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Mr. Eggar : I have this under review.
British Coal
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to employ as accountancy or auditing firms, in relation to the privatisation of British Coal, only such firms as have not been subject to criticism in reports from his Department's inspectors.
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Mr. Eggar : When making such appointments my Department makes such inquiries as are necessary to establish the professional competence of the firm concerned and takes all relevant considerations into account.
Euratom Safeguards
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he received a copy of the report on the operation of Euratom safeguards, SEC (92)80 final, from the European Commission ; and what contribution the former Department of Energy made to the report.
Mr. Eggar : The second "Report on the Operation of Euratom Safeguards", EC 4496/92,--SEC(92)80--was received by my officials on 11 February 1992.
No information has been sought from my Department specifically in connection with this report. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House.
Renewable Energy Advisory Group
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans to publish the report of the Renewable Energy Advisory Group established last August by the former Minister of State at the Department of Energy.
Mr. Eggar : Future arrangements for the renewable energy advisory group are currently being considered.
Decommissioning Costs
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the most recent estimated cost to public funds of decommissioning (a) the Magnox reprocessing plants B204 and B205, respectively, and (b) the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield.
Mr. Eggar : Responsibility for assessing the costs of decommissioning the B204, B205 and THORP plants at Sellafield is a matter for the operator, British Nuclear Fuels plc. To the extent that Government programmes have benefited from the operation of the plants, the Government will contribute an appropriate share towards the costs of decommissioning.
Export Controls
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what steps he proposes to take to constrain further United Kingdom trade in instruments of torture ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) if he is considering seeking additional legal powers to assist in the process of disclosure in the transfer of all repressive technology equipment and training from the United Kingdom to the rest of the world.
Mr. Needham : I have no plans at present to amend export controls for these purposes. When realistic and enforceable controls are identified as necessary, I will act as quickly as possible to impose them. Amnesty International recently sent my predecessor a report on this matter and he provided a full reply to all its recommendations.
Debt
Mr. Battle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce legislation to amend the Insolvency Act 1986 and the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 to ensure
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that debts due by virtue of schedule 4, paragraph 2 of the Social Security Act 1990 be regarded as a preferential debt or a preferred debt, respectively.Mr. Neil Hamilton : I have no plans to amend the Insolvency Act 1986. Responsibility for amending the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 rests with the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Environmental Impact Assessments
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of British businesses' response to the demands of environmental audit requirements being developed in proposals for European Community legislation.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 13 May 1992] : The Government have received a number of comments from business about the European Community's proposed "eco-audit" regulation as the proposals have developed. The Government welcome the scheme and will continue to consult to ensure that it will meet the needs of British business.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Animal Welfare
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether a list of priorities has been settled in respect of the items in the veterinary sector that are to be considered by the EC Council of Agriculture Ministers during the United Kingdom presidency of the European Community ; and if he will make a statement as to what priority has been accorded to animal welfare measures.
Mr. Soames : In the veterinary sector the United Kingdom presidency will be giving priority to measures necessary for the completion of the single market and for the improvement of animal welfare. The specific measures to be considered by the Council will depend on the availability of proposals from the Commission and on the progress made under the Portuguese presidency.
Rabies
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of rabies were reported in (a) France and (b) other EC countries in 1991 ; and in which regions they occurred.
Mr. Soames : EC member states reported the following rabies cases in 1991 :
Country |Cases ------------------------------- France |2,166 Belgium |29 Germany |3,599 Italy |4 Luxembourg |16 Netherlands |12 Spain |<1>8 Denmark |- Greece |- Portugal |- United Kingdom |- <1> In North Africa. #924
The disease is present mainly in north-east France, eastern Germany, and at Community border areas with neighbouring third countries.
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many organisations have approached his Department in connection with the proposed EC legislation on rabies prevention ; and if he will list them.
Mr. Soames : The Ministry has been approached recently by the following organisations on the general topic of rabies controls : Quarantine Kennel Owners Association ;
RSPCA ;
British Veterinary Association ;
National Office of Animal Health ;
Dunwich Womens Association ;
Rushmere St. Andrews Womens Institute ;
Nacton Womens Institute ;
Kelsale Womens Institute ;
Thanet Dog Owners Association ;
The Sled-Dog Sports Federation ;
Hull and Goole Port Health Authority ;
North West Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club ;
Eastern Counties Golden Retriever Club ;
Masters of Foxhounds Association ;
National Farmers Union ;
Farm and Food Society ;
Falmouth and District Hotels Association ;
Healing Parish Council ;
National Equine Defence League ;
Feline Advisory Bureau ;
Walmer Residents Association ;
Bournemouth Residents and Visitors Association of Dog Owners. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which countries in western Europe and eastern Europe have had the highest incidence of rabies cases in animals over the past five years ; and what information he has on the methods used in those countries to try to prevent the spread of the disease.
Mr. Soames : In Europe rabies is mainly associated with the red fox. The highest incidences of disease in western Europe are found in Germany, Austria and France. In eastern Europe the disease is generally widespread with the highest incidences recorded in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
Oral vaccination of foxes is the chief method for controlling the spread of rabies in both the Community and neighbouring countries.
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the position in the single market regarding the elimination of quarantine regulations for animals moving into rabies-free countries.
Mr. Soames : No proposal has yet been made for the elimination of quarantine.
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which EC countries enforce compulsory vaccination of dogs.
Mr. Soames : Vaccination of dogs is understood to be a legal requirement in Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain. It is also required elsewhere in the Community in specific areas.
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Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further measures he proposes to take to ensure that United Kingdom farming is not disadvantaged by the non-implementation of the common agricultural policy and other regulations in other member states.
Mr. Curry : The European Commission is responsible for ensuring that the common agricultural policy is implemented properly in all member states. We are always ready to draw to the Commission's attention any failures by other member states to implement the CAP.
Farming (Profitability)
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further measures he proposes to take to promote profitability in United Kingdom farming.
Mr. Curry : I refer my hon. Friend to the policy statement "Our Farming Future", copies of which were placed in the House Libraries last autumn.
Viral Haemorrhagic Disease
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he proposes to make viral haemorrhagic disease in rabbits notifiable ; how many outbreaks have been confirmed in domestic rabbits ; whether any wild rabbits have been confirmed as suffering from the disease ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : Viral haemorrhagic disease in rabbits was made notifiable on 1 June 1991. Two outbreaks have been confirmed in domestic show rabbits and none in any wild rabbits.
Eggs
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will change the labelling requirements for eggs to ensure that imported eggs are not labelled as British ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : No such change is necessary. It is already an offence under the Egg Marketing Standards Regulations to label eggs as British when they are not.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will carry out a survey of eggs sold in the United Kingdom to ascertain their quality and freshness ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : My egg marketing inspectorate enforces the quality standards laid down in the EC Egg Marketing Regulations in England and Wales at packer and wholesale level. The Agriculture Departments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have similar responsibilities : Trading standards departments of local authorities are responsible for retail sales.
Dr. David Clarke : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce measures to ensure that batches of eggs which have been imported are not released for distribution until the results of salmonella testing are known ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : As was made clear to the hon. Gentleman on 8 March 1990, at column 987, and 27 July, at column 561, such a step would be a clear breach of European Community law.
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Sunlight (Exposure)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice his Ministry has given to farmers and farmworkers about reducing their exposure to the sun's rays.
Mr. Gummer : Current public health advice on minimising exposure to strong sunlight is set out in the Health Education Authority leaflet "Are you Dying to get a Suntan", copies of which were distributed to pharmacies by the pharmacy health care scheme in July 1991.
Salmonella
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the up-to-date position on each of the 17 measures he has taken to control salmonella in poultry to which he referred to in his answer of 3 March 1989, Official Report, column 375 ; whether any measures have been withdrawn ; whether any new measures or other initiatives have been introduced ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : All the measures to control salmonella in poultry listed in the answer of 3 March 1989, Official Report, column 375, were implemented in full.
The details of the salmonella control measures have been kept under review. New arrangements for slaughter and heat processing of flocks which the Ministry requires to be slaughtered and trials for antibiotic treatment of pullet laying flocks were introduced in March 1990. Less onerous testing and registration requirements for small flocks of breeding birds were introduced in November 1990. The automatic slaughter of laying flocks of domestic fowl infected with salmonella typhimurium was discontinued in January 1991. Arrangements for owners of infected flocks to send eggs for pasteurisation as an option to compulsory slaughter were announced in October 1991. Booklets on food safety in the home have been published as well as the production of a video and two information packs for schools. The measures introduced to control salmonella in eggs and poultry are necessary to ensure the continued protection to public health. I will continue to keep the measures under close review in the light of changing circumstances and developing scientific knowledge and will continue to press for harmonised salmonella controls to be applied throughout the European Community.
BSE
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those species of mammals to which attempts have been made to transfer bovine spongiform encephalopathy which have so far been unsuccessful.
Mr. Soames : Experimental transmission of BSE has been attempted to the following species of mammal :
Mice, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs marmosets, hamsters and mink. Of these, hamsters and mink have not succumbed to a spongiform encephalopathy. The mink experiment is incomplete.
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Meat and Livestock Commission
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the total Government funding received by the Meat and Livestock Commission for each of the last five years.
Mr. Curry : Direct Government funding of the Meat and Livestock Commission--MLC--is confined to payments of the salaries, travel and subsistence and related expenses of Commissioners. Figures for the past five years are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1987-88 |0.2
1988-89 |0.2
1989-90 |0.2
1990-91 |0.2
1991-92 |0.2
In addition, the MLC provides services for Government on a customer/supplier basis for which payments over the past five years were as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1987-88 |12.8
1989-90 |13.3
1990-91 |10.8
1991-92 |15.3
Coastal Defences
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to respond urgently to the National Audit Office report "Coastal Defences in Britain", and the Environment Select Committee report "Coastal Zone Planning"; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The Department is giving careful consideration to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on coastal defences in England. Officials are likely to be called to give evidence to the Public Accounts Committee after which the Government will respond to any report published by that Committee.
A separate Government response is being prepared on the report on coastal zone protection and planning by the House's Environment Select Committee.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pensions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total difference in current prices between (a) the cumulative cost of the single pension paid to an individual since April 1979 to date, and (b) the cumulative cost of the single pension paid had the link between the rise in earnings and the rise in the pension been sustained ; and what are the comparable figures for the married couples pensions.
Miss Widdecombe : The cumulative difference in cost had pensions been uprated by the higher of earnings or prices from April 1980 to date would be £7,690 million.
This would cost a man on average earnings and his employer an extra £11.20 per week between them in national insurance contributions.
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Notes :1. There are no "single" or "married couple" rates of Retirement Pension. The standard pension is calculated on the basis of individual contribution records or, in the case of some married women, on the basis of their husbands' contributions. Adult dependency additions may be awarded where the wife of a pensioner is under pension age. Thus it would be misleading to break down the total cost of all categories of pension into "single" or "married" rates. 2. The link between the rise in earnings and the rise in the pension was ended in 1980, not 1979. Cost differences have therefore been shown from this date.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) schemes and (b) individuals are currently in receipt of the guaranteed minimum pension ; and if he will list the reason in the case of each scheme.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 20 February, at columns 279-80. Analysis of the numbers of individuals involved and the reason in each case is not available.
Independent Living Fund
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the successor body to the independent living fund will be enabled to provide assistance to new applicants in addition to existing recipients ; if he will specify any difference in the eligibility criteria for each group ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The Government are committed to maintaining a fund which supports the most severely disabled people after April 1993. Details of the arrangements will be announced in due course.
Maxwell Pension Schemes
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 11 May, Official Report, column 46, when regulations will be laid to enact paragraph 2 of schedule 4 to the Social Security Act 1990 to require that, when a pension scheme is wound up, any excess of liabilities over assets is to be treated as a debt on the employer.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the then hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Irvine) on 19 December at column 288.
Pension Funds (Fraud)
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will bring forward legislation to protect the position of pensioners where occupational pension funds have been the victim of fraud ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : We are committed to reviewing the framework of law and regulation within which occupational pensions operate. We are considering the form the review should take and intend to make an announcement soon.
Water Bills
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what allowance for water bills is included in the calculation of individual income support.
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Miss Widdecombe : There is no separate allowance for water rates in income support. Water is one of the many items of expenditure which vary. The general movement of prices is reflected in the uprating index applied to income support and the other income-related benefits.From this April the uprating index used for the income-related benefits has been modified to include water rates, certain miscellaneous costs and, for 1992-93, 20 per cent. of the community charge.
TRANSPORT
Thames Bridges
13. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway bridges across the tidal section of the River Thames there are ; how many of these incorporate pedestrian crossings ; and what authority is responsible for these.
Mr. Norris : Three railway bridges across the Thames incorporate pedestrian crossings. Whilst the bridges are the responsibility of British Rail, any pedestrian crossing is the responsibility of the appropriate riparian highway authority.
BR Rolling Stock
14. Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that, when granting approval for new rolling stock for British Rail, he will insist on no more than four abreast seating on routes principally serving passengers travelling 40 miles or more.
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