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Military Personnel
Mr. George : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel have so far been returned to the United Kingdom for medical treatment since the commencement of Operation Granby ; and if he will broadly classify the cases according to treatment, and identify the regional health authorities involved.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A total of 467 service personnel have been returned to the United Kingdom from the Gulf for medical reasons since the commencement of the deployment. Those involved have suffered varying degrees of accidental injury or have illnesses which could be best treated in the United Kingdom.
One case has been referred to the NHS--South Western regional health authority.
HMY Britannia
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the daily cost of running HMY Britannia ; and how much is to be charged per day for any commercial usage.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The daily cost of running HMY Britannia in 1990-91 is about £25,400, including an allowance for servicing work undertaken during the year. Catering and other additional expenses incurred are charged for her use on commercial activities in support of British industry.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on proposals to convert HMY Britannia for hospital use in the Gulf war.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 4 February to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) at column 69.Nuclear Warships
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions he has declined to follow the advice of the nuclear-powered warship safety committee in every particular.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I can confirm that it is the MOD's policy to act in accordance with the independent expert advice of the nuclear-powered warships safety committee on the construction, operation and maintenance of our nuclear submarines.
Lundy Island
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the nature conservation status of Lundy island and to the preservation of its rare coral when designating an area close by for bomb disposal.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 15 February at column 621. B52 aircrews have been instructed to avoid Lundy island if an exceptional emergency requires them to jettison bombs in the danger area off Hartland point.
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the protection of small fishing vessels and their crews when designating the area off Lundy island and Hartland point for bomb disposal at sea.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West on 15 February at column 621.
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will consider a site 40 miles south of Lundy island for B52 bomb disposal at sea in preference to the Lundy island area.
EMPLOYMENT
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what significant changes have been introduced in terms of content and presentation in his first annual report--Cm 1506--when set against the 1990 public expenditure White Paper ; what steps were taken to draw it to the attention of the media and other possible interested parties ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether his Department has any plans to develop its annual report further.
Mr. Jackson : The report shows the wide range of opportunities offered by my Department for training, enterprise, education and special help for the unemployed and the way it is promoting a fairer and safer workplace. Each part of the Employment Department group now has a separate section in the report describing its expenditure
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on programmes and services which reflects broadly the order in which the estimate for 1991-92 will be presented. This enables an easier read across to estimates than the 1990 public expenditure White Paper presentation by departmental objectives. The report introduces more detail on running costs, more detail on the impact of Europe and an account of departmental responsibilities regarding the environment. The use of colour and charts helps present the information to the general public.Notice of the publication of my report was given a week beforehand in a written question on 29 January 1991 at col. 466 . A press notice was released on the day of publication and copies of the report were placed in the Libraries of the Houses. Copies were also sent to the hon. Members for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair), for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) and for Berwick- upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith), and to members of the Employment, Treasury and Civil Service Committees as interested parties.
I intend to continue presenting details of my Department's plans in as helpful a way as possible.
Parliamentary Constituencies
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, in ranking order, the 30 parliamentary constituencies with the most economically active people.
Mr. Jackson : The only regular source of data on the economically active population is the labour force survey. This is a sample survey of about 60,000 households in Great Britain. Because of the size of the sample, estimates can be made only down to regional level.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide a table comparing the plans agreed in the 1989 and 1990 public expenditure surveys on the same price base and using the gross domestic product deflator assumptions given, respectively, in 1990 and 1991 public expenditure White Papers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The information requested is given in the following table. The plans for 1991-92 onwards in the 1991 departmental report are not directly comparable to the plans for 1991-92 onwards in the 1990 public expenditure White Paper chiefly because they exclude the amounts transferred to the Scottish programme, mainly for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which will be responsible for delivering the main training and enterprise programmes in Scotland with effect from 1991-92.
Running Costs
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's three-year plans for running costs.
Mr. Jackson : My departmental report includes information on running costs over the three forward years and on the efficiency and effectiveness with which these resources are used. More detailed information is published for the employment service in the "Annual Performance Agreement and Operational Plan" and for the Health and
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Safety Executive in the "Health and Safety Commission's Plan of Work". Other management documents are for internal use within the Employment Department group.Employment Training
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the effect on those in employment training in Avon of the closures of schemes, under the reduction in the employment training budget, for Avon for 1991-92 over 1990-91.
Mr. Jackson : All employment training trainees affected by scheme closures will be reviewed individually and an alternative ET place or other appropriate outcome will be offered to them.
Hazardous Substances
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the companies prosecuted between 1 October 1989 and 30 September 1990 under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations ; and if he will give details of the alleged offences which led to the prosecutions.
Mr. Forth : Provisional details of the companies prosecuted under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations between 1 October 1989 and 30 September 1990 are given in the following list :
Informations Laid under the Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health Regulations by HSE's Factory and Agricultural
Inspectorates, 1 October 1989 to 30 September 1990 (provisional).
Name of Company |No. of |Regulation
|Informations
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fairey Arlon Ltd, Hounslow |1 |7 (1)
SI Industries, Croydon |1 |6
Messrs. Sandberg, London |5 |All 7 (1)
Wolverhampton MBC Works
Dept. |3 |6, 7, 12
BPC Ltd, Northfield |1 |6
Delta Crompton Cables Ltd,
Swansea |2 |7, 12
Glynwed Consumer and Building
Products Ltd, Telford |<1>3 |7, 12, 12
S&D Castings Ltd, Chesterfield |2 |Both Reg 12
AWT Painters Ltd, Leigh |1 |7
Parkcrest Foundry Ltd, Ashton-
Under-Lyne |2 |Both Reg 9
Brimset Ltd, Rotherham |1 |7 (1)
Electrical Motor Service Centres
Ltd, Chester-Le-Street |3 |6, 7, 12
Advance Sectional Buildings
(Cleveland) Ltd, Hartlepool |1 |6
Stonewest Cox, Newcastle |1 |7 (1)
James Howden Ltd, Renfrew |2 |6, 7
<1>One information on Regulation 12 withdrawn
Note:
Prosecution under the above specific regulations concern the following
requirements:
Regulation 6:-undertaking on assessment
Regulation 7:-preventing or adequately controlling exposure
Regulation 9:-Maintaining control measures
Regulation 12:-Providing sufficient information instruction and training.
The data do not include details of cases under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 taken solely where employers have failed to comply with enforcement notices concerned with the COSHH regulations.
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Labour Statistics
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the seasonal factors involved in the adjustment of the unemployment and jobcentre vacancy figures for January announced on 14 February, in each case citing the factor concerned and the number of those affected by it so as to account for its part in the difference between the adjusted and unadjusted total.
Mr. Howard : The seasonal factors applied to the United Kingdom unemployment and jobcentre vacancy figures for January 1991 are as follows :
|Factor |Change in factor
|on previous month
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment |-68,600 |+63,300
Vacancies |+28,400 |-12,500
Note: These factors are provisional and subject to revision, mainly in
the following month.
The seasonal influences on the unemployment and vacancy figures follow a broadly similar pattern year to year, with January having the most unfavourable influences of any month. The precise reasons for this are not known. It is likely that both the unemployment and vacancy figures in January are affected by the fact that (a) many firms close over Christmas and new year and so temporarily cease recruiting ; (b) the majority of seasonal employment recruitment for the Christmas and the new year period will have come to an end by January ; (c) the weather inhibits employment and recruitment in, for example, the construction and tourism-related industries. For these reasons, unemployment in January is usually well above the average for the year (and therefore has a negative factor applied to the headline total to get the seasonally adjusted figure), just as in June unemployment is usually below average. With vacancies the reverse is the case.
Further details of the process of seasonal adjustment used on the monthly unemployment figures can be found on page 604 of the December 1990 issue of Employment Gazette. A similar process is used for vacancy figures.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Feedstuffs
14. Mr. Wray : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the expenditure implications of the EC directive on the official control of feedstuffs.
Mr. Maclean : An extra £30 million a year has been added to the revenue support grant from 1991-92 to meet the costs falling to local authorities in Great Britain as a result of new food legislation.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
15. Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Government will set up a national network of incinerators to destroy the carcases of BSE-infected cattle.
Mr. Maclean : Over 80 per cent. of the carcases are already dealt with in Britain's existing network of incinerators and more will come on stream later this year.
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I hope the hon. Member does not want to override local planning laws with a socialist alternative to NIMBY (not in my back yard)--LSIMBIMBY (Labour says it must be in my back yard).Organophosphorous Sheep Dips
16. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of organophosphorous sheep dips.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. McKay) earlier today.
Clone Breeding
17. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about clone breeding of various species.
Mr. Maclean : We are aware of the basic research which is being carried out at home and abroad and are closely monitoring developments on the cloning of animals.
The Department will ensure that the same high standards of welfare will apply to all farm animals, regardless of their origin.
Horses and Ponies
18. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has been able to negotiate improved treatment for the export of horses and ponies to the EC after 1992.
Mr. Gummer : Negotiations are still at an early stage on the proposals for a Council regulation on the protection of animals during transport. We will press strongly for retention of measures which will prevent the export of horses and ponies for slaughter.
British Food
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures are being taken to promote sales of British food.
Mr. Curry : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for York (Mr. Gregory).
Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on Britain's exports of food products.
Mr. Curry : In the 12 months to November 1990, United Kingdom exports of food and drink amounted to £6 billion. This figure represents about 6 per cent. of the total value of our visible exports, and is an 8 per cent. improvement over the previous 12-month period.
Animal Transport
Mr. Conway : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made towards an EC directive on the transport of food animals.
Mr. Gummer : There have been two meetings of officials from member states to discuss the Commission's proposal for a new regulation on protection of animals during
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transport. As the discussions proceed we will be pressing for high welfare standards which will be properly enforced throughout the Community.Turtles
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what expertise resides in his Department on hawksbill turtles and green turtles.
Mr. Maclean : Turtles are protected under United Kingdom, EC and international provisions, the primary responsibility and expertise for which rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
Agricultural Reform
23. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next intends meeting the EC Commissioner for Agriculture to discuss his farm proposals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : At the Agriculture Council on 4 and 5 March.
Animal Welfare
24. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which organisations he consults on animal welfare.
Mr. Maclean : The Department consults a wide range of organisations on animal welfare matters.
Lamb and Sheepmeat
25. Mr. Speller : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he estimates that there will be full free trade in lamb and sheepmeat between the United Kingdom, France and the remaining EC countries.
Mr. Curry : Free trade within the EC and the establishment of a support system capable of allowing United Kingdom producers to compete on equal terms were key aims of the Government in the review of the sheepmeat regime in 1989. These remain the Government's aims during the transitional period before the reformed sheep regime becomes fully operational by the end of the 1992 marketing year at the latest.
Unfit Carcases
26. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many carcases were condemned as unfit for human consumption during 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Inspection of meat intended for human consumption is the responsibility of local authorities. My Department does not at present collect information from them on the number of condemnations of carcases.
Slaughter Industry
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the state of the United Kingdom slaughtering industry.
Mr. Gummer : The slaughtering sector faces major changes with the advent of the single market. I am pleased to note that the leading companies are gearing up to the challenges and opportunities it offers.
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Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on payment of hill livestock compensatory allowances.
Mr. Curry : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Devon, North (Mr. Speller) on 11 February.
Farm Bankruptcies
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about farm bankruptcies.
Mr. Curry : There were 142 bankruptcies in agriculture and horticulture in 1989. In the first half of 1990 there were 136, but agriculture's share of the total has remained broadly in line with the rest of the economy over the last decade.
Mink Farms
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions for each of the last five years his officials or state veterinary service officials have attended mink farms for the purpose of inspecting slaughter ; and which slaughter methods were, on each occasion, observed.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 13 December 1990 at column 474. The additional information now requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Salmonella
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conclusion he has drawn from the statistics produced by the public health authority on the reduction in salmonella enteritidis infection in layer flocks and the increase in salmonella enteritidis isolations in humans.
Mr. Maclean : The reported incidence of salmonella enteritidis, the main target of the Government's control measures, fell by 38 per cent. in laying birds producing eggs for human consumption between 1989 and 1990. While it is too soon to draw firm conclusions, indications are that the comprehensive package of measures introduced by this Department may be having a significant effect on the number of egg laying flocks infected with salmonella enteritidis. The figures on the number of salmonella enteritidis isolations in humans indicate that there is a continuing public health problem. A number of factors might be involved in the increase in the number of cases between 1989 and 1990. It would therefore be inappropriate to compare directly the human and animal data. This was stressed when the latest PHLS/SVS Update on salmonella infection was published last month.
Food Safety
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will indicate when he expects to publish the findings of the research in connection with the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations 1990 at Torry.
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Mr. Maclean : I expect to publish the results when the research has been completed.
Food Marketing
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many counties in England now have their own food marketing and promotion organisations.
Mr. Curry : Comprehensive information is not available, but we know that there are county-based speciality food groups in 18 English counties.
Nitrates
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the implementation of the nitrate- sensitive areas scheme.
Mr. Curry : The pilot-nitrate sensitive areas scheme opened in June 1990 and applications last year covered over 50 per cent. of the eligible agricultural land. Additional applications are expected before the scheme finally closes on 31 May this year. Equipment to take water samples in the soil zone has been installed and deep core sampling is also being undertaken.
Marginal Land
Mr. Steen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's policy towards the use of marginal land.
Mr. Curry : The Government support farming on marginal land through designation as less-favoured areas under EC directive 75/268 which gives access to hill livestock compensatory allowance payments and enhanced rates of capital grant.
Riparian Zones
Mr. Steen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's policy towards the management of riparian zones and the surrounding farming community.
Mr. Curry : There is evidence that riparian zones can be managed in ways which help to reduce nutrient leaching in surface water catchments and encourage species diversity. The possibilities for encouraging such management will be considered when existing schemes are reviewed and new ones introduced.
Smoked Salmon
Mr. Steen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out in the Official Report the exact nature of the research brief given to the research station at Torry regarding the growth of pathogenic organisms in smoked salmon ; and if he will make a statement indicating when he expects the research project to be concluded.
Mr. Maclean : The work involves measuring the time and temperature profiles of foods in the mail system, the physical, chemical and microbiological status of mail order foods, their capacity to support the growth of food pathogens and how best the mail order trade can adapt to the new regulations. The preliminary results are expected shortly.
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CAP
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about current negotiations within the EEC to reform the common agricultural policy.
Mr. Gummer : The Commission is expected to present price proposals, including proposals for changes to the common agricultural policy, to the Agriculture Council on 4 and 5 March.
Farming Incomes
Mr. Cran : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest estimate of farming incomes.
Mr. Curry : Total income from farming is forecast to be £2,113 million in 1990.
Deer
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many deer of each species were culled in 1990 in each conservancy ; whether they were taken by Forestry Commission employees or others ; what arrangements were made for the disposal of carcases or trophies ; and what was the income to each conservancy as as result of such sales and fees.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have been asked to reply.
The statistics requested are given in the following tables. These cover the year to 31 March 1990, the latest period for which figures are at present available. The income from trophy fees is not recorded separately from the income from permit charges and lettings and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Deer carcases are sold by the Forestry Commission to licensed game dealers. Individual stalking contracts stipulate whether trophies belong to the Forestry Commission or may be retained by the permit stalker.
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