House of Commons Hansard Debates for 11 Jan 1994

Mr. Goodlad : There are currently six former MPs. No salaries are paid. All appointments are for an indefinite period.

The British Russia Centre

Mr. Peter Blaker : board member

Sir David Crouch : board member

Sir Douglas Dodds-Parker : board member

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Sir Fitzroy Maclean : board member

Sir John Osborn : board member

Sir Kenneth Warren : board member

To answer the question in full would incur disproportionate cost.

Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

Mr. Goodlad : There are currently no former MEPs. To answer the question in full would incur disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Security Policy Unit

Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date the Foreign and Commonwealth Office established its common foreign and security policy unit.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : With effect from 16 March 1992 the existing European political co-operation unit, which had been part of the EC presidency department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, became the common foreign and security policy unit.

Immigration

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on an application to enter the United Kingdom made to the high commissioner in Islamabad on behalf of Israr Ahmed, who was born on 30 May 1989, REF-IMM/CO 442.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : In the absence of any information about this case, I have asked the correspondence unit migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to let the hon. Member have a substantive reply in due course.

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the high commission in Islamabad will take a decision on applications to grant British citizenship to Mr. Wajid Aziz, born on 15 January 1981 and Miss Majida Aziz, born on 15 January 1984, reference CON/4534 ; when these applicants were interviewed ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The British high commission in Islamabad refused on 3 August 1993 the passport applications submitted on behalf of Mr. Wajid Aziz and Miss Majida Aziz. The children's alleged father, Mr. Abdul Aziz, was interviewed that day but the interviewing officer was not satisfied that the children were related, as claimed. The reasons were explained to Mr. Aziz at the time and the passport fees refunded.

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on an application by Nasreen Akhtar, REF : IMM/B6820 to enter the United Kingdom made to the high commissioner in Islamabad ; whether the high commissioner has received the result of a comparative DNA test ; and if he will make a statement.

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Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is going to be taken by the United Kingdom post in Islamabad on an application to visit the United Kingdom by Mrs. Tasawar Fatima ; when the post agreed to undertake to reconsider the application following representations by the hon. Member for Bradford, West ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : In October 1993 the high commission in Islamabad took the decision to maintain the refusal of entry clearance to Mrs. Tasawar Fatima. I am sorry that the hon. Member was not so informed at the time.

German Constitutional Court Judgment

Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that the English translation of the judgment of the German constitutional court of 12 October 1993 is made available to the general public as soon as possible and placed in the Library.

Mr. Goodlad : A translation was placed in the Library of the House on 3 December 1993. It will be published in the International Law Reports later this year.

European Union Funding

Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the powers he has under English and Community law to prevent the European Union providing financial resources within the United Kingdom to British organisations for a purpose which is avowedly political within the United Kingdom.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Within the United Kingdom, organisations which are duly constituted and have lawful objectives are entitled to seek funding from any source. There are no powers under domestic or Community law to prevent funds being disbursed on behalf of the European Union in accordance with Community law.

EC Visitors' Visas

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received to date from the representatives of any country concerning their nationals being required, from 1996, to obtain visas to visit the EC ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I have received no representations to date about the proposed European Union common visa list. The Commission's proposals have not yet been formally communicated to the member states by the Council secretariat. When they are, they will be made available to Parliament in accordance with normal scrutiny arrangements.

Jamaica

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens wishing to visit Jamaica during 1993 were (a) refused

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entry, (b) detained and (c) deported ; how many such persons were able to appeal against refusal to grant entry ; how many appeals were (i) upheld and (ii) rejected ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I am aware of no cases of British citizens visiting Jamaica who were refused entry, detained or deported in 1993. I am informed that Jamaican immigration legislation makes no provision for appeal against refusal of entry.

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is issued to Jamaican citizens wishing to visit the United Kingdom as to whether they should apply for pre-entry visas ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Jamaican citizens seeking to visit the United Kingdom are advised by both the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British high commission in Kingston that prior entry clearance is advisable, but not mandatory.

Prospective visitors contacting the high commission, whether or not they apply for prior entry clearance, are advised as to the documentation required. Information leaflets are freely available and telephone enquiries, personal callers and correspondence are dealt with by trained entry clearance staff at the British high commission. Local airlines and travel agents are also conversant with requirements.

EU Agricultural Harmonisation

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers Council meeting of 21 December 1993 in regard to enlargement of the European Communities ; and what outstanding matters remain on health, environment, and agricultural harmonisation between the European Union and European Economic Area.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Excellent progress was made at the negotiating sessions with Sweden, Finland, Norway and Austria at the 21 December Foreign Affairs Council. A large number of negotiating chapters were closed.

The European economic area--EEA--came into force on 1 January. On health, the EEA extends EC legislation to the participating European Free Trade Association --EFTA--states--Norway, Sweden, Austria, Finland and Iceland-- so that EEA nationals are entitled to reciprocal health care benefits in all EEA member states. On the environment, the agreement provides for increased co-operation between EEA states but does not include the harmonisation of environmental legislation. On agriculture, the EEA does not require the participating EFTA states to bring their support arrangements into line with the common agricultural policy, but they have agreed to adopt much of the EU's regulatory legislation in the veterinary, phytosanitary and other areas. Except where transitional periods are agreed, or derogations granted, the four members of EFTA currently negotiating to join the EU will have to adopt the entire body of Community legislation in these areas on their accession.

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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Forestry Commission

Mr. Pike : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what land in Lancashire and the north-west the Forestry Commission proposes to sell under the current disposal programme.

Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission has no forest land on the market at present in Lancashire and the north-west.

Departmental Offices (Heating Bills)

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list, by location, the annual fuel heating bills for each of her Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

Mr. Jack : Office heating is not distinguished separately in the fuel bills for the 260 or so sites occupied by the Ministry and its executive agencies. It would be disproportionately expensive to calculate such costs, but readily available global figures for all types of energy are as follows :


          |£                  

------------------------------

1990-91   |3,376,336          

1991-92   |3,755,951          

1992-93   |4,035,098

This represents a six per cent increase in real terms when adjusted for inflation and the floor area occupied. The increase is due to operational requirements, particularly in the Ministry's laboratories, and the introduction of information technology equipment to most offices over the past three years. We are, however, stepping up our energy efficiency measures with a view to achieving reductions in consumption by 1995-96.

Special Advisers

Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in her Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Care is taken to ensure that the special adviser does not have access to the kind of information likely to create suspicion of impropriety. She is not involved in evaluating tenders or letting contracts.

Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the names and job descriptions of each special ministerial adviser employed in her Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard : My special adviser is Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell. She advises me on all policy issues.

Milk Industry

Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent Britain's demand for milk and milk products is satisfied by domestic production ;

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what are the main sources of imported milk products ; to what extent the gap is affected by the extent of the Milk Marketing Board's promotion of the use of home-produced milk ; and what effect she expects the Milk Marque to have on the shortfall between domestic production and demand.

Mr. Jack : The United Kingdom produces sufficient milk to meet its needs for liquid consumption and for protein products like skimmed milk powder. It is, however, only 85 per cent. self-sufficient in butterfat, so production is insufficient to meet the demand for cheese and butter. Imports of milk products into the United Kingdom come mainly from other EC countries. In 1992, 92 per cent. of our cheese imports, 231,693 tonnes, came from the EC, with the remainder imported mainly from New Zealand, 7,964 tonnes, Canada, 4,068 tonnes, and Australia, 2,500 tonnes. In the same year, 97 per cent. of our imports of yoghurt, buttermilk and whey originated in the Community. For butter, the position is rather different since a large proportion, 41 per cent., of our imports comes from New Zealand under a preferential access agreement which was concluded at the time of our accession to the EC. The remaining 59 per cent. of our butter imports come from the Community.

The level of the United Kingdom's self-sufficiency in milk has less to do with the promotional activities of the milk marketing boards than with the total amount of milk quota available to our producers. Our national production quota is insufficient to meet the total domestic demand for milk and milk products ; the introduction of new milk marketing arrangements next year will not alter this position.

Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of whether the national interest and that of milk producers would be better served by the bulk of our milk being handled by processors who have a proven track record in the development of new products instead of by Milk Marque, the successor of the Milk Marketing Board.

Mr. Jack : My right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales will have to have regard to all the circumstances when deciding whether to approve the Milk Marketing Board's reorganisation scheme. One of the main purposes of ending the milk marketing scheme is to allow producers to decide to whom and on what terms to sell their milk. I look forward to when they will be free to do so.

Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's working definition of the term "marketing" ; and what connection Milk Marque will have with marketing.

Mr. Jack : Milk Marque's objects are set out in its constitution. They include

"the activities of marketing and preparation for market of milk produced by its Members on land occupied by them and used for agriculture".

It is for Milk Marque to decide how to pursue this object.

Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her policy on the concept of an interdependent partnership between milk producers and an established milk processor with a vested interest in generating demand for new milk products and satisfying it from British farms.

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Mr. Jack : The Government welcome the establishment of new partnerships between producers and processors which are in accordance with our objectives of establishing a competitive market in raw milk.

Diseased Cattle

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will take urgent action to institute a system of full compensation at market price of cattle bought under the animal health regime of other EC countries which were found to have been diseased at the time of purchase.

Mr. Soames : The Department has no plans to extend the current compensation arrangements for cattle.

Fur Farms

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the regulations concerning Arctic foxes kept on fur farms.

Mr. Soames : There is no legislation relating specifically to the keeping of Arctic foxes.

EC Surplus Foods

Mr. Cox : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the butter and beef EC surplus foods that have been distributed in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Mr. Jack : Figures for the amounts of food distributed annually since 1988-89 in each London borough are not available.

Maize

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate she has as to the acreage of maize crops planted with EC subsidy, not harvested because there is allegedly no market ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : The most recent Commission estimate is that some 3,635, 000 hectares of maize were harvested in the Community in 1993. There is no information about the area of maize which has not been harvested, the reasons why it was not harvested or whether any area-based payments were made on such crops. Crops do not have to be harvested to qualify for such payments but they do have to be sown in line with locally recognised standards and maintained until at least the beginning of flowering in normal growth conditions.

Milk

Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reasons underlay the change in instructions to the Milk Marketing Board concerning the butterfat base of transferred milk quota.

Mr. Jack : The Ministry's supplementary note on the butterfat base of converted milk quota reflects guidance issued in November by the European Commission which clarifies the application of the provisions in the EC regulations. We are bound by the EC regulations and have no discretion as regards their implementation.

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Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the new rules regarding butterfat base will come into operation ; and if they apply to applications already received by the Milk Marketing Board for which the market price has been agreed.

Mr. Jack : The Commission's clarification of the rules concerning the calculation of the butterfat base of direct sales quota converted into wholesale quota applies to all applications to convert quota since the beginning of the current quota year on 1 April 1993.

Mr. Fabricant : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the effect of article 7 of Commission regulation 1546/86 on the allocation of milk quota to landlords who are not operating a holding.

Mr. Jack : Article 7 of Commission regulation (EEC) No. 1546/88, which was repealed in 1993 and replaced by Council regulation (EEC) No. 3950/92 and Commission regulation (EEC) No. 536/93, deals with the transfer of milk quota. Where an entire holding is transferred, the corresponding quota is transferred in full to the producer who takes over the holding. Where part or parts of a holding are transferred, the corresponding quota is distributed among the producers operating the holding in proportion to the areas used for milk production. Where the transfer takes place as a result of the termination of a tenancy, the producer taking over the holding might be the landlord. A holding is defined as all the production units operated by the producer within a member state of the Community.

Mr. Fabricant : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement about the allocation of milk quota to landlords who are not operating a holding.

Mr. Jack : Milk quota is allocated to producers for use on land occupied by them. Landlords may hold quota only if they are in occupation of a holding.

Mr. Fabricant : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under which article of the Dairy Produce Quota Regulations 1989 he instructs the president of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to appoint an arbitrator to act between a landlord, transferer and transferee.

Mr. Jack : The Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 1989 now superseded by the Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 1993, required that where there was a transfer of part of a holding the apportionment of quota relating to that holding had to be notified to the Minister within two months. The transferer and transferee were also required to sign a statement agreeing on the apportionment of milk quota according to the areas used for milk production, and the transferer had to supply a consent or sole interest notice in respect of the entirety of the holding. Where these requirements were not fulfilled, the apportionment had to be determined by arbitration. Paragraph 1(3) of schedule 4 provided for the Minister to apply to the president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for the appointment of an arbitrator, if within two months of the transfer, no arbitrator had been appointed by the parties.

The parties to an arbitration would usually be the transferer and transferee. Landlords have an interest in any

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quota apportionment in respect of a holding owned wholly or partly by them because of the clear link established in the EC regulations between quota and land. If a landlord with an interest in the holding does not sign the consent notice then this would require the apportionment to be decided by arbitration.

Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration has been given to the position of producers who have high butterfat producing breeds of cows in respect of the changes in the rules about the butterfat base of milk.

Mr. Jack : The EC regulations on the butterfat base for milk do not specifically provide for producers who have high butterfat producing breeds of cows, except where the producer's entire wholesale quota has been allocated from the national reserve and where production commenced after 1 April 1992. Producers in this position are required to provide proof each year that they maintain within their herd breeds of animals which justify a higher than average butterfat base.

Neptune Flood Warning System

Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will place in the Library a map of the marker buoys located offshore which are financed by her Department as part of the Neptune flood warning system.

Mr. Jack : I am placing in the Library a map showing the locations of the tide gauges around the coast which provide information on sea levels to the national storm tide warning service, which is operated on the Ministry's behalf by the Meteorological Office.

Neptune is a local warning system of events which may lead to flooding on the west coast between Llandudno and the Solway Firth. It is operated by the National Rivers Authority and draws on information from tide gauges at Workington, Heysham, Fleetwood and Liverpool, as well as gale warnings from the Manchester weather centre and surge forecasts from the storm tide warning service. The National Rivers Authority has carried out a wave measuring experiment, using wave rider buoys, in Morecambe bay over the past 12 months with the aim of improving understanding of wave conditions for forecasting purposes.

Relocation

Mr. McAllion : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the costs and benefits of relocating parts of her Department's headquarters' work from the south-east, with particular reference to the financial implications of moving work from Guildford to York.

Mr. Jack : The overall costs of running our relocated operations in York will be significantly lower than a similar operation in the south- east. There are, in addition, distinct operational benefits in bringing together under one roof in York a number of related, but previously geographically separated, divisions, especially those with close working links with the new MAFF central science laboratory under construction at Sand Hutton, just outside York. The main costs of the move cover expenditure on moving staff and fitting out costs for the new building.

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Agriculture Wages Board

Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she now expects to complete her consideration of the response she has received to consultative document on the future of the Agriculture wages board.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I hope to be able to complete my initial consideration of the responses soon. It will then be necessary to consult other ministerial colleagues with an interest in the matter. I hope that an announcement on the way forward can be made before Easter.

Herbs

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has to restrict the availability of herbs and herbal ingredients ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Soames : I have no plans at present to restrict the availability of herbs and herbal ingredients used as foods.

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all those organisations from which she has recently received representations calling for restrictions on the availability of herbs and herbal ingredients.

Mr. Soames : We have received no such representations.

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans she has (a) to extend the current voluntary ban on comfrey and comfrey products to other herbs and herbal ingredients or (b) to introduce a compulsory ban on any such herb ; and if she will make a statement ;

(2) if the review of herbs from which medicinal licences have been withdrawn by the Department of Health but are still on sale as foods has now been completed ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Soames : I have no plans either to alter or to extend the action that we have already taken on comfrey. The review of other herbal substances by the independent expert committees that advise the Government on food safety issues has been completed--and the conclusion that there were no problems requiring action was announced in the September edition of the Food Safety Directorate bulletin.

Area Payments

Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the administrative cost of operating the area payments system ; and how many staff are involved in the procedures.

Mr. Jack : The arable area payments scheme is one of a number of schemes covered by the integrated administration and control system--IACS. It is not possible to give precise costs for administering each of the individual schemes within this joint system but the estimated United Kingdom cost for administering the arable area payments scheme for the 1993 -94 financial year, including an appropriate share of the cost of IACS, is £7.2 million, involving some 365 man years.

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