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Mr. Archie Hamilton : Following our decison to proceed with the full extinguishment of the rights of common over RAF Greenham Common, we have now made a specific offer of compensation to the chairman of the commoners' committee. If we cannot agree appropriate levels of compensation it is then open to either party to refer the case to the Lands Tribunal.
RAF Exchange Pilots
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force exchange pilots are currently serving with units in the United States of America ; and which aircraft types they are flying.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are currently 32 RAF exchange pilots serving with units in the United States of America. Of these, 24 are in flying appointments. The aircraft they fly include fast jets, trainers, transports, helicopters, and refuelling aircraft.
US Air Force Exercises
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all exercises that are scheduled to take place in (a) the Coronet, (b) the Volant and (c) the Busy Brewer series of exercises at bases in the United Kingdom during 1990.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Planning for these exercises is not yet complete. The Busy Brewer series of exercises is now known as Busy Warrior.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all exercises that took place in (a) the Coronet, (b) the Volant and (c) the Busy Brewer series of exercises at bases in the United Kingdom during 1989.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The list of exercises is as follows :
Coronet Exercises 1989
|Base
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coronet Hoop |2 to 21 April |RAF Alconbury
Coronet Pine |20 May to 17 June |RAF Sculthorpe
Coronet Diamond |1 to 26 June |A&AEE Boscombe
| Down
Coronet Venom |22 June to 18 July |RAF Bentwaters
Coronet Python |25 August to 21 September|RAF Woodbridge
Volant Exercises 1989
|Date
--------------------------------------
Volant Gopher |4 to 7 June
Busy Warrior (former Busy Brewer) Exercises
1989
|Base
--------------------------------------------
15 to 25 April |RAF Fairford
7 to 25 September |RAF Fairford
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he, or any official in his Department, is consulted by the United States Air Force about scheduling of Coronet and Volant series exercises before the United States Air Forces Europe consolidated tasking schedule for the relevant year is produced.
Air-to-surface Missiles
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current North Atlantic Treaty Organisation requirement for tactical air-to- surface missiles.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Alliance has long made clear its commitment to keeping its forces, including nuclear forces, effective and up to date. Part of this process is the replacement of ageing free-fall nuclear bombs. The United Kingdom is considering both French and American options to replace its WE177 but, as yet, no decisions have been taken.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation requirement for tactical air-to-surface missiles was (a) first and (b) most recently publicly stated.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Alliance has long made clear its intention to maintain adequate, effective and up-to-date nuclear forces and most recently reaffirmed this strategy at the October 1989 meeting of the nuclear planning group in Portugal.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any studies into the replacement of the WE177 free-fall bomb have included air- launched missiles of a range greater than 400 km.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is not our practice to comment on the detailed specifications for weapons systems under consideration as possible future replacements for the WE177 free-fall nuclear bomb.
F117A Aircraft
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received any proposals regarding a permanent or temporary deployment of F117A aircraft of the United States Air Force at any base in the United Kingdom or any United Kingdom-operated base overseas.
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RAF Chicksands
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether RAF Chicksands is assigned to NATO.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : RAF Chicksands provides communications support to United States armed forces in Europe, but is not itself assigned to NATO.
Submarine Personnel
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regular medical checks are carried out on service personnel who have served on Her Majesty's submarines (a) during their service and (b) after they have left the Royal Navy.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Before entering the submarine service Royal Navy personnel undergo various medical checks to ensure that they are fit to do so. Throughout their service they undergo regular routine preventive medical examinations, in common with all other RN personnel. About 10 per cent. of those submariners who serve in nuclear-powered submarines are classified as radiation workers, and they undergo routine medical surveillance as required by the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985.
Prior to leaving the service, a full assessment of the individual's naval medical history is made and a thorough medical examination is carried out. Subsequently, full medical records are available to the individual's general practitioner on request, including the classified radiation worker history where applicable.
Financial Planning
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he has made in (a) the role of the financial planning and management committee, (b) the chiefs of staff committee and (c) the long-term costings review for his Department.
Cypriot Ferry Attack
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence following the attack on 25 February on a Cypriot ferry which RAF Wessex helicopters attended to rescue wounded, what information he has on the type, calibre and origin of the rounds which struck the ferry and the estimated size and nationality of the attacking vessel ; which navies operating in the area have vessels of this size, carrying such armaments ; why the RAF was scrambled to respond to this particular emergency ; and what assessment he has made of the implications of this attack for British shipping in this area.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The car ferry Baroness M was attacked in darkness on 24 February during one of her regular journeys between Larnaca, Cyprus and Jounieh, Lebanon. My understanding is that the ship is believed to have had Syrian markings but I am not in a position to confirm this. I am not able to comment on the size or type of vessel involved or the type of ammunition used in the attack. The RAF Wessex helicopters based in Cyprus include a search and rescue role among their duties and were well- placed to respond to the request for
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humanitarian assistance from the Baroness M. As to the implications of this attack for British shipping, I understand that as far as the General Council of British Shipping is aware, no British flagged ships trade with Lebanon or operate in the area where the attack took place.Mr. Colin Wallace
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will specify the details and nature of the series of administrative errors, to which he referred in his letter to his hon. Friend the Member for Arundel (Mr. Marshall) on 30 January, a copy of which was placed in the Library, and which led to Mr. Colin Wallace's file of documents being mishandled.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to the information given in the letter to which the hon. Member has referred.
Submarines
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how deep in the ground the cables for wires in the experimental trial ELF transmitter at Glen Garry forest will have to be buried : and if they will need to be buried in any particular medium ; (2) if he will place in the Library a map showing the area to be covered by the experimental trial ELF transmitter at Glen Garry forest including all access routes, and any areas from which the general public may have to be excluded ;
(3) what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of a permanent installation based on the trial experimental ELF transmitter at Glen Garry forest ;
(4) which roads will be used for access during the construction of the experimental trial ELF transmitter at Glen Garry forest ; and whether any existing forest roads in the area will need to be extended, widened, or altered in any way.
Mr. Neubert : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington (Mr. Boyes) on 19 February, column 573.
The detail of any proposals would be addressed in full in the notice of proposed development and supporting environmental impact assessment which would be submitted to Highland regional council, a copy of which would be placed in the Library at the appropriate time.
If a permanent installation were planned, a further environmental assessment would be made at the time.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Irradiated Food
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will place in the Library a summary of the evidence he has about the safety of food irradiation.
Mr. Maclean : I refer my hon. Friend to the following reports, all of which are already in the Library of the House.
Report on the Safety and Wholesomeness of Irradiated Food by the Advisory Committee on Irradiated and Novel Foods (published by the HMSO 1986).
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Report of the Scientific Committee for Food (Eighteenth Series) (published by the Office of Official Publications of the European Communities, 1987).Report on the Irradiation of Foodstuffs by the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities (published by the HMSO, 1990).
Food from Britain
Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are his plans for the future of Food from Britain.
Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to continue financial support for Food from Britain beyond the end of 1991.
Mr. Curry : I was pleased to announce on 9 February that the current arrangements for Government funding of Food from Britain would be extended until 1992-93. Under these arrangements Food from Britain will receive £3.5 million a year to cover establishment costs plus up to a further £1 million a year on the basis of £1 for every £3 contributed by industry in the previous year. It is now for the industry to demonstrate its commitment to Food from Britain by making full and best use of the services it offers.
Veterinary Product Licensing
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the new scale of fees for veterinary product licensing.
Mr. Maclean : The fees charged for veterinary medicines licensing operations have been reviewed to ensure that they recoup the full economic costs involved. Following informal discussions between my officials and the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), I have received through hon. Members representations from several pharmaceutical companies criticising the proposed fee increases. Statutory consultation and further informal discussions are in hand.
British Apples
Mr. Stern : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Food From Britain will conduct an information campaign in schools to promote awareness of the readily available types of British apples.
Mr. Curry : Food From Britain's promotional activities are a matter between it and its prospective clients. However, I have no doubt that it would be more than happy to explore with the British apple industry the possibility of a joint venture to promote awareness of quality British apples.
Pesticide Data
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food where he stores his records of pesticide data following evaluation at Harpenden ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : Data supporting evaluations are retained at Harpenden.
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North Sea (Dumping)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library any correspondence he has received from other countries concerning his applications to the Oslo commission to dump (a) waste waters from the synthesis of antibiotic and anti-ulcer medicines and (b) the chalk solution from sugar refining in the North sea.
Mr. Gummer : My Department has received letters from the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway concerning my intention to give a further licence for the first waste. I am arranging to place copies in the Library of the House.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library any correspondence he has had with the companies that dump industrial waste in the North sea concerning the agreements of the second North sea conference in 1987.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the meetings he has had with the companies that dump industrial waste in the North sea to discuss the agreements of the second North sea conference in 1987, giving the name of the company and date of meeting in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : I have not held any such meetings.
Food Imports (Cyprus)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions or correspondence he has had with the Cypriot authorities concerning pesticide residues in imported fruit and vegetables ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : We have asked the Cypriot authorities for comments on recent reports about pesticide residues in their fruit and vegetables.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will give the results of all tests on imported fruit and vegetables from Cyprus for pesticide residues in 1989, giving the type of residue found and the quantities ;
(2) what tests he is currently carrying out on imported fruit and vegetables from Cyprus for the levels of pesticide residues ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The Government undertake a continuous monitoring programme of fruit and vegetables from all sources, including Cyprus, to ensure that residue levels of pesticides do not exceed statutory levels contained in the Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels in Food) Regulations 1988. The results are published ; the latest report covering the period 1985 to 1988 was published by HMSO in 1989 (food surveillance paper No. 25).
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the fruit and vegetables that were imported into the United Kingdom from Cyprus in 1989, giving the quantities in each case.
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Mr. Gummer : Provisional figures show that the quantities of the main fruit and vegetable crops imported from Cyprus during 1989 were as follows :
|Quantity
|(tonnes)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Potatoes (fresh or chilled) |90,746
Grapefruit (fresh or dried) |32,989
Citrus fruits |22,881
Lemons and limes (fresh or dried) |12,336
Vegetable products, chiefly used for human food, eg.
locust beans |10,813
Grapes fresh |8,759
Grape juice (including grape must) |4,498
Carrots, turnips, salad beetroot, celeriac, salsify,
radishes and similar edible roots |2,342
Mandarins (fresh or dried) |2,047
Citrus fruit (prepared or preserved) |1,042
Source: Customs and Excise.
Agricultural Development Advisory Service
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amounts of money received from (a) farmers, (b) agro-chemical companies, (c) other parts of the agricultural industry and (d) other sources for the operation of (i) the farm and countryside service, (ii) the state veterinary service and (iii) the research and development service of the Agricultural Development Advisory Service for each year since 1986 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Sources of Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) income are not recorded in the form requested but in any event to provide them in that form would raise questions of commercial confidentiality.
Charging for ADAS services on a general scale was introduced with effect from April 1987 and the present service structure of ADAS also dates from that time. Income for the ADAS services for financial years since April 1987 is as follows :
---------------------------------------------------------
Farm and Countryside
Service |8.9 |10.4 |10.6
State Veterinary Service |2.3 |4.9 |4.7
Research and
Development Service |5.5 |5.8 |5.1
|-------|-------|-------
Total |16.7 |21.1 |20.4
Set-aside Scheme
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of participating farms have received a site inspection after acceptance on to the set-aside scheme ; and how many of these site inspections have revealed breaches of (a) the set-aside regulations and (b) the guidelines for the management of fallow land.
Mr. Curry : The Community set-aside rules require member states to inspect a minimum of 5 per cent. of holdings on which land is being set aside under the scheme. It is not departmental policy to indicate the expected or achieved levels and inspection in the interests of proper enforcement. Information on the results of inspections in the first year of the scheme is not yet available.
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Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers indicated on their set-aside application forms that they had (a) applied for and (b) obtained planning permission for land entered under the non-agricultural use option of the set-aside scheme.
Mr. Curry : Applicants for set-aside are not required to give this information. However, the scheme literature draws attention to the requirement to obtain planning permission before the land is used for certain non-agricultural purposes.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what area and what percentage of land set aside in each county in 1989 falls within less-favoured areas ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The information is available by MAFF division but not by county. It is as follows :
Division in which LFA land |Area of LFA |Percentage of
has been set-aside |land set-aside |Division total of
|(hectares) |set-aside land
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carlisle |15.4 |12.7
Newcastle |561.7 |47.3
Northallerton |50.5 |3.3
Truro |25.7 |6.0
Taunton |14.8 |1.5
Note: The information relates to 1989 entrants only and is provisional.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his latest estimate of the reduction in the 1989 United Kingdom cereal harvest due to the operation of the set-aside scheme.
Mr. Curry : The area of arable land set aside in the 1988-89 season represented about 1.2 per cent. of the United Kingdom arable area. The effect on the cereal harvest depends on assessments of what crop would otherwise have been grown on the land concerned and what the yield per hectare would have been. I shall be able to form a better view on this matter when I have the results of an evaluation of the scheme which has been commissioned by my Department from Reading university.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the impact of the set-aside scheme on agricultural employment in 1988 and 1989 ; and what is his estimate for 1990.
Mr. Curry : Levels of employment in agriculture are influenced by a number of factors, of which the existence of the set-aside scheme is only one. I will be in a position to form a judgment on the employment effects of set-aside when I have the results of an evaluation of the scheme being carried out which has been commissioned by my Department from Reading university.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of land in the non-agricultural use option of the set- aside scheme is being used for enterprises connected with (a) tourism, (b) recreation and (c) leisure.
Mr. Curry : The information is not available in the form requested. The information I have suggests that the majority of the land set aside to non-agricultural purposes is being used for horse-based activities, golf courses and sports fields.
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Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will produce a breakdown by county of the number of participating farms and total set-aside areas for the second year of the scheme and options chosen per county for both years of the scheme.Mr Gummer : The table shows a breakdown by English county of 1989 entrants and figures of United Kingdom uptake for 1989 compared with that for 1988. Information on land use options is not available broken down by county, but overall percentages for the two years are given in the table.
(a) Breakdown of 1989 entrants into set-aside scheme by English
county
County |Number of |Total area |Average area
|participants|set-aside |per farm
|farms |(hectares) |(hectares)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |13 |384.75 |29.60
Bedfordshire |31 |1,125.00 |36.29
Berkshire |21 |1,152.43 |54.88
Buckinghamshire |53 |2,063.95 |38.94
Cambridgeshire |48 |1,695.00 |35.31
Cheshire |11 |207.67 |18.88
Cleveland |3 |59.34 |19.78
Cornwall |18 |421.48 |23.42
Cumbria |6 |120.07 |20.01
Derbyshire |11 |143.42 |13.04
Devonshire |30 |820.23 |27.34
Dorset |18 |467.64 |25.98
Durham |6 |297.67 |49.61
Essex |65 |2,346.45 |36.10
Gloucestershire |38 |2,526.73 |66.49
Greater London |1 |26.32 |26.32
Greater
Manchester |3 |62.04 |20.68
Hampshire |37 |3,640.71 |98.40
Hereford/Worcs |31 |839.64 |27.09
Hertfordshire |24 |1,044.52 |43.52
Humberside |24 |924.49 |38.52
Isle of Wight |3 |130.02 |43.34
Kent |58 |2,301.57 |39.68
Lancashire |6 |95.74 |15.96
Leicestershire |19 |1,059.44 |55.76
Lincolnshire |76 |1,942.10 |25.55
Merseyside |- |- |-
West Midlands |3 |88.36 |29.45
Norfolk |64 |2,263.35 |35.36
Northamptonshire |33 |2,000.00 |60.60
Northumberland |13 |555.22 |42.71
Nottinghamshire |12 |348.96 |29.08
Oxfordshire |66 |3,912.43 |59.28
Shropshire |9 |241.62 |26.85
Somerset |15 |493.34 |32.89
Staffordshire |15 |542.01 |36.13
Suffolk |86 |1,943.11 |22.59
Surrey |16 |1,062.38 |66.40
East Sussex |30 |956.29 |31.88
West Sussex |27 |2,164.53 |80.17
Tyne and Wear |4 |179.70 |44.92
Warwickshire |27 |758.07 |28.08
Wiltshire |38 |1,572.17 |41.37
North Yorkshire |36 |1,326.40 |36.84
South Yorkshire |5 |44.19 |8.84
West Yorkshire |4 |28.17 |7.04
Total England |1,157 |46,378.72 |40.09
Note: figures are provisional.
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(b) United Kingdom uptake of the set-aside scheme distributed by country
No. of farms Hectares of land set-aside
|1988 entrants|1989 entrants|Cumulative |1988 entrants|1989 entrants|Cumulative
|total |total
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |1,327 |1,157 |2,484 |41,175 |46,379 |87,554
Scotland |374 |172 |546 |12,617 |8,567 |21,184
Wales |31 |11 |42 |701 |413 |1,114
Northern Ireland |14 |10 |24 |137 |72 |209
Total United Kingdom |1,746 |1,350 |3,096 |54,630 |55,431 |110,061
Note: Figures are provisional.
(c) Percentage of set-aside land used for the different land
use
options: United Kingdom figures.
Percentage of total area set aside
by entrants in each year
---------------------------------------------------------------
|1988 entrants|1989 entrants
Permanent fallow |79 |80
Rotational fallow |12 |7
Woodland |2 |2
Non-agricultural use |7 |11
Veal Imports
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by volume, value and country of origin imports of veal into the United Kingdom for each of the last four years.
Mr. Curry : The following table shows imports of veal into the United Kingdom between 1986 and 1989 by country of consignment. Figures for 1988 and 1989 exclude cuts of veal because of changes in the commodity coding.
Column 332
|Tonnes|£000
-------------------------------------------------
1986
France |42 |112
Netherlands |3,699 |12,648
Federal Republic of Germany |76 |154
Irish Republic |248 |441
Denmark |38 |85
Uruguay |12 |21
1987
France |11 |22
Netherlands |2,925 |10,954
Federal Republic of Germany |9 |27
Irish Republic |294 |599
Australia |27 |59
1988
France |300 |713
Netherlands |1,066 |4,630
Federal Republic of Germany |290 |585
Italy |57 |104
Irish Republic |4,071 |10,418
Denmark |22 |70
Bahrain |<2>- |1
Australia |12 |51
Canada |2 |5
United States of America |104 |277
1989<1>
France |208 |668
Belgium/Luxembourg |8 |18
Netherlands |765 |3,095
Federal Republic of Germany |167 |335
Irish Republic |3,734 |10,437
Denmark |14 |60
Spain |19 |38
Sweden |<2>- |<2>-
Australia |6 |32
United States of America |22 |76
Source: Customs and Excise
<1>Figures are provisional and cover the period
January to November (the latest for which data
in this detail are readily available).
<2>denotes less than half units shown.
Low-fat and Dairy Spreads
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has received any representations for a change in the law to bring the contents of low-fat and dairy spreads into line with current laws covering water and vitamin content of butter and margarine ; and whether he has any plans to discuss the subject with interested parties.
Mr. Curry : I have received numerous representations from interested parties during the recent consultation period on the Ministry discussion paper on yellow fats legislation. The views of the food advisory committee are being sought before I decide how to proceed, but interested parties will be given an opportunity to comment on any proposed changes to existing legislation.
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Sheep Farmers
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many sheep farmers in each of the counties in England have flocks of over 1,000 ewes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Information on flock sizes is not available in the form requested.
Food (Pesticide Residues)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence he has had since 1 February with food retailers and manufacturers about pesticide residues in food.
Food Research
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much he has allocated on research into food spoilage and applied nutrition for each of the last five years, including the current year ; and how much he estimates will be spent in 1990-91.
Mr. Gummer : Details of my Department's expenditure on food spoilage and applied nutrition in 1988-89 are contained in a report to the priorities board for R and D in agriculture and food which I have placed in the Library of the House. For 1989-90 and 1990-91 I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 19 February, Official Report, column 576 . Information for earlier years is not readily available.
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