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Ancient Monuments
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a table detailing the cost of the annual applications by archaeologists to (a) his Department and (b) English Heritage for rescue archaeological work to record and excavate sites of national importance in each of the past 10 years.
Funding |£ million ---------------------------------------------------------------- (a) Department of the Environment |1981-82 |6.700 Department of the Environment |1982-83 |7.900 Department of the Environment |1983-84 |<1>7.000 (b) English Heritage |1984-85 |7.100 English Heritage |1985-86 |8.745 English Heritage |1986-87 |11.501 English Heritage |1987-88 |12.230 English Heritage |1988-89 |13.759 English Heritage |1989-90 |7.107 <1>Estimate.
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Comparable figures are available only from 1981-82.From 1989-90 English Heritage has adopted a rolling programme for funding rescue archaeological work and no longer accepts speculative applications. The total of the applications approved is therefore expected to correspond to the funds available.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a table showing the amount of funding given by (a) English Heritage and (b) his Department to rescue archaeologist projects in each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 12 February 1990] : The figures are as follows :
|Spending
|£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of the Environment Funding |1981-82 |4.000
Department of the Environment Funding |1982-83 |4.877
Department of the Environment Funding |1983-84 |5.100
English Heritage Funding |1984-85 |5.538
English Heritage Funding |1985-86 |5.680
English Heritage Funding |1986-87 |7.437
English Heritage Funding |1987-88 |7.422
English Heritage Funding |1988-89 |6.877
English Heritage Funding |1989-90 |<1>7.107
<1> Budgeted
Comparable figures are available only from 1981-82.
Figures from 1986-87 onwards include provision for the Greater London archaeology service, taken on by English Heritage following the abolition of the Greater London council.
Domestic Water Services
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment with what schemes, other than metering, the Government are offering help to the Director General of Water Services, so as to ensure that the changes in charging for domestic water services provide the best value for money ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 12 February 1990] : It is for each water company to decide on what basis to charge for its services once rateable values can no longer be used, and to apply to the Director General of Water Services for an interim adjustment of its price limit (k) to cover the additional cost of introducing and operating its choice of system. The costs of metering on a wide scale are currently more uncertain than those associated with other methods of charging. The Government are therefore providing financial support to a
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series of metering trials to ensure that the results are available in sufficient time to influence each company's choice of charging method and to enable the director general to have regard to the results when considering applications for interim adjustments. The director general may, however, commission research into other methods of charging if he considers it appropriate.Flooding (Windsor and Maidenhead)
Sir Alan Glyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government will extend the Bellwin scheme or some other relief to cover the cost of the recent flood damage to Windsor and Maidenhead ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt [holding answer 12 February 1990] : The Government have not yet decided whether to extend the scope of the Bellwin scheme to cover flood damage at Windsor and Maidenhead. We are monitoring the situation to assess whether an extension would be justified under the criteria for the scheme.
Council House Sales, Norwich
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much lower or higher on average the determinations of the district valuer are on council house sales in Norwich than the prices quoted by Norwich city council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : In the year ending 31 December 1989, the district valuer made 101 determinations of value under section 128 of the Housing Act 1985 on the application of tenants of Norwich city council. The value determined was lower than the council's opinion of value in 76 cases by an average of £3,334 or 6.52 per cent., higher in one case and the same in 24 cases.
Mortgages
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish a table showing the average income of first-time housebuyers and average prices of houses in (a) England and (b) each region in 1989-90 ;
(2) what is the average new mortgage in 1989-90 in (a) England and (b) each region.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 9 February 1990] : The available information, which relates to building society borrowers only, is for the first six months of the financial year 1989-90 :
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First time purchasers All borrowers
|Average |Average |Average |Average
|recorded |house |mortgage |house
|income<1> |price |advance |price
|£ |£ |£ |£
(a) |England |15,921 |43,399 |39,130 |59,428
(b) |Northern |12,145 |25,604 |26,869 |39,146
|Yorkshire and Humberside|13,025 |30,589 |28,952 |43,095
|East Midlands |14,075 |37,707 |34,062 |50,656
|East Anglia |17,210 |50,340 |44,367 |65,980
|Greater London |23,528 |67,558 |60,383 |84,826
|South East (ex GLC) |19,445 |60,270 |52,021 |82,743
|South West |15,426 |49,355 |42,220 |68,867
|West Midlands |13,763 |34,661 |32,696 |50,898
|North West |12,852 |28,666 |29,675 |43,256
<1>There is considerable variation in the income details recorded by different societies.
DEFENCE
Classified Documents
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Colin Wallace file was finally found ; on what date ; and what other documents were located with it.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to the information given in the letter dated 2 February 1990, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence sent to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone). A copy was placed in the Library.
General Dynamics
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the details of the memorandum of understanding with the General Dynamics Company of the United States of America concerning offset agreements for the purchase of goods and services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : No. The details of the MOU are commercially confidential.
Aircraft Disturbance
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any controlled experiments have been undertaken to assess the response of seabirds to aircraft disturbance which have involved either the active participation or co-operation of his Department including service personnel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I am not aware of any Ministry of Defence involvement in experiments of this kind, which would be the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
SA 80 Rifles
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has taken steps to have armour-piercing ammunition for the SA 80 rifles used by the Army in Northern Ireland procured and issued in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is not our usual practice to discuss detailed operational capabilities.
SCOTLAND
Enterprise Councils
92. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the procedures to be used to monitor expenditure by local enterprise councils and training and enterprise councils.
Mr. Lang : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Dumbarton (Mr. McFall) on local
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enterprise companies. Training and enterprise councils are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.Employment, Glasgow
93. Mr. Michael J. Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to improve employment in the north-east of Glasgow.
Mr. Lang : The full range of training and employment services is available to help people in north-east Glasgow to acquire appropriate skills and find work. The training and enterprise development provision available to the people of Glasgow will be further enhanced by the establishment of a local enterprise company for Glasgow which will have responsibility for delivering and combining the training programmes of the Training Agency and the economic development and environmental activities of the Scottish Development Agency at local level in a way which best meets the needs of Glasgow's economy and labour market.
Investment
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the instances of inward investment since the formation of Locate in Scotland which have subsequently been closed down.
Mr. Lang : I shall write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many inward investment projects from outside the United Kingdom were established (a) between 1964 and 1970, (b) between 1970 and 1974, (c) between 1974 and 1979 and (d) between 1979 and 1987 and how many of them survive today.
Mr. Lang : The information requested is not available for the period prior to the inception of Locate in Scotland in 1981. In the six years to 31 March 1987, LIS recorded 309 projects planned by companies. It is not possible to say how many survived to date, since not all the projects were in receipt of financial assistance and therefore subject to monitoring by the Department.
Water Charges
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the (a) metered water charge and (b) non-domestic water rate in each water authority area for 1989-90 and 1990-91.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The metered water charges and non- domestic water rates for 1989-90 and 1990-91 are set out in the table. The figures for 1990-91 are unconfirmed at this stage.
1989-90 1990-91 (unconfirmed)
Regional/Islands Council |Metered Water |Non-domestic |Metered Water |Non-domestic<1>
|Charge |Water Rate |Charge |Water Rate
|Pence Per |Pence |Pence Per |Pence
|Cubic Metre |Cubic Metre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |28.00 |6.0 |43.50 |4.5
Central |21.00 |3.5 |21.00 |2.7
Dumfries and Galloway |28.20 |7.0 |33.90 |6.0
Fife |26.00 |8.0 |28.00 |6.5
Grampian |43.00 |7.0 |45.80 |6.2
Highland |35.50 |9.4 |37.50 |8.9
Lothian |28.70 |4.9 |30.60 |2.7
Strathclyde |27.84 |4.4 |30.19 |3.3
Tayside |32.00 |5.3 |34.00 |4.1
Orkney |33.00 |10.0 |38.50 |8.7
Shetland |22.04 |2.9 |58.70 |10.1
Western Isles |36.00 |16.8 |47.00 |17.7
<1> A revaluation of non-domestic property takes effect on 1 April 1990.
Water Authorities (Debt)
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the level of indebtedness of each water authority in Scotland at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The most recent figures available are given in the table.
Capital debt outstanding at 31 March 1989: Water Account Region/Islands areas |£000's ---------------------------------------------------------------- Borders |9,138 Central |21,602 Dumfries and Galloway |12,734 Fife |32,017 Grampian |63,004 Highland |16,942 Lothian |88,809 Strathclyde |129,494 Tayside |27,781 Orkney |3,233 Shetland |232 Western Isles |3,048
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the expenditure to be incurred by each water authority in Scotland in servicing capital debt in 1989-90 and 1990-91 and the proportion which that amount is of their total expenditure in relation to water supply.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The available information is set out in the table. Figures for 1990-91, and on total expenditure in relation to water supply, are not yet available centrally.
Estimated loans charges 1989-90: Water Account Region/Islands areas |£000's ---------------------------------------------------------------- Borders |1,557 Central |3,435 Dumfries and Galloway |2,075 Fife |4,468 Grampian |9,812 Highland |2,867 Lothian |11,463 Strathclyde |20,831 Tayside |5,385 Orkney |278 Shetland |280 Western Isles |619
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Water Supply
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total expenditure incurred by each region and islands area in respect of their functions in relation to water supply.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The latest available figures for total expenditure, both current and capital, incurred by the regional and islands councils are for the year 1988-89 and are as follows :
|Total Current|Total Capital
|Expenditure |Expenditure
|Outturn |Outturn
|£ 000s |£ 000s
----------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |3,606 |965
Central |11,549 |2,347
Dumfries and Galloway |5,365 |1,614
Fife |9,862 |3,066
Grampian |18,484 |8,767
Highland |7,199 |3,307
Lothian |22,374 |7,722
Strathclyde |68,050 |17,399
Tayside |13,353 |3,949
Orkney |1,412 |1,029
Shetland |2,040 |545
Western Isles |1,263 |352
Education Spending
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the latest figure for expenditure per pupil on (a) books and (b) equipment and comparable figures for each year since 1978-79 in (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools and (iii) special schools in cash and real terms using an index of 100 for 1978-79.
Mr. Lang : The information available is given in the following tables which have been compiled from local authority financial returns. Expenditure on equipment was not separately identified in these returns until 1982-83. There have been some variations from year to year in the recording of expenditure under these two headings. In particular some of the figures for expenditure on library books may include some expenditure on items of equipment.
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Table 2: Expenditure per pupil on text and library books and on educational
tools,
equipment and materials adjusted to1988-89 prices using the GDP deflator.
£
Books Education tools,
equipment and materials
Year |Primary |Secondary|Special |Primary |Secondary|Special
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |9.98 |18.27 |15.99 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1979-80 |10.34 |18.10 |21.18 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980-81 |9.29 |14.78 |19.41 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981-82 |9.48 |14.16 |17.64 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1982-83 |9.50 |13.56 |18.44 |11.06 |36.94 |65.50
1983-84 |11.61 |17.24 |29.24 |9.40 |32.75 |54.38
1984-85 |11.75 |17.01 |26.34 |10.96 |37.02 |71.07
1985-86 |10.40 |15.73 |24.95 |9.73 |35.33 |62.37
1986-87 |12.34 |18.83 |24.10 |10.07 |38.23 |70.00
1987-88 |9.92 |13.87 |18.68 |12.56 |47.64 |83.21
1988-89 |11.23 |17.85 |27.60 |13.23 |48.07 |80.86
Table 2: Expenditure per pupil on text and library books and on educational
tools,
equipment and materials adjusted to1988-89 prices using the GDP deflator.
£
Books Education tools,
equipment and materials
Year |Primary |Secondary|Special |Primary |Secondary|Special
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |9.98 |18.27 |15.99 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1979-80 |10.34 |18.10 |21.18 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980-81 |9.29 |14.78 |19.41 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981-82 |9.48 |14.16 |17.64 |n/a |n/a |n/a
1982-83 |9.50 |13.56 |18.44 |11.06 |36.94 |65.50
1983-84 |11.61 |17.24 |29.24 |9.40 |32.75 |54.38
1984-85 |11.75 |17.01 |26.34 |10.96 |37.02 |71.07
1985-86 |10.40 |15.73 |24.95 |9.73 |35.33 |62.37
1986-87 |12.34 |18.83 |24.10 |10.07 |38.23 |70.00
1987-88 |9.92 |13.87 |18.68 |12.56 |47.64 |83.21
1988-89 |11.23 |17.85 |27.60 |13.23 |48.07 |80.86
Table 3: Expenditure per pupil on text and library books at outturn prices expressed as an index with 1978-79=100 Year |Primary |Secondary|Special -------------------------------------------------- 1978-79 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 1979-80 |120.9 |115.6 |154.7 1980-81 |128.6 |111.8 |167.8 1981-82 |144.1 |117.6 |167.4 1982-83 |154.8 |120.7 |187.6 1983-84 |198.0 |160.6 |311.4 1984-85 |210.4 |166.4 |294.5 1985-86 |196.3 |162.1 |293.9 1986-87 |240.7 |200.6 |305.6 1987-88 |203.7 |155.6 |239.6 1988-89 |247.4 |214.8 |379.6
Table 4: Expenditure per pupil on text and library books adjusted to 1988-89 prices using the GDP deflator, expressed as an index with 1978-79=100 Year |Primary |Secondary|Special -------------------------------------------------- 1978-79 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 1979-80 |103.6 |99.1 |132.5 1980-81 |93.1 |80.9 |121.4 1981-82 |95.0 |77.5 |110.3 1982-83 |95.2 |74.2 |115.3 1983-84 |116.3 |94.4 |182.9 1984-85 |117.7 |93.1 |164.7 1985-86 |104.2 |86.1 |156.0 1986-87 |123.6 |103.1 |157.0 1987-88 |99.4 |75.9 |116.8 1988-89 |112.5 |97.7 |172.6 Note: Tables 3 and 4 do not include expenditure by authorities on educational tools, equipment and materials from 1982-83 as shown in tables 1 and 2.
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Human Retrovirus
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what information he has as to the ownership and disposal of all material produced under the agreement between Cogent Ltd. and the CSA of the Health Service to carry out research work into the production of monoclonal antibodies against human retrovirus at Edinburgh university ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what was the total value of funding contributed by (a) the CSA of the Health Service and (b) Cogent Ltd. in pursuance of the contract between them to carry out research into the production of monoclonal antibodies against human retrovirus at Edinburgh university ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) why the contract between the Common Services Agency of the Health Service and Cogent Ltd. to produce monoclonal antibodies against human retrovirus at Edinburgh university was terminated ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The contract was suspended in June 1989 by Cogent Ltd. following attempts by UnivEd Technologies (the commercial arm of the university of Edinburgh) to negotiate with Cogent financial and intellectual property rights in the project to which Cogent were unable to agree. Discussions continue between the Common Services Agency and Cogent Ltd. with a view to arranging formal termination of the contract in such a way as to safeguard the interests of both parties.
The agreement between the Common Services Agency and Cogent Ltd. relates to the development of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus which might prove of potential value in the treatment of patients. A number of
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antibodies were produced prior to suspension of the project although none was deemed suitable for development for patient therapy. The ownership and disposal of material produced under the agreement will require to be dealt with in terminating the agreement. The CSA has contributed £67,000 and Cogent Ltd. £175,000 to the project.Horticulture Diversification
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications have been received by the Highlands and Islands Development Board under its horticulture diversification scheme ; and how many have been approved.
Mr. Lang : Horticulture diversification is part of the Highlands and Islands Development Board's land diversification programme. Records of applications received and approved are not available.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure has been incurred by the Highlands and Islands Development Board in publishing promotional material on its horticulture diversification scheme and mailing it to potential applicants.
Mr. Lang : In 1989-90, expenditure of £38,000 has been incurred on the information leaflets "Patterns for Change" which promote land diversification.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what provision exists within the current budget of the Highlands and Islands Development Board for a horticulture diversification scheme ; and whether any provision is being made for next year's budget.
Mr. Lang : The total budget for the Highlands and Islands Development Board's land diversification programme, including publication of promotional material, for 1989-90 is £107,000. The budget for 1990- 91 is £90,000.
Cumbernauld--Kilsyth Road
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans for the construction of a new road between Cumbernauld and Kilsyth ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has no such plans. The present road between Cumbernauld and Kilsyth is the responsibility of
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Strathclyde regional council but the minor local realignments to it which will be required because of the proposed M80 Stepps-Haggs trunk motorway cutting across it will be financed in due course from the trunk road programme.New Hospital, Cumbernauld
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received any proposals from Lanarkshire health board for the construction of a new hospital at Cumbernauld ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Lanarkshire health board has recently submitted an option appraisal on the provision of geriatric and psycho- geriatric services. The options which include the development of a new 120- bed unit at Cumbernauld are being considered by my officials.
New Towns
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent advice he has given to new town development corporations on privatisation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : The White Paper "The Scottish New Towns : The Way Ahead" published on 11 July last year, stated the Government's view that a number of the new town development corporations' functions were suitable for privatisation. The Government consider that the privatisation of these functions is not only likely to ensure the continuity of service necessary to enable the development corporations to complete their remaining tasks, but offers the best prospect of safeguarding employment and opening up wider job opportunities for corporation employees.
Since the publication of the White Paper my officials have had extensive discussions with senior management of the five development corporations on the different options for the privatisation of the development corporations' services and functions, the appropriate methods of privatisation and other associated issues.
My right hon. and learned Friend met the chairmen and chief executives of the Scottish new towns on 1 December to discuss privatisation among other issues affecting the new towns. I am encouraged by the progress being made by the corporations in identifying privatisation options and in assisting their employees to explore these possibilities.
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Cumbernauld Development Corporation
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he last met Mr. David Mitchell, chairman of Cumbernauld development corporation ; and what subjects were discussed.
Mr. Lang : My right hon. and learned Friend last met the chairman of Cumbernauld development corporation together with the chairmen of the other development corporations on Friday 1 December 1989, when he discussed a wide range of matters concerning the new towns.
Storm Damage
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much of the £600,000 in European Community storm aid to the United Kingdom announced in February will be made available to his Department.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Decisions on the allocation of EC storm aid to the United Kingdom have not yet been made. Arrangements to identify those affected are under way and any awards will be distributed as soon as possible.
Quarrying
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding the expansion of quarrying in the Highlands and Islands ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 February 1990] : Representations regarding the expansion of quarrying in the Highlands and Islands have not been received.
It is recognised that there are particular mineral resources which, owing to the nature of the geology of Scotland, are more likely to occur in the Highlands and Islands. The extraction of such minerals can, with the appropriate environmental safeguards, bring social and economic benefits especially to remoter areas.
Any proposal for the development of quarrying would require planning permission and would, in the first instance, be the responsibility of the relevant planning authority.
Teachers
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements are made to enable persons who have qualified as teachers outside Scotland to upgrade their teaching qualification to meet the requirements of the Scottish Education Department.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 12 February 1990] : Any person who proposes to teach in an education authority school in Scotland must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Where an applicant's qualifications do not meet the requirements for registration, the council is normally able to recommend a course of study at a college or university to bring those qualifications up to its required standards.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Green Pound
Mr. Yeo : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding the level of the green pound.
Mr. Gummer : I receive frequent representations about the level of the green pound from farmers and their representatives.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Butler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence is available to him that the causative agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (a) is found in offal, other than brain tissue and (b) is not found in bovine tissue, other than offal.
Mr. Maclean : BSE was probably caused by the scrapie agent being transmitted to cattle through animal protein feed. Infectivity studies using various sheep tissues showed that the agent is most likely to be present in brain, spinal cord, spleen, tonsil, thymus and intestine, but not detectable in other tissues. These offals from bovines have therefore been banned from any use in human food as a precautionary measure, even though affected animals are slaughtered and destroyed. Infectivity experiments are being undertaken to confirm that the agent which causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy acts in the same way in terms of its presence or otherwise in relation to cattle offals and tissues.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions more than 50 per cent. compensation has been paid in respect of bovine spongiform encephalopathy confirmed cattle identified at abattoirs.
Mr. Gummer : The compulsory slaughter of animals suspected of suffering from bovine spongiform encephalopathy was introduced on 8 August 1988. Under the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Compensation Order 1988, compensation is paid to the owner of an animal in which infection is confirmed at the rate of one half of its market value, up to 62 per cent. of the average market price.
I propose to introduce from tomorrow new arrangements for the assessment of compensation for the slaughter of animals in which infection is confirmed. Compensation will be at 100 per cent. of the market value of the animal or the average market price, whichever is the less. There will be no change in the basis of compensation for animals in which the disease is not confirmed.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further action he intends to take in the light of the discovery that bovine spongiform encephalopathy can be transmitted to mice through feeding stuffs.
Mr. Maclean : The mice to which bovine spongiform encephalopathy was transmitted were fed large quantities (at least half their own body weight) of brain and cerebrospinal fluid from advanced clinical cases of BSE cattle. This was a laboratory experiment and the method of infection used was completely unnatural. The results
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were not unexpected and provide further evidence that BSE is similar to scrapie, a disease for which there is no evidence whatsoever of its being a risk to human health. Further action in the light of these results is not therefore appropriate.Mr. Butler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to ensure that bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected tissues are prevented from entering the food chain of any other animals either in this country or abroad.
Mr. Maclean : All cattle suspected of having BSE are compulsorily slaughtered and their carcases destroyed. In addition the offals which might harbour the agent in cattle with sub-clinical infection are banned from human consumption. Protein material, including these offals, derived from ruminant animals, cannot be fed to ruminants in this country. However, there is no scientific reason why the offals should not be incorporated into feedstuffs for non-ruminant animals. It is up to countries importing protein material from the United Kingdom to determine the conditions under which such imports may take place in the full knowledge they have about the disease and its likely cause.
Milk Marketing Board
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations has he received about the future of the Milk Marketing Board.
Mr. Gummer : A number of individuals and organisations have made their views known including those representing the Milk Marketing Board and the Dairy Trade Federation. The issue is an important one, and it is right that there should be an open exchange of views. Food Additives
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many substances of no nutritional value were permitted as food additives (a) in 1984 and (b) in 1989.
Mr. Maclean : There are approximately 320 additives permitted by regulation for use in food and these include additives of some nutritional value. This number has not altered substantially between 1984 and 1989. In addition, there are about 3,000 flavourings available to the food industry that are not specifically controlled by regulations. They are however subject to the general provisions of the Food Act and are used in very small amounts.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the enforcement of section 4(2) of the Food Act 1984 in respect of colouring additives with no nutritional value.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 29 January at column 75. The criteria that the Food Advisory Committee uses in assessing food additives was published in "Food Facts--Additives No. 7", a copy of which is being sent to the hon. Member.
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