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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 6 June 1989
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Listening Devices
Mr. Cran : To ask the Attorney-General whether electronic surveillance listening devices are used by the Lord Chancellor's Department or by any organisation or agency acting on its behalf ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Such devices are not used by the Lord Chancellor's Department or by any organisation or agency acting on its behalf.
Legal Reform
Mr. Latham : To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list the meetings which the Law Officers and the Lord Chancellor have had with representatives of the legal profession to discuss the Green Papers ; and what further meetings are planned.
The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers have frequent meetings with representatives of the legal profession at which a variety of topics, which may include the Green Papers, are discussed.
Liverpool Law Circuit
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Attorney-General what action is being taken to deal with complaints about the Liverpool law circuit ; if he will undertake an investigation into procedures on the Liverpool circuit ; if he will consider suspending the circuit administrator ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : A number of complaints about delays in the county court at both Birkenhead and Liverpool have been made. The position at Birkenhead has improved over the past few months and a more satisfactory service is now being provided. At Liverpool difficulties have been experienced, due in part to shortages at junior staff levels and extra staffing resources are being made available in order to provide some immediate relief. A thorough appraisal is also being carried out with a view to strengthening the management structure. There is no intention to suspend the circuit administrator.
WALES
Mid Wales Development Board
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the total expenditure of the Mid Wales Development Board in each of the years June 1978 to June 1988 inclusive.
Mr. Peter Walker : It is not possible to provide the information in the form requested. I refer the hon.
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Gentleman to the reply given by my predecessor to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) on 23 February 1987 at columns 8-10 and to the recently published Welsh Office "Commentary on Public Expenditure in Wales 1989-90 to 1991-92" (Table 23), which provides details of the Development Board for Rural Wales' gross expenditure for the financial years 1977-78 onwards.General Practitioners
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from general practitioners in Wales about the proposed changes in the National Health Service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : We have received a number of representations from GPs and their representatives. We shall be considering them, along with the views expressed during a series of meetings which we and our senior officials are holding with a wide range of interested bodies, before finalising the proposals.
Inward Investment
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is taking to ensure that inward investment in Wales is evenly spread between all regions of Wales.
Mr. Peter Walker : Potential inward investors are encouraged to consider all parts of Wales for their projects. Welsh Development International has regional executives to effect this policy and liaise with local authorities and other bodies to ensure a co-ordinated response to inquiries. In Mid Wales, the co-ordinating role is undertaken by an official of Mid Wales Development who also acts as the area's direct contact point with Welsh Development International. In addition, initiatives have been taken, or are under consideration, for promoting particular areas such as Swansea bay and Gwynedd.
I am confident that the stronger framework provided by the launch of Welsh Development International will ensure that all of Wales benefits from the inward investment drive, though the choice of location for each project will ultimately always reflect the commercial judgment of the enterprise concerned.
Airports
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on bringing into operation local airports in (a) Aberystwyth, (b) Anglesey, RAF Valley and (c) RAF Brawdy in order to facilitate quick access to European business centres via Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and London.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : Airport facilities serving south-west and north- west Wales already exist at Haverfordwest (Withybush) and Caernarfon. There is also a helicopter facility at Aberporth. A privately owned airstrip will soon be in operation at Welshpool. Proposals to develop these facilities or open further airports would be matters for the civil aviation industry in the first instance.
North-South Road
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for constructing a new north-south Wales road before the end of the century.
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Mr. Wyn Roberts : My plans for selective improvements to north- south routes in Wales are set out in "Roads in Wales 1989".
Roads (Expenditure)
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the inflation-adjusted expenditure on different categories of roads in Wales has been for each year between 1975 and 1988.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The information is as follows :
|Motorways and trunk roads|Local authority roads
|£'000 |£'000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1975-76 |146,670 |208,378
1976-77 |204,977 |241,529
1977-78 |138,451 |226,250
1978-79 |128,906 |215,970
1979-80 |125,938 |192,138
1980-81 |120,841 |169,451
1981-82 |150,923 |216,530
1982-83 |160,826 |227,418
1983-84 |197,264 |222,545
1984-85 |138,420 |215,794
1985-86 |125,646 |219,762
1986-87 |133,051 |214,577
1987-88 |145,333 |<1>230,468
1988-89 |<3>153,895 |<2>195,935
<1> Estimate.
<2> Budget.
<3> Does not include EC receipts of £9.0 million.
Note: All figures at 1988 prices, up-dated using the road construction price index.
M54
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has any plans to extend the M54 to Welshpool or Newtown.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : No, but there are substantial improvements in preparation to trunk roads on both sides of the border as indicated in "Roads in Wales 1989" and in "Policy for Roads in England 1987".
North, Central and South Rail Link
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has made any representations to British Rail about the case for constructing a new railway linking north, central and south Wales.
Railway Electrification
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make representations to British Rail about the case for electrifying railways from England to (a) Holyhead, (b) Aberystwyth and (c) Pembroke and Fishguard harbour.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : This is a matter for British Rail.
Community Charge
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now consider reimbursing local authorities with an additional £3 million to meet the cost of introducing the poll tax.
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Mr. Grist : My right hon. Friend made it clear at the time that the terms of the 1989-90 RSG settlement were fixed, and that remains the position. Under the settlement, the total revenue provision made in 1989-90 for the implementation of the community charge in Wales was £9 million. Local authorities are budgeting to spend £10.9 million. Capital allocations of £10.3 million were given and local authorities are budgeting to spend £9.1 million. These are budget estimates and it is too early to form a judgment on the level of actual expenditure which might be incurred. I have made it clear to local authorities in Wales that overall spending should not exceed the Government's plans.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest available figures for people waiting for urgent in-patient treatment in (a) Wales, (b) Gwent and (c) Newport ; and what were the figures in 1979.
Mr. Grist : The available information is given in the following table.
People waiting for
urgent in-patient
treatment as at 30
September
|1980<1>|1988
-----------------------------------
Wales |4,240 |2,887
Gwent |1,212 |855
Newport<2> |778 |428
<1> Reliable information in this
form is not available prior to
this date.
<2> People waiting for treatment
at royal Gwent and St. Woolos
hospitals.
I welcome the substantial improvement and hope it will continue.
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what are the latest available figures for non-urgent cases waiting for one month or more in each of the Welsh health authorities ; and what were the figures for 1979 ;
(2) what are the latest available figures for urgent cases waiting one month or more in each of the Welsh health authorities ; and what were the figures for 1979.
Mr. Grist : The available information on in-patient waiting lists is given in the following table. Information on non-urgent cases is collected on the basis of the number waiting for one year or more.
Urgent cases waiNon-urgent cases
one month or morwaiting one year or mor
30 September as at 30 September
|1980<1>|1988 |1980<1>|1988
--------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |108 |- |680 |440
East Dyfed |- |- |111 |236
Pembrokeshire |101 |283 |708 |1,470
Gwent |848 |553 |1,958 |2,207
Gwynedd |160 |95 |427 |341
Mid Glamorgan |417 |250 |3,942 |2,077
Powys |9 |3 |- |-
South Glamorgan |842 |466 |1,666 |1,767
West
Glamorgan |350 |181 |790 |988
<1> Reliable information in this form is not available
prior to this date.
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Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to reduce the non-urgent hospital waiting lists in Gwent.
Mr. Grist : Responsibility for the management of waiting lists in Wales rests with district health authorities, within their allocated financial resources. The recurrent revenue provision for Gwent health authority for 1989-90 is some £127 million which represents a growth of 34 per cent. over 1978-79 after taking account of inflation. In order to reduce waiting times £1 million of additional moneys were allocated to health authorities by the Welsh Office in each of the last three years to enable them to tackle specific problem lists. A further £1.1 million has recently been made available for 1989-90 of which Gwent's share is £220,000 to fund a scheme to reduce trauma and orthopaedics waiting times in south Gwent. In addition, all health authorities have produced action plans for reducing waiting times and officials of the Welsh Office will be kept in touch with the position through six-monthly reports from authorities.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Nerds
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he intends to take following the finding of glass in Nerds sweets ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : Reports reached Government Departments in the afternoon of 23 May. Following discussions and the receipt of more information, the company decided in the interests of consumers to withdraw stocks of the product from sale on the following day.
Agricultural Development Programmes
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agricultural development programmes are operating in (a) the three counties of Yorkshire, and (b) Humberside ; where are the locations ; what is the total value of grants made to farmers under these schemes ; and what is the source of these funds.
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Mr. Ryder : Agricultural development programmes may be part funded by the Commission of the European Communities under article 18 of Regulation 797/85, the balance of the costs being found from national and local resources. There are none in operation in England and Wales.
New rules established at the end of 1988 enabled the Commission to designate "rural areas" the development of which need promotion and may be assisted financially under all three of the Community's structural funds. The Commission announced the first list of such areas on 10 May : none were in Yorkshire or Humberside.
Fishing (Aid)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many grants have been given to members of (a) the Yorkshire, and (b) the Humberside fishing industry under the European agriculture guidance and guarantee fund scheme from May 1979 to May 1989 ; and how many new vessels were built with those grants ;
(2) how much financial aid has been given to the fishing industry in (a) Yorkshire, and (b) Humberside under the European agriculture guidance and guarantee fund scheme since May 1979 to date ;
(3) if he will list the projects in the fish processing industry for (a) Yorkshire and (b) Humberside, which received European Community grant aid in the period May 1979 to May 1989 and the total value of grants given to each product ;
(4) in the period May 1979 to May 1989 (a) how many owners of fishing vessels in (i) Yorkshire and (ii) Humberside, received grant aid or the modernisation programme ; and what was the total value of these grants, and (b) what was the total value of grand aid give to (i) the Yorkshire, and (ii) the Humberside fishing industry for building of new fishing vessels.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The financial aid available to these regions consists of national and EC grants for fishing vessel construction and modernisation and grants for processing and marketing schemes under EEC regulation 355/77.
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EAGGF Aid for Fishing Vessels 1979-1989
Year Humberside Yorkshire
Vessel Construction Vessel Modernisation Vessel Construction Vessel Modernisation
|Number of Awards|Amount (£) |Number of Awards|Amount (£) |Number of Awards|Amount (£) |Number of Awards|Amount (£)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
1980 |- |- |- |- |2 |169,915 |- |-
1981 |1 |85,470 |8 |131,880 |- |- |- |-
1982 |2 |168,014 |5 |103,472 |1 |87,562 |- |-
1983 |4 |367,860 |3 |55,199 |3 |54,798 |- |-
1984 |3 |291,209 |8 |69,114 |- |- |1 |8,874
1985 |- |- |14 |174,763 |- |- |6 |55,815
1986 |6 |1,305,515 |13 |183,968 |1 |105,856 |5 |40,492
<1>1987 |3 |1,134,316 |2 |8,719 |- |- |- |-
1988 |- |- |4 |65,818 |- |- |3 |23,413
|-- |----- |-- |----- |-- |----- |-- |-----
Total |19 |3,352,384 |57 |792,933 |7 |418,131 |15 |128,594
<1> From 1987 awards are made from Fisheries Budget and not from the Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.
The following organisations have received EC awards for projects involving fish processing under the EC processing and marketing regulation 355/77.
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|£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Yorkshire
1984: Selltop Ltd. |Scarborough|25,223
(b) Humberside
1979: William Hobson Ltd. |Grimsby |31,982
1981: Cawoods Fishcurers Ltd. |Hull |11,329
1982: L. Williamson (Shetland) Ltd. |Hull |38,200
1982: The Grimsby Exchange Ltd. |Grimsby |30,001
1983: Youngs Seafoods Ltd. |Grimsby |215,687
1984: Marr Frozen Foods Ltd. |Hull |18,788
1985: Marr Frozen Foods Ltd. |Hull |10,741
1985: Seataste (International) Ltd. |Bridlington|54,229
1985: The Grimsby Exchange |Grimsby |19,109
1986: Maconochie Seafoods Ltd. |Hull |104,488
1986: Marr Frozen Foods Ltd. |Hull |30,259
1986: Glenrose (Fish Merchants) Ltd. |Hull |47,250
1986: Schooner Seafoods |Hull |44,250
1986: Bluecrest Foods Ltd. |Grimsby |133,017
1987: Marr Frozen Foods Ltd. |Hull |55,745
Note: Total for Yorkshire and Humberside-16 awards totalling £870,298 (
May 1979 to May 1989).
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total value of loans made to (a) the Yorkshire, and (b) the Humberside fishing industry from the Sea Fish Industry Authority in the period May 1979 to May 1989 ; and how many vessels these loans covered.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The information requested is as follows :
SFIA Loans 1979-1989
|Number of Vessels|Amount £
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yorkshire |12 |597,194
Humberside |Nil |Nil
Note: SFIA loans ceased to be available after June 1986.
Farmers (Payments)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the total values of payments made to farmers in (a) the three counties of Yorkshire and (b) Humberside for the sheepmeat regime since 1979 ; and
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how much of this was from (a) the European Community and (b) central Government in the period May 1979 to May 1989.Mr. Donald Thompson : Farmers in Great Britain have received support since 1980 under the EC sheepmeat regime through both the sheep variable premium and the annual ewe premium. Both schemes are 100 per cent. financed from European Community funds. A breakdown of payments since 1979 is not available in the form requested by the hon. Member.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the total values of payments made to farmers in (a) the three counties of Yorkshire and (b) Humberside for the beef premium in the period from May 1979 to May 1989 ; and how much of this was funded (i) from the European Community and (ii) from central Government.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The beef variable premium scheme operated throughout the period mentioned until it ceased at the beginning of April 1989. Funding from the European Community was at 25 per cent. until 19 May 1982 and at 40 per cent. thereafter.
The beef suckler cow premium was introduced in 1980 and continues. It was fully funded by the European Community for the first two years and has been partly funded at varying rates since then.
Statistics are not maintained in a form to provide the information on a county basis as requested by the hon. Member.
Fishing Vessels
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total complement of (a) the Yorkshire and (b) the Humberside fishing fleets ; what are the categories of vessels ; how many fishermen are employed in the industry ; where are the home ports of the vessels, for the latest year for which figures are available, and what were the figures 10 years ago.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The information is as follows :
Port Under 40 ft 40-79.9 ft 80-109.9 ft 110-139.9 ft 140 ft+ Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Yorkshire |<2>1977|<2>1987|1977 |1987 |1977 |1987 |1977 |1987 |1977 |1987 |1977 |1987
Staithes, Port Mulgrove and Runswick Bay |5 |22 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |5 |22
Whitby |15 |53 |22 |20 |- |- |- |- |- |- |37 |73
Scarborough |20 |34 |33 |27 |- |- |- |- |- |- |53 |61
Filey |16 |25 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |16 |25
Other |n/a |10 |n/a |- |n/a |- |n/a |- |n/a |- |n/a |10
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |56 |144 |55 |47 |- |- |- |- |- |- |111 |191
(b) Humberside
Flamborough |2 |4 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |2 |4
Bridlington |13 |26 |35 |28 |- |- |- |- |- |- |48 |54
Hull |- |1 |11 |- |- |1 |- |5 |58 |4 |69 |11
Grimsby |11 |13 |162 |105 |5 |- |40 |3 |30 |- |248 |121
Other |n/a |26 |n/a |- |n/a |- |n/a |- |n/a |- |n/a |26
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |26 |70 |208 |133 |5 |1 |40 |8 |88 |4 |367 |216
n/a=not available.
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Numbers of Fishermen
Regularly EmployPartially EmployTotal
|<2>1977|<2>1987|1977 |1988 |1977 |1987
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Yorkshire |425 |586 |110 |354 |535 |940
(b) Humberside |2,773 |951 |333 |472 |3,106 |1,423
|---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Total |3,198 |1,537 |443 |826 |3,641 |2,363
<1> Changes in the number of vessels under 40ft are due partly to
changes in the definitions used for this sector of the fleet.
<2> 1977=Figures as at 31 December 1977.
1987=Figures as at 31 December 1987.
Fish Landings
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total values of all fish landings in Yorkshire and Humberside for each year for the last 10 years to date for the current year.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The total values of all fish landings by United Kingdom and foreign vessels in Yorkshire and Humberside for the last 10 years and for January to April 1989 are as follows :
|<1>Yorkshire |<2>Humberside
|(£'000) |(£'000)
--------------------------------------------------------
1979 |7,577 |73,733
1980 |6,269 |60,623
1981 |7,582 |46,002
1982 |8,886 |54,104
1983 |10,477 |48,206
1984 |9,542 |41,362
1985 |11,519 |39,333
1986 |12,412 |37,237
1987 |13,556 |37,193
1988<3> |13,305 |34,030
1989<3><4> |2,967 |9,320
<1> Landings at the ports of Whitby, Scarborough,
Bridlington and Filey.
<2> Landings at the ports of Hull, Grimsby, Immingham
and Goole.
<3> Based on provisional landing statistics.
<4> January-April.
Source: MAFF fisheries statistical retrieval system.
Artificial Insemination
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will confine restrictions on artificial insemination services exclusively to those required for reasons of animal health.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Yes, subject to the constraints of Community zootechnical legislation.
Salmonella
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many poultry flocks and how many birds, have been slaughtered since the signing of the Zoonoses Order 1989 ; (2) what compensation has been paid to poultry farmers affected by the slaughter of their flocks subsequent to the signing of the Zoonoses Order 1989.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Since the introduction of the Zoonoses order on 1 March, 25 poultry flocks and 338,963 birds have been slaughtered at a cost of £261,163.76p. In addition 6,333 diagnostic samples have been taken from 45 flocks at a cost of £10,459.79p.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many random inspections
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have been carried out by his Department to ensure that the terms of the Testing of Poultry Flocks Order 1989 are being fully and correctly complied with ;(2) on how many occasions poultry farmers have been detected failing to comply fully and correctly with the provisions of the Testing of Poultry Flocks Order 1989 ; and what action his Department has taken ;
(3) what evidence his Department had uncovered of the falsification of specified samples as required under the provisions of the Testing of Poultry Flocks Order 1989 ; on how many occasions ; and what action his Department has taken ;
(4) what system of checks his Department has put in place to verify that poultry farmers are supplying full and accurate information in compliance with the Testing of Poultry Flocks Order 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Responsibility for enforcement of the Testing of Poultry Flocks Order 1989 lies with local authorities. As the measure has been in force only since 16 March, and as measures for the registration of poultry flocks are not yet in place, it would be premature to reach a judgment on the extent of compliance. At this early stage, poultry farmers and enforcement authorities are still in the process of introducing the necessary procedures and my Department is providing advice and guidance as necessary.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the evidence available on the extent of salmonella infection in the laying flocks of the United Kingdom and other EEC countries.
Mr. Donald Thompson : There have been 35 reports of isolation of salmonella enteritidis in table egg-laying flocks in the United Kingdom so far this year. We have no information on the number of cases reported in other EC countries but know that salmonella infection has been identified in Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, West Germany and Denmark.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with his European colleagues to ensure standard checking for salmonella infection in eggs.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 4 April at column 51, the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh) on 20 April at column 280 and my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 25 April at column 492.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to ensure that all eggs imported into the United Kingdom are subject to the same examination for salmonella infection as those produced in the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh) on 20 April at column 280.
Flood Defences (Thames Estuary)
Sir Bernard Braine : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what detailed information he has on the maintenance work done by the Anglian Water Authority on the flood barriers and flood gates in the Thames estuary, with particular reference to the area from Southend-on-Sea to Purfleet in each of the last five years ; and whether he is satisfied with the authority's standards of maintenance.
Mr. Ryder : Maintenance of the flood gates and barriers in the Southend-on-Sea to Purfleet areas of the Thames estuary is a matter for the National Rivers Authority unit of Anglian water authority. Anglian gives high priority to effective and reliable operation of these gates and barriers and sets standards of maintenance accordingly. The gates and barriers are in any case of "fail safe" design and current overhaul work on barrier machinery is to be completed before the surge tide season commences next autumn. I am satisfied that the authority's arrangements are satisfactory.
BSE
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if any tests exist to diagnose the presence of scrapie or bovine spongiform encephalopathy infected material in animal feed.
Mr. Donald Thompson : There is no test available.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 22 May, Official Report , column 375 , when he first introduced recording procedures in respect of the progeny of bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected cattle ; how such recording takes place ; and how many such progeny have so far been recorded in each year of the scheme's operation.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The collection and recording of data from all affected herds commenced in June 1987 and included details of all previously known cases. The Ministry's central veterinary laboratory holds computerised records of female progeny born up to six months before or at any time after the onset of clinical symptoms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the dam and which are being retained in their herds of origin. Up to 9 May 1989 details of 562 such progeny had been recorded. Details of the years in which they were recorded are not held as the information is of no epidemiological value.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 22 May, Official Report , column 375 , under what provision he has taken power to control the movement of progeny from bovine spongiform encephalopathy infected cattle.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Powers to control the movement of progeny are provided by article 7 of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (No. 2 ) Order 1988, which is made under section 8 of the Animal Health Act 1981.
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Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence his Department has concerning the relative concentration level of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent in the brains, spinal columns and thymus of infected animals.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Proposals for research into this area are currently being considered by Dr. Tyrrell's research consultative committee.
Animal Test Certificate (Pharmaceutical Products)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those pharmaceutical products being tested in 1988 under an animal test certificate under the Medicines Act which were subject to conditions banning the ultimate animal product from sale to the public.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Animal test certificates granted under the Medicines Act 1968 authorise field trials to be carried for the purpose of medicinal tests on animals. Such certificates are granted for two years and are renewable. Trials may not be in progress under all certificates at any one time and it would not be possible to identify products undergoing testing during any specific period.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what circumstances he bans from sale for human consumption products from animals subject to trials of pharmaceutical products under an animal test certificate.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Before an animal test certificate is granted all aspects relating to the safety of the product to be tested are rigorously assessed. In this assessment consideration is given to the safety to consumers of produce from treated animals. If this cannot be assured by a suitable withdrawal period then it would be made a condition of the certificate that treated animals or produce from treated animals should not be sold or supplied for human consumption.
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