House of Commons Hansard Debates for 16 Jun 1993

Forward Look

Dr. Moonie : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will designate one of his Ministers to be responsible for his Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology Forward Look.

Mr. Redwood : Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential--A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the Forward Look by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well-established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

Near-market Research

Dr. Moonie : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising Our Potential--A Strategy for Science, Engineering, and Technology".

Incomes

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) men and (b) women aged over 16 years have an income of less than £75 per week.

Mr. Redwood : Estimates from the "New Earnings Survey" and "Employees in Employment" at April 1992

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are that, in Wales, 1,500 full-time male and 2,000 full-time female employees on adult rates had gross weekly earnings below £75 per week. Comprehensive information for part-time employees is not available.

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales aged over 16 years who work (a) part-time and (b) full-time have an income of less than £75 per week.

Mr. Redwood : It is estimated from the "New Earnings Survey" and "Employees in Employment" at April 1992 that, in Wales, 3,500 full-time employees on adult rates had gross weekly earnings below £75. Comprehensive information for part-time employees is not available.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of viral haemorrhagic disease there were in each year since 1985.

Mr. Soames : Since 1985 there have been four recorded cases of viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits in Great Britain, all of which occurred in 1992.

Agriculture and Food Research Council

Dr. Moonie : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she is taking to draw up a concordat of co-operation between her Department and the Agriculture and Food Research Council.

Mr. Jack : As the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential--A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" makes clear, a new system of research councils will come into effect on 1 April 1994. The Government have proposed that each of these new research councils should work with the Government Departments with which they have a significant policy connection to draw up and publish concordats.

Near-market Research

Dr. Moonie : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what her Department's policy is with regard to the funding of near-market research.

Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.20 to 2.22 of the White Paper "Realising our Potential--A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology".

Science and Technology

Dr. Moonie : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether she will designate one of her Ministers to be responsible for her Department's contribution to the Government's science and technology Forward Look.

Mr. Jack : Paragraph 2.37 of the recent White Paper "Realising Our Potential--A Strategy for Science, Engineering and Technology" describes the preparation of the Foward Look by the Office of Science and Technology, and the participation of Government Departments through the existing, well- established machinery of the official and ministerial Cabinet Committees on Science and Technology.

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Benomyl and Cardendazim

Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what formulations related to Benomyl or Cardendazim have been withdrawn from the market over the last 12 years.

Mr. Soames : Formulations of pesticide products are commercially sensitive. However, two products containing benomyl and 53 products containing carbendazim have been withdrawn since 1981. The benomyl products were Benlate T and Polycote Pedigree 3.

Those containing carbendazim were Derosal 50 per cent. WP, Kombat, Delsene Flowable, Delsene 75, Midox Carbendazim, Battal WP, Bolda, CME 10288, Cosmic, Konker, Bavistin M, Bavistin WG, Mastiff, Corbel Duo, Cosmic FL B, Cosmic FL C, Fisons Garden Disease Spray, Focal Flowable (00910), Focal Flowable (03927), Septal, Septal Flowable, Focal WDG, Starlate, Carbate, Bio One-Shot for Diseases, Multi W, Multi W Flowable, Systemic Fungicide (carbendazim), Gammalex Liquid, Mystic Systemic Garden Fungicide, Mystic General Garden Insecticide/Fungicide, Chafer Carbendazim 511, Headland Suppress Plus, Tripart Defensor WP, Hispor 225L, Mantle 370 FW, Clifton Carbendazim, H115, DKB Tecnazene/Carbendazim Dust, Ashlade Carbonil, Ashlade M, Cosmic FL A, Ashlade Carbendazim Flowable, Ashlade Mancarb FL, Delsene M Flowable, Compo Carbendazim, Maximate, Sheen 362 SW, Arena Plus, Ashlade Mancarb Plus, Murphy Zap Cap Vegetable Care, 200 Plus and Bayfidan BM.

In all cases the products were withdrawn or approval allowed to lapse because of commercial considerations.

Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what labelling arrangements apply to the use of Benomyl-related products indicating whether precautions should be used by pregnant women.

Mr. Soames : All pesticide products, including those containing benomyl and related active ingredients, are approved on the advice of the independent advisory committee on pesticides, only if the Government are satisfied that they can be used without risk to the public--whether users, consumers of treated produce, or those in the vicinity of the spraying operations. Labelling arrangements are covered by the approvals process and labels of benomyl products include warning to keep off skin, to wash after use and, for the home garden product, to store away from children. They do not include specific precautions to be taken by pregnant women.

Clenbuterol

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 30, if she will make a statement on the abuse of clenbuterol outside Great Britain.

Mr. Soames : I am aware of reports from other member states which allege that clenbuterol is being used illegally for growth promotion purposes. Ministers spoke to their counterparts in the Irish and Belgian Governments about these reports at the time and received assurances that every effort was being made to stamp out the misuse of this substance. The authorities concerned can be confident of our full support in their efforts to this end.

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Nevertheless surveillance for clenbuterol in imported meat has been increased this year as indicated in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Langbaurgh (Mr. Bates) on 2 March 1993 at columns 78-9.

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the number of recorded incidents of clenbuterol abuse in each EC member state for each of the last three years.

Mr. Soames : In the United Kingdom over the past three years, 1,780 random samples taken under the national surveillance scheme from cattle, sheep and pigs have been analysed for the presence of clenbuterol. No positives have been found under this scheme for clenbuterol in Great Britain, but as indicated in my reply to the Member for Glandford and Scunthorpe on 7 June ( Official Report, column 29-30), two clenbuterol positive samples were reported in 1992 from samples taken under the separate arrangements directed at retail and wholesale premises.

In Northern Ireland three positives were found in 1991 (two in 1992) under the national surveillance scheme random sampling arrangements. In addition under intensive meat sampling procedures which have operated in Northern Ireland since 1991, and which are capable of detecting residue traces up to 120 days after administration has ceased, 965 suspect animals were detained and tested in 1991 (1,482 in 1992) of which 68 were found positive (112 in 1992) involving 28 producers (32 in 1992) out of a total of 36,000 producer herds. All levels detected were below the maximum residue level and thus presented no risk to human health. Nevertheless all carcases were condemned as the drug was used in unlicensed form. I regret that comparable information from other member states is not available from the EC Commission.

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many incidents of clenbuterol abuse in meat imported into Britain from non-EC countries were recorded in each of the last three years.

Mr. Soames : Ongoing surveillance in Great Britain for clenbuterol in imported meat is carried out under a scheme, co-ordinated by the working party on veterinary residues in animal products, which is directed at retail and wholesale premises. All of the samples taken under the scheme since it was established in January 1990, from meat imported into Britain from non-EC countries and tested for the presence of clenbuterol, have proved to be negative.

Benlate DF

Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what imports have taken place into the United Kingdom of Benlate DF over the last 12 years.

Mr. Soames : We have no record of any imports of Benlate DF.

Pesticides

Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the names of those persons who sit on the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and their sponsoring or employing organisations.

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Mr. Soames : The members of the advisory committee on pesticides and their sponsoring or employing organisations are as follows : Chairman

Professor Sir Colin Berry :--DSc, MD, PhD, FRCPath, FFPM, Professor of Morbid Anatomy, Consultant in Histopathology and Director of the Pathological Institute at the Royal London Hospital.

Deputy Chairman

Professor Geoffrey Sagar :--CBE, BA, MA, DPhil(Oxon), Professor of Agricultural Botany and Vice Principal of the University College of North Wales.

Independent Members

Dr. Andree Carter :--BSc, MISoilSci, MIWEM, Principal Research Scientist and Laboratory Manager, Soil Survey and Land Research Centre, Cranfield Institute of Technology.

Professor Nicola Cherry :--BSc, MSc, MPhil, PhD, MD, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Occupational Health, University of Manchester. Professor Anthony Dayan :--BSc(Hons), MD, FRCP, FRCPath, FFPM, FIBiol, Professor of the DH Toxicology Laboratory, St. Bartholomews Hospital Medical College, University of London.

Professor Gareth Jones :--BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, MIBiol, FhS, Professor of Microbiology and Director of Research, Portsmouth University. Mr. John Leahy :--MA, CChem, MRSC, General Manager of Severn Trent Laboratories.

Professor Donald Lee :--BSc, PhD, FIBiol, FRSA, Professor of Agricultural Zoology, University of Leeds.

Dr. Alexander Proudfoot :--BSc(Hons), MB, ChB, FRCPE, Consultant Physician, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Director of the Scottish Poisons Information Bureau.

Mr. Roger Tayler :--BSc(Agric), Postgrad Dip Agric (Reading), NDA, CBiol, MIBiol, Senior Tutor in the Faculty of Agriculture and Food and Senior Lecturer in Crop Production, Department of Agriculture, University of Reading.

Professor Paul Webster :--BSc, PhD, FBIM, FRSA, Head of Department, Department of Agricultural Economics, Wye College, University of London, Ashford, Kent.

Members are reminded at the start of every committee meeting of the necessity for them to disclose any interests they may have (personal or nonpersonal, specific or non-specific) or financial in any item under discussion. Members with interests may only participate in so far as the chairman will allow by way of answering questions.

THORP

Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration he has given to the public responses received by 23 January in response to draft discharge authorisations for the BNFL thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield ; and how many were (a) against and (b) in favour of granting such authorisation.

Mr. Jack : My right hon. Friend is currently considering a report on the representations received in response to consultation on draft radioactive discharge authorisations for BNFL Sellafield. 64,514 responses were against issuing the authorisations as drafted and 19, 217 were in favour of granting them.

Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions she has had with, and what representations she has received from, senior management at BNFL on draft authorisations for BNFL's thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : In dealing with this matter the Minister and the chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of

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pollution act jointly under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 in regulating radioactive discharges from sites licensed under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. They have therefore received detailed applications from BNFL for new radioactive discharge authorisations for Sellafield, including THORP. BNFL has since written to emphasise the commercial importance it attaches to reaching a decision on the draft discharge authorisations without undue delay.

Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the application from BNFL

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for authorisation for proposed new radioactive discharge limits from the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield fulfils the requirements of environmental assessment ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : The information supplied by BNFL in support of its application for new radioactive discharge authorisations for Sellafield, including the thermal oxide reprocessing plant, has been sufficient for the purposes of the radiological assessments carried out by this Department.

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