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Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to the statement which I made on 30 January in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel (Mr. Marshall), Official Report, 30 January 1990 c. 110-13. Such matters are within the purview of Mr. Calcutt's inquiry.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the reply to the Adjournment debate of 12 February, Official Report, column 118, (1) by what process documents have recently come to light making reference to a project called Clockwork Orange ; and if he will specify the day on which they first came to light ; (2) what factors led to the re- examination of files on the Colin Wallace affair, indicating that Mr. Wallace had undertaken unattributable covert briefings.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to the information given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 1 February and the subsequent exchanges, Official Report, 1 February 1990, columns 446-68, and in his letter of 2 February to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone). A copy of that letter is in the Library of the House.
Electric Vehicles
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department is funding or assisting projects designed to develop electrically powered road vehicles.
Kincora Boys' Home
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Workington (Mr.
Campbell-Savours) of 12 February, Official Report, column 117, what inquiries were conducted into the rumours referred to about MI5 and MI6 blocking of an inquiry into Kincora, to establish that they were unsubstantiated.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to what I said to the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) in the debate on 12 February, ( Official Report, 12 February 1990, c. 117).
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Temperatures
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what information has been received by the Meteorological Office in respect of the number of days between 1 November 1989 and 31 January 1990 when the average daily temperature allowing for wind chill factor fell below 0 deg. C. at each recording station in Scotland ; (2) what information the Meteorological Office has received from recording stations in the United Kingdom regarding any period of seven consecutive days between 1 November 1989 and 31 January 1990, when the average daily temperature, allowing for a wind chill factor, fell below 0 deg. C.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement, on 15 December 1989, Vol. 163, c. 882.
The Meteorological Office does not record wind chill factors, and does not provide such calculations without a specific request stating the criteria to be applied. The work involved would have to be undertaken on repayment terms.
The incidence of temperatures sought by the hon. Member, even without any chill factor applied, could be provided here only at disproportionate cost. However, temperatures covering the same period, recorded for the purposes of regulation 2 of the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988, are placed weekly in the Library of the House on the instructions of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.
THE ARTS
English National Ballet and Opera
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister for the Arts (1) what representations he has received from (a) the chairman of the Arts Council, (b) the chairman of the English National Ballet and the English National Opera and (c) Westminster city council about the future funding of the English National Ballet and English National Opera ;
(2) whether he will list the dates in the last six months on which he has met (a) the chairman of the Arts Council, (b) the chairman of the English National Ballet and the English National Opera and (c) the leader of Westminster city council to discuss the impact of the community charge and the uniform business rate on the future funding of English National Ballet and English National Opera.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 12 February 1990] : I received a number of representations on behalf of English National Opera and English National Ballet. The Government took these and other factors into account in increasing the Arts Council's grant by 12.5 per cent. in the coming year. As a result, the Arts Council has been able to announce a further increase in its grants to these two companies of £1.1 million each in recognition of their special local circumstances created by the termination of the London rate equalisation scheme.
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Arts Council
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will dismiss Mr. Peter Palumbo as chairman of the Arts Council as a result of the failure of the Arts Council to provide additional funding for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 13 February 1990] : No, Sir.
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Minister for the Arts (1) if he will increase the Government's grant to the Arts Council, earmarking the increase as extra funding for the English National Opera ; (2) if he will increase the Government's grant to the Arts Council, earmarking the increase as extra funding for the English National Ballet.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 13 February 1990] : I have already announced that the Arts Council's grant will increase by 22 per cent. over the next three years, including a 12.5 per cent. increase in 1990-91. It is for the Arts Council to determine the allocation of this additional money to individual companies. The council's grants to English National Opera and English National Ballet for 1990-91 represent increases of 11 per cent. and 12 per cent. respectively. The council announced yesterday an additional £1.161 million to English National Opera and £1.120 million to English National Ballet from its reserves, in recognition of their special local circumstances.
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will increase the Government's grant to the Arts Council, earmarking the increase as extra funding for the Royal Shakespeare Company ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 13 February 1990] : I have already announced that the Arts Council's grant will increase by 22 per cent. over the next three years, including a 12.5 per cent. increase in 1990-91. This is an extremely generous settlement and underlines the Government's commitment to the arts. It is for the Arts Council to determine the allocation of this additional money to individual companies. I am advised that the council's grant to the Royal Shakespeare Company will increase next year by 11 per cent., bringing it to over £6 million.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
European Community Free Food
Mr. Barron : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when is the deadline for applications from organisations wishing to operate the European Community free food scheme in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : I and my colleagues are currently considering the arrangements for a scheme in 1990 and will make an announcement as soon as a decision has been reached.
Scrapie
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has as to whether the infective agent in scrapie can be passed to mink.
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Mr. Maclean : Reports of outbreaks of natural transmissible mink encephalopathy in north America indicate that some may have resulted from the feeding to mink of scrapie-infected sheep material. In addition, research conducted in the United States has in certain circumstances transmitted scrapie-infected material from sheep and goats into mink experimentally.Rodents
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment he has made of whether the requirements of the European Commission's common rules regarding the producing of rodents on the European Community market will require changes in the practices of British producers ;
(2) what changes in the rules governing rodent producers in Britain will be imposed as a result of the European Commission's proposed regulation to remove disparities between member states' rodent health restrictions ;
(3) what arrangements he is making to assist European Commission veterinary experts who will be making on-the-spot inspections to ensure British rodents are bred and kept within the requirements of European animal health restrictions.
Mr. Maclean : The proposed animal health conditions governing the placing of rodents on the market in the Community should not require changes in the practices of British producers. Tularaemia, myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease would become notifiable, in addition to rabies, and exports to other member states would not be subject to official veterinary certification. We will provide whatever assistance is required by the Commission's veterinary experts in carrying out their inspections, if the proposal is adopted.
Veterinary Surgeons
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the number of veterinary surgeons employed by county councils in England and Wales.
Mr. Maclean : I have no information on the number of veterinary surgeons employed by county councils.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provision he is making for the training of veterinary surgeons in enforcement of welfare and public health standards prior to 1992.
Mr. Maclean : My Department provides training for veterinary surgeons who are to undertake meat work. Arrangements have already been made to enable increased numbers to receive this training. Members of the state veterinary service (SVS) receive regular training on welfare matters ; a course is held annually to cater for veterinary surgeons joining the service. Individual training is also given to local veterinary inspectors (LVIs) employed to carry out welfare functions. The impact of 1992 on welfare is not yet clear but once any new needs have been assessed appropriate training will, if necessary, be given.
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Animal Movement Records
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new procedures he has introduced during the last three years concerning the maintenance by producers and auctioneers of animal movement records in respect of bovines.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he gives concerning the level of compensation to be paid in respect of bovine spongiform encephalopathy confirmed cattle identified at abattoirs ; what certification is involved ; which officials are authorised to certify payments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The levels of compensation payable for cattle compulsorily slaughtered between 8 August 1988 and 13 February 1990 (inclusive) because of BSE were laid down in the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Compensation Order 1988. The levels payable for cattle slaughtered on or after 14 February 1990 are laid down in the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Order 1990.
A suspected animal's market value is determined by agreement between the owner of the animal and an officer of the state veterinary service, or by one valuer appointed jointly by the owner and the officer or, failing such agreement or appointment, by a valuer nominated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the outbreak of disease among mink in Wisconsin in 1947, where the animals displayed symptoms similar to those of cows affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy, will be considered as part of his Department's research into the causes and properties of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Mr. Curry : The disease referred to in the question is called transmissible mink encephalopathy and outbreaks have occurred in continental Europe and north America. Part of the Department's research programme on BSE is to determine whether BSE is transmissible to mink.
EC Fraud
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of fraud upon the European Community agricultural funds were referred to the Commission by each of the 12 member states in the first nine months of 1989.
Mr. Curry : Regulation 283/72 requires member states to notify the Commission each quarter of all instances of irregularity affecting the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund. Irregularity is defined as contravention of a legal provision, whether deliberate or not, exceeding 1000 units of account (about £800) in value. The number of irregularities notified is not, therefore, a measure of detected fraud, nor does it necessarily relate to the volume of actual fraud committed. The numbers notified in the first three quarters of 1989 are as follows :
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|Guarantee|Guidance
|Section |Section
---------------------------------------------
Belgium |2 |0
Denmark |11 |0
Germany |24 |0
Greece |0 |0
Spain |10 |0
France |85 |1
Ireland |8 |5
Italy |33 |0
Luxembourg |1 |0
Netherlands |58 |27
Portugal |0 |0
United Kingdom |129 |34
Source: Commission of the European
Communities.
Salmonella
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many outbreaks of salmonella enteritidis have been identified or reported in free range flocks of poultry and in intensively reared flocks for the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Mr. Maclean : Between 1 January and 29 December 1989 there were 24 reports of salmonella enteritidis in free-range laying flocks and 77 in intensively reared laying flocks.
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