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Column 72
|£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------
Television |3.974
Press |1.567
Posters |1.120
Other material (promotion/information) |9.639
The estimate for the 1990-91 publicity budget is £14.89 million. Detailed decisions on media have not yet been made.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The estimated expenditure from 1984-85 onwards on fees and expenses for management consultants on social security matters is as follows :
Year |£ million ------------------------------ 1984-85 |0.959 1985-86 |1.722 1986-87 |0.976 1987-88 |1.082 1988-89 |1.203 1989-90 |2.942 1990-91 |2.854
The figures are approximate since expenditure up to and including the 1988- 89 financial year is from a joint health and social security budget. In some cases expenditure has been apportioned where consultants have been engaged on both health and social security matters. The figures include some computer consultancy where this cannot be separately identified. The information for years prior to 1984-85 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Fuel Payments
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his policy on the treatment of cash in lieu of fuel payments as income in respect of housing benefits, following the recent tribunal decision in respect of an applicant in Bridgend.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : In the income-related benefits, the normal rule is for all forms of income to be taken into account. Regulations provide for certain types of income to be disregarded, in part or in full. Cash in lieu of concessionary fuel is not specified as disregardable income, and therefore is taken fully into account in the calculation of housing benefit and the other income-related benefits. Local authorities have no discretion in this matter. The decision made by a social security appeal tribunal in the Bridgend case is not binding on any other case, nor on the housing benefit scheme, since tribunals have no power to review local authorities' decisions.
Arthur Andersen (Party)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the number of his Department's staff invited to the Arthur Andersen Consulting roll-out party on 8 February 1990, their departments and grades ; and how much of the cost will be met by his Department.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Andersen Consulting decided to hold this party in recognition of the successful achievements during the past seven years in developing, with the Department of Social Security (DSS), the operational strategy computer systems. It wanted to mark these achievements with a joint disco party for its staff and those DSS staff, especially those in middle and junior grades, who had for several years been working long hours and under great pressure in developing the systems. There was no cost to DSS.
Social Fund
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 1 March, Official Report, column 319 regarding advice to social fund officers on reviews of claims following the High Court judgment, what is the necessary advice on the question of reviews to which he referred.
Mr. Scott : We will shortly be issuing advice to social fund officers on their responsibilities for reviewing applications in accordance with the legislation and the directions. I shall send the hon. Member a copy.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 6 March, Official Report, column 584, if he will inform the hon. Member for Oldham, West when he makes the information available in machine-readable form to the Library.
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Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will indicate, out of total loan payments made available under the social fund, the sum written off as irrecoverable or for any other reason, in 1988-89, and hence the extra outlay provided at the start of the 1989-90 financial year in order to maintain loan payments at the previous level ; and if he will give his estimate for the same purpose in the current financial year.
Mr. Scott [holding answer 26 February 1990] : During 1988-89 loan repayments to the value of £53,000 were treated as impracticable to pursue. This did not affect the amount available for loans in 1989-90. The corresponding amount in 1989-90 for the period to the end of January 1990 was £735,000 ; this sum includes loans made in 1988-89.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what monetary amount has been deducted up to the end of January 1990 from income support in order to repay social fund loans (a) nationally, (b) regionally and (c) in each local Department of Social Security area.
Mr. Scott [holding answer 7 March 1990] : Provisional information in relation to national and regional data in the period April 1989 to January 1990 is given in the table. The other information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at
disproportionate cost.
Table:
Regions |£ million
---------------------------------
North East |15.10
North West |13.87
Midlands |12.59
London North |9.11
London South |8.03
Wales and South West 8.41
Scotland |16.10
|-------
National |<1>83.22
<1>Figures do not sum due to
rounding.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD Pesticides Sir Richard Body : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will discuss with the farming and agrochemical industries measures to reduce the use of pesticides in agricultural production and storage.
Mr. Maclean : The Government's policy is that the use of pesticides should be the minimum compatible with efficient food production. Government funding of related research and development amounts to some £18 million per annum and the results are published. A proposed code of practice containing advice on the safe use of pesticides on farms and holdings has been laid before Parliament.
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is taking to ensure that food consumers are safe from exposure to pesticides used in food production and storage.
Mr. Maclean : No pesticide may be used in this country until it has been approved by Ministers in six Government Departments including my Department and the Department of Health. No pesticide is approved for use unless Ministers are satisfied that it presents no risk to
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consumers. The approvals process is backed up by statutory residue levels, which apply to both imported and home-grown produce, and by monitoring carried out by the working party on pesticide residues. The results of monitoring are published.Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what representations he has made to the EC on the off-label clearance scheme ;
(2) what representations he has received about the outlawing of the off- label clearance scheme ; and what effect this will have on small horticulture units in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Maclean : Talks on EC proposals for pesticide approvals are continuing in the Council working group. The United Kingdom Government are very aware of the need to protect off-label approvals and are pressing for acceptable wording. The National Farmers Union is being kept informed.
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Veterinary Investigation Service
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the work of the veterinary investigation service is undertaken for agricultural producers on a fee-paying basis ; and what proportion fulfils public health functions.
Mr. Curry : The proportion of the work of the veterinary investigation service undertaken for agricultural producers on a fee-paying basis is 36.4 per cent. ; that undertaken for public health functions is 25.2 per cent. and the remainder, 38.6 per cent. relates to statutory animal health programmes.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the annual cost of the veterinary investigation service ; and what was the number of cases referred to each centre since 1985.
Mr. Curry : The running cost of the veterinary investigation service in the financial year 1988-89 was £5,256,226. The number of submissions to each veterinary investigation centre since 1985 is given in the table :
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All submissions to Veterinary Investigation Centres in England and Wales 1985-89 (provisional) Veterinary investigation centre |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |<1>1989 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aberystwyth |4,925 |3,308 |3,586 |4,041 |3,868 Bangor |4,287 |4,024 |4,472 |4,975 |5,515 Bristol |14,293 |15,741 |15,770 |17,324 |17,863 Cambridge |7,450 |7,693 |8,258 |8,637 |9,740 Cardiff |1,598 |339 |- |- |- Carmarthen |7,296 |7,828 |7,886 |7,488 |9,181 Chester |3,714 |818 |- |- |- Gloucester |7,738 |3,599 |- |- |- Leeds |7,020 |2,625 |- |- |- Lincoln |4,283 |6,182 |8,239 |7,559 |8,232 Newcastle |7,070 |7,349 |9,002 |8,000 |13,966 Northampton |3,194 |1,266 |- |- |- Norwich |6,668 |5,935 |5,265 |6,366 |6,918 Penrith |9,148 |9,407 |9,234 |11,165 |10,535 Preston |4,320 |8,562 |10,048 |11,166 |10,172 Reading |5,732 |5,868 |5,847 |5,774 |7,624 Shrewsbury |8,244 |9,380 |9,663 |7,520 |11,207 Starcross |9,678 |8,889 |9,051 |10,418 |12,862 Sutton Bonington |7,018 |7,143 |7,641 |8,667 |10,381 Thirsk |6,620 |6,583 |6,427 |9,576 |10,173 Truro |4,267 |4,203 |5,032 |6,421 |7,615 Winchester |6,240 |6,598 |6,334 |7,225 |7,297 Worcester |7,761 |8,282 |8,944 |7,607 |7,681 Wye |4,128 |3,652 |3,208 |3,739 |4,368 <1> Figures for 1989 are provisional.
North Sea Dumping
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the companies to which his Department has granted permits to dump industrial liquid and flyash waste in the North sea.
Mr. Curry : The companies that currently hold licences under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to dump liquid industrial waste and flyash in the North sea are as follows :
National Power
ICI Chemicals and Polymers Ltd.
Cleanaway Ltd. (licence to dispose of waste from Tate and Lyle Sugars)
Sterling Organics Ltd.
Allied Colloids Ltd.
Effluent Services Ltd. (three licences to dispose of waste from Orsynetics, Woolcombers Ltd. and Fine Organics Ltd.)
Chlor Chem Ltd.
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Mr. Battle : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 22 February, Official Report, columns 898-99, if he will specify the two wastes for which North sea dumping licences may have to be extended beyond the 1992 deadline for reasons of technical feasibility and the amounts involved.
Mr. Curry : We have announced that it is our intention that no liquid industrial wastes or flyash will be dumped at sea after the end of 1992. In two cases however it might not be technically feasible to meet this deadline. We will extend the licences for those last two wastes into 1993 only if absolutely necessary on technical grounds and for the shortest possible part of that year.
The wastes concerned are :
Sterling Organics--Aqueous residue from preparation of paracetamol ; 42,000 tonnes per year.
ICI--Acid ammonium sulphate residue effluent from acrylics production ; 165,000 tonnes per year.
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Mr. Battle : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 22 February, Official Report, columns 898-99, if he will list the nine wastes covered by the 1987 North sea declaration that are still dumped ; the quantities involved of each waste and, in each case, when it is anticipated that these disposals at sea will end.Mr. Curry : All licences for the industrial wastes covered by the 1987 North sea declaration will be withdrawn as soon as alternative methods of disposal are available. The anticipated timetable for termination of sea disposal is as follows. Quantities of waste are expressed as an annual licensed tonnage. Where a licence is withdrawn within a year a correspondingly lower tonnage will be involved.
Date |North |South |West |Humberside|Total
|Yorkshire |Yorkshire |Yorkshire
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 1986 |1 |1 |0 |0 |2
June 1987 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1
July 1987 |3 |0 |0 |0 |3
August 1987 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1
September 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
October 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
November 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
December 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
January 1988 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
February 1988 |2 |0 |1 |0 |3
March 1988 |3 |0 |0 |0 |3
April 1988 |3 |0 |0 |0 |3
June 1988 |1 |0 |0 |1 |2
July 1988 |10 |1 |1 |0 |12
August 1988 |12 |1 |0 |2 |15
September 1988 |15 |1 |4 |2 |22
October 1988 |12 |2 |4 |2 |20
November 1988 |16 |0 |1 |0 |17
December 1988 |11 |1 |1 |3 |16
January 1989 |14 |0 |0 |3 |17
February 1989 |21 |1 |3 |2 |27
March 1989 |21 |0 |0 |4 |25
April 1989 |20 |0 |2 |0 |22
May 1989 |15 |1 |4 |7 |27
June 1989 |23 |3 |1 |3 |30
July 1989 |24 |0 |1 |2 |27
August 1989 |26 |1 |3 |3 |33
September 1989 |30 |0 |3 |1 |34
October 1989 |28 |3 |0 |3 |34
November 1989 |26 |2 |4 |3 |35
December 1989 |32 |3 |2 |3 |40
January 1990 |35 |5 |8 |6 |54
February 1990 |57 |3 |8 |9 |77
March 1990 |7 |0 |1 |6 |14
|---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Total |480 |29 |52 |65 |626
For the last two wastes licences will be extended into 1993 only if absolutely necessary on technical grounds and for the shortest possible part of that year.
Liquid Egg
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has commissioned into whether grade A hens' eggs derived from laying flocks naturally infected with salmonella enteritidis PT4, when broken out under hygienic conditions within 24 hours of being laid and frozen down immediately after being broken out, may cause the product so derived to be so heavily contaminated as to cause a liquid egg pasteurisation process to fail.
Mr. Maclean : It is very unusual for hens' eggs to be processed within 24 hours of being laid as most egg-processing plants take their raw materials from a wide
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area. The time taken to deliver eggs to a processing plant would enable any salmonella present to multiply and as I explained to my hon. Friend on 5 February only a moderate heat treatment can be applied to liquid egg during the pasteurisation process otherwise its functional properties are destroyed. For this reason, processing plants cannot accept raw product which is likely to be heavily contaminated with salmonella enteritidis PT4 and no specific research has therefore been commissioned in this area.Mayonnaise
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has commissioned into whether, in the course of preparation of home-made mayonnaise in a commercial kitchen, where other foods contaminated by salmonella enteritidis PT4 are present, it is possible to contaminate the mayonnaise during preparation or storage either directly or indirectly from those foods.
Mr. Curry : The contamination of one food by another is always a risk in any food preparation area, including a commercial kitchen. Appropriate safeguards should always be taken to prevent the entry of any contaminated foods into these areas particularly if cooked foods or foods which receive no cooking, such as mayonnaise, are being prepared.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the experimental farms involved in his Department's research into bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; what control methods for the cattle will be imposed ; and if he will make a statement as to how the research will be carried out.
Mr. Curry : The following experimental husbandry farms are involved collaboratively with the central veterinary laboratory in research into BSE :
1. Studies of maternal transmission and its incidence
Boxworth
Gleadthorpe
Drayton
2. Studies to determine whether embryos derived from BSE-infected cows are infective for recipient dams and the progeny
High Mowthorpe
Redesdale
The animals used in both experiments, as well as those on all Ministry farms, will be subject to the same strict procedures that apply throughout Great Britain where BSE occurs or is suspected. In addition, the brains of all experimental animals that die or are culled at the end of these experiments will be examined histologically for evidence of lesions of BSE. The research is being carried out in accordance with recognised scientific procedures using the best scientific expertise available.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by month for the last four years to date and by county, the number of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that have been reported in the counties of Yorkshire and Humberside.
Mr. Maclean : BSE was made notifiable on 21 June 1988. Cases recorded before then are not therefore allocated by date of report but by other criteria, such as date of onset of clinical symptoms.
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October 1989 28 3 0 3 34November 1989 26 2 4 3 35
December 1989 32 3 2 3 40
January 1990 35 5 8 6 54
February
Date |North |South |West |Humberside|Total
|Yorkshire |Yorkshire |Yorkshire
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 1986 |1 |1 |0 |0 |2
June 1987 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1
July 1987 |3 |0 |0 |0 |3
August 1987 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1
September 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
October 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
November 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
December 1987 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
January 1988 |2 |0 |0 |0 |2
February 1988 |2 |0 |1 |0 |3
March 1988 |3 |0 |0 |0 |3
April 1988 |3 |0 |0 |0 |3
June 1988 |1 |0 |0 |1 |2
July 1988 |10 |1 |1 |0 |12
August 1988 |12 |1 |0 |2 |15
September 1988 |15 |1 |4 |2 |22
October 1988 |12 |2 |4 |2 |20
November 1988 |16 |0 |1 |0 |17
December 1988 |11 |1 |1 |3 |16
January 1989 |14 |0 |0 |3 |17
February 1989 |21 |1 |3 |2 |27
March 1989 |21 |0 |0 |4 |25
April 1989 |20 |0 |2 |0 |22
May 1989 |15 |1 |4 |7 |27
June 1989 |23 |3 |1 |3 |30
July 1989 |24 |0 |1 |2 |27
August 1989 |26 |1 |3 |3 |33
September 1989 |30 |0 |3 |1 |34
October 1989 |28 |3 |0 |3 |34
November 1989 |26 |2 |4 |3 |35
December 1989 |32 |3 |2 |3 |40
January 1990 |35 |5 |8 |6 |54
February 1990 |57 |3 |8 |9 |77
March 1990 |7 |0 |1 |6 |14
|---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Total |480 |29 |52 |65 |626
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list, by location and date, the number of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy diagnosed at slaughterhouses by his Department's health inspectors.
Mr. Maclean : Suspect cases of BSE occurring at slaughterhouses have, from 1989 onwards, been recorded on a quarterly basis for each region. Information for 1988 is available as a total for each region from 21 June, when BSE became notifiable, to the end of the year. It has been the Ministry's long-established practice not to disclose details of premises from which notifiable diseases have been reported.
1988 Region |Number reported |Number confirmed ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eastern |8 |8 Midlands and Western |7 |6 Northern |2 |1 South East |3 |3 South West |10 |7 Wales |3 |2 North Scotland |0 |0 South Scotland |0 |0
1989
Region |Quarter |Number |Number
|reported |confirmed
-------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern |1 |18 |12
|2 |14 |11
|3 |5 |5
|4 |14 |13
Midlands and Western |1 |1 |0
|2 |0 |0
|3 |3 |2
|4 |0 |0
Northern |1 |2 |0
|2 |3 |2
|3 |2 |2
|4 |2 |2
South East |1 |0 |0
|2 |0 |0
|3 |0 |0
|4 |0 |0
South West |1 |4 |3
|2 |8 |5
|3 |9 |6
|4 |6 |6
Wales |1 |1 |1
|2 |0 |0
|3 |1 |1
|4 |0 |0
North Scotland |1 |0 |0
|2 |0 |0
|3 |0 |0
|4 |0 |0
South Scotland |1 |0 |0
|2 |1 |1
|3 |1 |1
|4 |0 |0
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Food Prices
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) pursuant to the answer of 26 February to the hon. Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor), Official Report , column 69 , if he will express the figure of 1 to 1.5 per cent. on food prices as an average amount in pounds added to each family's food bill ; (2) pursuant to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southend, East, Official Report , 26 February, column 69 , if he will estimate what the additional cost would be in weekly cash terms for the average family's food bill if the present monetary gap associated with the green pound were eliminated.
Mr. Curry : The average effect is estimated to be about 60p per week per household.
Slaughtering (Infected Premises)
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will commission research to determine why premises on which birds have been compulsorily slaughtered have subsequently become reinfected ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : To date there have been very few reports of reinfection on premises where birds have been compulsorily slaughtered and my Department does not plan at present to carry out the kind of research suggested. The assistance of my Department's veterinary investigation centres is available to veterinary practitioners should they wish to advise their clients on salmonella control in poultry or investigate possible causes of reinfection.
Spent Hens
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what current compensation is paid to an egg producer by his Ministry for a spent hen over 72 weeks of age ; and what level of compensation was payable at the inception of the Zoonoses Order 1989.
Mr. Maclean : The present rate of compensation paid for a laying bird over 72 weeks of age is 34p. The rate at 1 March 1989, when the Zoonoses Order 1989 came into force, was 18p per bird.
Hens (Slaughter)
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many hens of all descriptions have been compulsorily slaughtered under the provisions of the Zoonoses Order 1989 and the Animal Health Act 1981.
Mr. Maclean : Up to 2 March 1990, a total of 1,126,547 birds have been compulsorily slaughtered under the Animal Health Act 1981 as applied by the Zoonoses Order 1989.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total value of payments to all contractors used to assist his Ministry in compulsorily slaughtering hens of all descriptions under the provisions of (a) the Zoonoses Order 1989 and (b) the Animal Health Act 1981.
Mr. Maclean : Up to 2 March 1990, £42,300 has been paid to contractors assisting in the compulsory slaughter of
salmonella-infected flocks.
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Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will reconsider the policy of compulsory slaughter of chickens in the light of levels of employment in meat processing plants.
Mr. Maclean : The Government's measures to tackle salmonella are being kept under review.
Salmonella
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if any of the broiler flocks identified by his Department in the joint public health laboratory service/SVS salmonella update for January as being infected with salmonella have been compulsorily slaughtered.
Mr. Maclean : No broiler flocks have been compulsorily slaughtered.
Eggs
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what grounds he refuses to issue licences to farms which are subject to infected place notices under the Zoonoses Order 1989, to allow the sale of fresh, intact or frozen eggs to processors for pasteurisation.
Mr. Maclean : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 5 February, Official Report, column 499.
Public Relations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total expenditure by his Department on press and public relations in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91.
Mr. Curry : The information required for the financial years 1979-80 to 1983-84 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures for subsequent years are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1984-85 |3.2
1985-86 |3.5
1986-87 |3.1
1987-88 |0.6
1988-89 |0.8
1989-90 |1.1
Figures for the years 1984-85 to 1986-87 refer to the total cost of press, public relations and paid publicity which could be separated to show expenditure on press and public relations only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 1987-88 to 1989-90 relate to press and public relations alone. The estimated budget for press and public relations for 1990-91 is £1.2 million.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts, in the press and public relations office of his Department ; and what is the proposed complement for 1990-91.
Mr. Curry : The number of staff and complement in the press branch of the information division and related posts in the region is 26 and 29. The complement of staff is expected to be the same in 1990-91.
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