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Mr. Dorrell : Information about the use made by local authorities of section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948 is not collected centrally. This is a matter for local authorities and the courts and no central guidance has been issued.
Cancer
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has any information on the protection offered by selenium against carcinogens in humans.
Mr. Dorrell : Some reports in the scientific literature suggest that the risk of developing cancers of the lung, colon and bladder decreases as the consumption of vegetables with a high selenium content increases. However, other reports suggest that the risk of developing cancers of the stomach and liver and, in contradiction of the aforementioned reports, of the lung increases as the blood level of selenium increases.
Selenium is one of a number of substances that appear to inhibit the development of cancer. The mechanism whereby such substances exercise inhibitory effects are not clear and, for the present, no firm conclusions can be drawn. It is important to note that an excess of selenium can cause acute illness and it is inadvisable for anyone to take selenium supplements other than under medical supervision. Eating a well-balanced diet will ensure, for most people, an adequate intake of selenium.
If further data become available they will be carefully considered.
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Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he is aware of any studies which point to a possible role for calcium ingestion in the prevention of cancers in humans ; (2) if his Department has any information on studies which have demonstrated a possible link between nutrition and pre-cancerous intestinal lesions ;
(3) if his Department holds any information on studies of links between diet and cancers of the pancreas and bile ducts.
Mr. Dorrell : No such studies have been drawn to our attention.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department holds any information on studies which demonstrate a possible relationship between nutrition, alcohol consumption and breast cancer.
Mr. Dorrell : We are aware of a number of studies investigating such links.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has yet received the report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer on the control study relating to the links between nutrition, lifestyle and the incidence of breast and colon cancer in the European Community.
Creosote
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has of any carcinogenic risk to humans from the use of creosote as a wood preservative.
Mr. Dorrell : There are case reports published in the United Kingdom and reports to Her Majesty's inspector of factories of skin cancers among workers treating timber with creosote, handling creosote in storage and using creosote as a releasing agent for brick moulds. These indicate that repeated and prolonged contact with the skin over many years may result in skin cancer. The WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has, on the basis of these reports and the results of experiments on laboratory animals, classified creosote as a probable carcinogen. However, there is no evidence to indicate that occasional contact with creosote would be likely to give rise to cancers.
Alzheimer's Disease
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the projections of those suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related dementias for the periods (a) 1985 to 1990, (b) 1990 to 1995 and (c) 1995 to 2000 ; and what assumptions these projections are based on.
Mr. Dorrell : Such projections are not produced.
Vehicle Emissions
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has made an assessment of the possible impact of (a) burnt hydrocarbon gases from diesel engine exhausts, (b) nitrogen dioxide and (c) sulphur dioxide on the potency of pollen grains and the consequences for public health ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Dorrell : Reports in the scientific literature of interactions between pollen and a range of air pollutants from motor vehicle or other fuel-burning sources have been examined in relation to their possible effect on the occurrence of asthma, but no clear conclusions have emerged. The matter is being kept under review.
GP Budgets
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments are projected to general practitioners to (a) work up and (b) operate practice budgets.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Eligible practices are able to claim an allowance of up to £16,000 to help meet the costs of the preparatory work necessary in order to become fund holders. From 1 April next year fund -holding practices will be able to claim an annual management allowance of up to £32,000 to help meet the costs incurred in running the fund. In addition, practices which commit themselves formally to participation in the scheme will be able to claim an extra 25 per cent. of the cost of purchasing, leasing or upgrading their computer systems in accordance with a scale to be published in the statement of fees and allowances. This is in addition to the allowance of up to 50 per cent. which all GPs can claim.
Embossed Literature Service
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the amount awarded by his Department to fund the embossed literature service for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available ;
(2) what steps he is taking to encourage greater provision of materials in braille ;
(3) what would be the current value of the embossed literature service grant had it been increased in line with inflation since 1979 ;
(4) what discussions he has held with the Royal National Institute for the Blind on the embossed literature service grant.
Mr. Dorrell : The table shows the amounts awarded, under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, to the Royal National Institute for the Blind's (RNIB) embossed literature service, for each of the financial years 1981-82 to 1990-91. The amount awarded in 1978-79 (£165,000) would be worth £411,341 at 1990-91 prices. Officials met a number of senior representatives of the RNIB in February this year to discuss the future funding of this service, which produces embossed literature to meet a wide variety of social, cultural, educational and technical needs. As a consequence of this meeting, a number of suggestions have been offered to the RNIB for generating new sources of income for the service. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People has also initiated discussions between his officials and the RNIB about producing social security information in braille at an agreed cost which would be met by funds from the Department of Social Security.
Year |Amount
|(£000)
----------------------
1981-82 |355
1982-83 |235
1983-84 |240
1984-85 |250
1985-86 |250
1986-87 |250
1987-88 |250
1988-89 |250
1989-90 |250
1990-91 |200
Table file CW900717.029 not available
Pro Plus Tablets
Mr. Rhodes James : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received any representations on Pro Plus tablets ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have received one letter from my hon. Friend.
Self-Governing Trusts
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library on a daily basis applications received by his Department by units for self-governing trust status.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No. However, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State will direct the relevant regional health authority to consult on each application for trust status. The region will seek the views of local Members of Parliament as part of this process. If the hon. Member wishes to see individual applications, he should contact the relevant regions.
Heart Drugs
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the budgets set aside for heart drugs in each regional health authority for 1990-91 ; and what were these budgets, expressed as an expenditure figure per head.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Health authorities are responsible for setting their own budgets for particular items of expenditure. Details are not held centrally.
National Health Service and Community Care Act (Publicity)
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will break down the £2.75 million being spent on publicising the National Health Service and Community Care Act, giving the amount spent on (a) design, (b) production and (c) distribution of the booklet ; and if he will give the timetable for distribution ; (2) if work done on the design of the booklet to publicise the National Health Service and the Community Care Act was done by an outside agency ; whether tenders were invited for (a) the design and (b) the production of the booklet ; and when the decision was taken to produce and distribute 20 million booklets.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The estimated costs for the booklet "The NHS Reforms and You" are :
|£
-------------------------------------------
(a) Design costs |24,000
(b) Production costs |1,400,000
(c) Distribution costs |800,000
|-------
|2,224,000
These costs are for the English version only. The remainder of the £2.75 million will be required for the production and distribution of the shorter version being produced in nine ethnic minority languages for fulfilling requests for further copies of the English version and the "Look After Your Heart" insert. The distribution begins in the week comencing 16 July and is scheduled for completion in the week commencing 13 August. Ninety-two per cent. of households should receive a copy in the first week.
The decision to produce and distribute the booklet was taken on 15 March 1990.
The booklet was designed by an outside agency appointed by tender. The production of the booklet was commissioned by Central Office of Information and HMSO using suppliers approved by them and appointed on their ability to deliver a quality product, on time, at a competitive price.
Herbal Medicines
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure the continued availability of herbal medicines ; and if he will make a statement on the progress of European Community deliberations in respect of controls on herbal medicines.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are no new initiatives in Europe exclusively or explicitly affecting herbal medicines. There are currently under consideration European Community proposals which apply to all medicinal products, including herbal products, and which have implications for their wholesale distribution, legal status, labelling, advertising and future licensing. There are also proposals for a directive to regulate homoeopathic medicines.
None of these proposals implies any change to the general availability of herbal medicinal products, and none is planned.
Colin Jago
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he received a report from the Nottingham health authority on the death of Colin Jago ; what conclusions he has reached ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : We received a report from Nottingham health authority in late June. Having read the report, we have concluded that Mr. Jago received a proper level of care from the Nottingham health authority.
Hazardous Substances
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the production and use of (a) 2-Naphthylamine and its salts, (b) 4- Aminobiphenyl and its salts, (c) Benzidine and its salts and (d) 4- Nitrodiphenyl is permitted in Britain.
Mr. Nicholls : I have been asked to reply.
Regulation 4 and schedule 2 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 (COSHH) prohibit the manufacture and use for all purposes, and the importation into the United Kingdom,
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of 4-aminodiphenyl, 4-nitrodiphenyl, benzidine, 2-naphthylamine, their salts and any substance containing any of these compounds in a total concentration exceeding 0.1 per cent.Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the carcinogenic substances that have already been classified by directive 67/548/EEC.
Mr. Nicholls : I have been asked to reply.
The list of carcinogenic substances is included in part 1A1 of the third edition of the "Authorised and Approved List--information approved for the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances for supply and conveyance by road", published by the Health and Safety Commission. A copy of this is available from the House of Commons Library.
SCOTLAND
TVEI
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is carrying out any current evaluation of the educational impact of the technical and vocational education initiative.
Mr. Lang : A report by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools on TVEI pilot projects, "Learning and Teaching in TVEI in Scotland", was published in November last year. A series of evaluation studies has also been undertaken as part of the initiative itself. The need for further work is kept under review.
Playground Supervision
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the latest position on his playground supervision initiatives.
Mr. Lang : The Schools (Safety and Supervision of Pupils) (Scotland) Regulations 1990, which place a duty on education authorities to provide playground supervision for most primary and all special school pupils under their charge, came into force on 1 April 1990.
Waste Incinerator, Scotstoun
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received an appeal against Glasgow district council's decision to refuse planning permission for a medical waste incinerator in Scotstoun.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has not received such an appeal.
Court Proceedings
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state, in respect of each procurator fiscal office, the number of police reports received in 1989 and the actual number and percentage marked no proceedings.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The number of reports submitted by the police and other reporting agencies to procurators fiscal which were marked "no proceedings" in each procurator fiscal office for 1989 is as follows :
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|Reports |No |Percentage
|Proceedings
--------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen |14,411 |820 |5.69
Airdrie |9,295 |768 |8.26
Alloa |3,226 |306 |9.49
Arbroath |2,644 |152 |5.75
Ayr |11,953 |1,175 |9.83
Banff |1,140 |59 |5.18
Campbeltown |803 |78 |9.71
Cupar |3,288 |274 |8.33
Dingwall |1,969 |179 |9.09
Dornoch |660 |44 |6.67
Dumbarton |9,137 |602 |6.59
Dumfries |7,073 |288 |4.07
Dundee |13,812 |2,261 |16.37
Dunfermline |8,395 |615 |7.33
Dunoon |1,463 |185 |12.65
Duns |1,388 |93 |6.70
Edinburgh |41,411 |4,029 |9.73
Elgin |4,956 |530 |10.69
Falkirk |11,329 |1,606 |14.18
Forfar |3,403 |125 |3.67
Fort William |1,804 |118 |6.54
Glasgow |82,948 |19,066 |22.99
Greenock |7,573 |406 |5.36
Haddington |4,785 |466 |9.74
Hamilton |28,404 |2,486 |8.75
Inverness |6,593 |625 |9.48
Jedburgh |1,872 |138 |7.37
Kilmarnock |14,099 |1,164 |8.26
Kirkcaldy |9,443 |517 |5.47
Kirkcudbright |1,411 |35 |2.48
Kirkwall |664 |56 |8.43
Lanark |5,254 |1,194 |22.73
Lerwick |1,007 |137 |13.60
Linlithgow |9,928 |457 |4.60
Lochmaddy |244 |13 |5.33
Oban |1,174 |74 |6.30
Paisley |12,935 |921 |7.12
Peebles |1,126 |61 |5.42
Perth |8,908 |1,211 |13.59
Peterhead |2,731 |273 |10.00
Portree |586 |35 |5.97
Rothsay |373 |58 |15.55
Selkirk |2,280 |228 |10.00
Stirling |7,623 |422 |5.54
Stonehaven |3,119 |202 |6.48
Stornoway |1,027 |20 |1.95
Stranraer |2,336 |243 |10.40
Tain |1,464 |163 |11.13
Wick |1,218 |114 |9.36
|------- |-------
Total 1989 |374,685 |45,092 |12.03
EC-Gulf Trade
Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department will make any assessment of the effects on employment in the petrochemical and allied industries in Scotland of a free trade agreement between the European Community and the states of the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Mr. Lang : The Government have consulted widely with industries interested in these forthcoming negotiations, including the petrochemical industry and remain ready to consider further views. Employment in Scotland will be one of the issues to be considered.
Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department will make any assessment of the effects on the offshore industry in Scotland of a free trade agreement between the European Community and the states of the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Column 519
Mr. Lang : Assessment of the effects of a free trade agreement between the European Community and the Gulf Co- operation Council is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. However, any such agreement is expected to have little effect on the offshore sector in Scotland.Column 520
Court Delays
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has regarding the delay in weeks between pleading and trial hearings in (a) each sheriff court and (b) each district court in Scotland for the quarters ended (i) 31 December 1988, (ii) 31 March 1989, (iii) 30 June 1989, (iv) 30 September 1989, (v) 31 December 1989 and (vi) 31 March 1990.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is set out in the tables :
Column 519
Interval (in weeks) between pleading and trial diets
B. District courts
District court Quarter ended
|31 December |31 March |30 June |30 September|31 December |31 March
|1988 |1989 |1989
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen |15 |11 |14 |17 |22 |20
Airdrie |12 |11 |12 |13 |16 |18
Alloa |19 |16 |15 |8 |6 |11
Arbroath |4 |4 |8 |8 |8 |8
Ayr |12 |14 |15 |20 |19 |18
Banff |0 |2 |9 |9 |7 |6
Campbeltown |8 |8 |8 |8 |8 |8
Cupar |7 |10 |14 |11 |14 |9
Dingwall |8 |4 |4 |4 |4 |4
Dornoch |10 |10 |10 |10 |10 |10
Dumbarton |22 |16 |16 |16 |14 |14
Dumfries |20 |13 |12 |12 |12 |12
Dundee |6 |6 |7 |7 |12 |13
Dunfermline |20 |25 |17 |16 |15 |22
Dunoon |4 |4 |8 |8 |8 |8
Duns |4 |4 |4 |4 |4 |4
Edinburgh |11 |12 |15 |16 |16 |26
Elgin |12 |9 |14 |11 |11 |16
Falkirk |16 |13 |20 |15 |21 |18
Forfar |16 |16 |12 |16 |17 |13
Fort William |4 |6 |6 |6 |6 |8
Glasgow |21 |21 |20 |14 |13 |14
Greenock |6 |13 |16 |16 |9 |8
Haddington |48 |45 |15 |14 |10 |11
Hamilton |20 |11 |13 |12 |10 |13
Inverness |7 |10 |6 |10 |7 |7
Jedburgh |7 |6 |6 |6 |6 |6
Kilmarnock |7 |8 |11 |8 |8 |8
Kirkcaldy |12 |20 |12 |10 |13 |12
Kirkcudbright |10 |10 |10 |10 |10 |10
Lanark |6 |6 |9 |9 |9 |7
Linlithgow |14 |14 |20 |13 |14 |14
Oban |8 |10 |12 |12 |4 |8
Paisley |27 |23 |22 |23 |12 |14
Peebles |8 |8 |8 |8 |8 |8
Perth |3 |10 |12 |7 |5 |6
Peterhead |7 |14 |18 |15 |18 |24
Portree |4 |8 |8 |8 |4 |4
Rothesay |0 |4 |8 |4 |0 |8
Selkirk |6 |6 |6 |6 |6 |6
Stirling |10 |10 |8 |10 |15 |12
Stonehaven |12 |13 |11 |11 |11 |13
Stornoway |10 |10 |10 |10 |10 |10
Stranraer |13 |18 |18 |17 |4 |4
Tain |6 |6 |8 |8 |12 |7
Wick |8 |8 |4 |4 |4 |4
Table file CW900717.033 not available
Table file CW900717.034 not available
Labour Statistics
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many people were made redundant in Scotland in each of the past five years and in each month of 1990 ;
(2) how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in each of the regions of Scotland since 1979 ; and what percentage this is of the manufacturing jobs in existence in 1979.
Mr. Lang : There are no comprehensive statistics on redundancies. The number of redundancies involving 10 or more workers confirmed to the Department of Employment : the Training Agency as having occurred in Scotland since 1985 is set out in the table :
Year |Redundancies --------------------------------------- 1985 |23,892 1986 |32,882 1987 |22,833 1988 |14,311 1989 |15,350 1990 January |336 February |1,428 March |1,968 April |667 May<1> |1,573 June<1> |2,079 <1> Confirmed redundancies in the latest 2 months are provisional and may be subject to revision.
Table file CW900717.036 not available
Information on employment for Scottish local authority regions is obtained from the censuses of employment. There was no such census undertaken in 1979 and the latest census results relate to 1987. The change in manufacturing employment in the Scottish regions between June 1978 and September 1987 is set out in the table :
Change in employees in employment in manufacturing between June
1978 and September 1987
Region |<1>Thousands |<2>Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |-2.0 |-14
Central |-12.2 |-35
Dumfries and Galloway |-0.9 |-8
Fife |-10.3 |-24
Grampian |-3.1 |-8
Highland |-3.7 |-29
Lothian |-12.7 |-18
Strathclyde |-136.7 |-41
Tayside |-14.5 |-32
Orkney |+0.2 |+40
Shetland |-0.2 |-17
Western Isles |+0.3 |+33
Table file CW900717.038 not available
Table file CW900717.039 not available
Students
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish students attained university entry qualification level in each of the years 1979 to 1989.
Mr. Lang : The available information was published by the Scottish Education Department in its statistical bulletins "Higher Education Projections for Scotland" (No. 7/J1/1988) and "Higher Education Projections for Scotland 1990" (No. 8/J1/1990) which are available in the Library.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish students went to British universities outside Scotland in each of the years 1979 to 1989.
Mr. Lang : The figures are given in the table :
Scottish domiciled
undergraduate
entrants<1> to
British universities
outwith Scotland
Figures as at 31
December
|Number
---------------------
1979 |662
1980 |716
1981 |655
1982 |676
1983 |696
1984 |704
1985 |730
1986 |724
1987 |795
1988 |775
1989 |n/a
<1> Full-time and
sandwich students.
Service Station, Nether Abington
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he intends to announce his decision to site the new service station to replace the existing station at Nether Abington ; and if the proposed fast-link road from the M8 to the M74 will influence the decision ; (2) if he will make a statement on the provision of a service station on the M74 when upgraded to replace the existing station at Nether Abington ;
(3) if he will list the representations he has received on the siting of a new service station to replace the existing station at Nether Abington.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 July 1990] : The Government's policy for the provision of motorway service areas in Scotland was given in my reply on 4 April to my hon. Friend the Member for Tayside, North (Mr. Walker) at columns 661-62. In accordance with this policy, consultants will be advising on the location of a new motorway service area in the general vicinity of Millbank and Nether Abington. Their recommendations are awaited. Consideration of the
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best location for a new facility will require to take account of all proposed developments, including the M74/M8 fast link, should this proceed. In any event, no decision can be made until road orders for the section of new M74 between Nether Abington and Elvanfoot are confirmed.Written representations on the siting of the new motorway service station have to date been received from Clydesdale district council and the Scottish tourist board.
Health Visitors
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were recruited as health visitors in Scotland in 1988, 1989 and 1990 to date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 13 July 1990] : Information on health visitor recruitment in Scotland is not held centrally, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Nitrogen Dioxide
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he intends to take to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide in both Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 16 July 1990] : The levels of nitrogen dioxide in city centres are almost entirely due to emissions from motor vehicles, the reduction of which is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. Plans for the reduction of emissions are contained in the written answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 8 June 1990 at column 722.
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the levels of nitrogen dioxide in Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres ; what are the relevant European Community air quality standards ; and what recent representations he has received on this.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 16 July 1990] : On the basis of the results obtained from a nationwide survey of ambient nitrogen dioxide concentrations in 363 urban areas in the United Kingdom, one continuous monitoring station, operating in accordance with the requirements of the Council directive of 7 March 1985, was established in Glasgow. The results obtained have been satisfactory and are below the directive limit value.
The relevant limit and guide values in the Council directive of 7 March 1985 on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide are for the 98th percentile calculated from the mean values per hour or per period of less than an hour recorded throughout the year : Limit Value 200 micrograms per cubic metre
Guide Value 135 micrograms per cubic metre.
No representations have been received.
Milk Marketing
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he intends to have on the report by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on the Aberdeen and district milk marketing board's commercial operations.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 16 July 1990] : The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for
Column 525
Scotland published a report on 7 June 1990 on the relationship between the Aberdeen and district milk marketing board's producer activities and its commercial division. The Aberdeen and district milk marketing board and the Scottish Dairy Trade Federation have been invited to consider the report and its conclusions and to submit their views to the Department by 1 October 1990.School Closures
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many schools in Scotland of fewer than 50 pupils closed in (a) 1975, (b) 1980, (c) 1985 and (d) 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 16 July 1990] : The Scottish Education Department does not maintain records of school closures by size of school.
Industrial Fishing
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements have been made to police industrial fishing vessels to prevent them from catching significant proportions or amounts of small sile ; if he will give details of these arrangments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 16 July 1990] : The industrial fishery is regulated by licence and European Community legislation lays down the minimum mesh size of net to be used and the maximum percentage of species which may be retained as a by-catch. This is enforced by sampling the catch either on boarding the vessel or at the time of landing.
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the calculation of estimates of the proportion of shoals caught by industrial fishing fleets for the production of soap and animal feed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 16 July 1990] : The quantities estimated to have been landed in direct industrial fisheries using small- mesh trawls in the North sea for the years 1985-89 are given in the table together with the officially reported landings of all fish :
(thousand tonnes)
| (a) | (b)
|Estimates landings in |Reported landings of
|industrial trawl fishery
|all purposes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985 |1,033 |2,428
1986 |1,140 |2,495
1987 |1,106 |2,552
1988 |1,349 |n/y/a
1989 |<1>1,483 |n/y/a
<1>Preliminary estimate.
n/y/a=not yet available.
Source: (a) Report of the Advisory Committee on Fishery Management of the International Council for
the Exploration of the Sea, May 1990; (b) Bulletin Statistique des Peches Maritimes.
The figures given in the table indicate that a minimum of 42 to 46 per cent. of fish landed from the North sea in the years 1985-1987 were caught in directed fisheries for reduction to meal and oil. The estimates of industrial fish landings, however, do not include quantities of herring and mackerel caught in other fisheries and landed for reduction. For example, large quantities of herring and mackerel are sold for reduction in Norway.
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United Kingdom fisheries are primarily for human consumption and the United Kingdom strongly supports the European Community ban on fishing for herring for industrial purposes.
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