2.0 |114.59 |-8.2 |72.57 |-12.2
1985 |40.2 |4.4 |24.1 |-1.2 |112.25 |-2.0 |67.26 |-7.3
1986 |43.0 |7.0 |24.9 |3.3 |111.18 |-1.0 |64.34 |-4.3
1987 |43.7 |1.6 |24.1 |-3.2 |111.00 |-0.2 |61.33 |-4.7
1988 |46.3 |5.9 |24.0 |-0.4 |<3>104.83 |-5.6 |54.32 |-11.4
1989 |<4>48.7 |7.5
Source: Bread prices: Employment Gazette.
Wheat prices: Annual Review of Agriculture, Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1988.
<1> The wheat prices quoted are net of co-responsibility levies.
<2> Using the gross domestic product deflator (at market prices).
<3> Forecast.
<4> January to March inclusive.
Game
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice his Department issues on the preparation of game for human consumption.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The production of game meat in common with all other food sold for human consumption is subject to the provisions of Food Act 1984 and the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970. Enforcement is the responsibility of local authorities.
We were considering meat inspection provisions for deer when the EC Commission issued a consultation document on health rules for game meat. In advance of decisions in Brussels we have encouraged local authorities to introduce inspection procedures for farmed deer slaughtered in abattoirs. Officers of the state veterinary service are available to provide advice to producers and local authorities and they frequently do so.
Rendering (Exports)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantities of meat and bone meal were exported by the British rendering industry for each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Exports of the British rendering industry are not separately identified within the statistics on the total exports of meat meal and bone meal. The figures on these for the last three years are as follows :
Tonnes
|1986 |1987 |1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Flours, meals and pellets of
meat or offal (including
tankage), unfit for human
consumption; greaves |10,001 |12,299 |13,228
Bone meal |3,902 |5,061 |<1>5,174
<1> From 1988, bone meal is combined in the statistics with
other bones and their derivatives apart from "ossein and bones
treated with acid". The tonnage of bone meal exported in 1988
could be around 2,000 tonnes lower than that shown.
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Slaughterhouses (BSE)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now take steps to monitor and record the incidences of suspected bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases as between non-EEC export- approved slaughterhouses and EEC export-approved slaughterhouses.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The numbers of suspect cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy which are identified at slaughterhouses, as part of the monitoring exercise to stop animals slipping through the net, are being recorded, but I have no plans to distinguish between EC export- approved abattoirs and others.
Radioactivity
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report those radioactive substances for which his Department carries out routine exploratory tests in coastline areas ; where those sites are ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The information requested is published regularly by my Ministry in reports entitled "Radioactivity in surface and coastal waters of the British Isles", copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Harland and Wolff
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who will be the shareholders and in what percentage under the proposed management buy-out of Messrs Harland and Wolff in co-operation with Mr. Olsen ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Viggers [holding answer 2 May 1989] : The shareholders in the proposed management buy-out of Harland and Wolff plc will consist of present management
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and employees and Mr. Olsen through two of his companies. The issue of shares in the new company is a matter for those parties, but I understand that the precise allocation of shares in the new company has not yet been finally agreed.
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