| Previous Section | Home Page |
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 20 March 1995]: A list of surveys carried out for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments by polling or public survey organisations during 1993 94 and 1994 95 has been placed in the Library.
Quality Management Initiatives
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will (a) list in detail the total quality management initiatives implemented by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and (b) supply evidence of the success of these initiatives since their implementation. [15425]
Mr. Ancram: Initiatives introduced by the Department of Agriculture are based upon the citizens charter, including chartermark. There are early signs that these initiatives are beginning to achieve the desired results.
The Department of Agriculture, in association with local industry bodies, has been instrumental in implementing a range of quality assurance schemes. These, along with success criteria, as determined by the number of businesses and level of production covered by each, are as follows:
|Quality assured
|Output as
|Businesses |percentage of
Initiative |Launch Date |Approved |Total Output
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farm QA Scheme (Beef) |April 1991 |6,143 |50
Farm QA Scheme (Lamb) |April 1992 |2,000 |27
Pig QA Scheme |October 1993 |232 |55
Schools
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by school (a) the amount in grants awarded, (b) the number of pupils attending each school and (c) the number of teachers employed at each school covered in table 4.21 of Northern Ireland expenditure plans and priorities 1994 95 to 1996 97. [15413]
Column 482
Mr. Ancram: For information on pupil numbers and funding, I refer the hon. Member to the LMS budget statements for controlled and maintained schools published by the five education and library boards and to the financial statements for grant-maintained integrated and voluntary grammar schools published by the Department of Education. Copies of these are available in the Library.
Information on the number of teachers employed at each school is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Agriculture Courses
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students are currently attending courses for each agricultural college (a) on a full-time basis and (b) on a part-time basis; and how many are employed at each of the colleges. [15430]
Mr. Ancram: The number of students currently attending courses at the three colleges operated by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, on a full-time and on a part-time basis, is as follows:
|Enniskillen|Greenmount |Loughry |Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
a) Full-time |51 |315 |295 |661
b) Part-time |86 |237 |167 |490
In addition, the colleges expect to deliver approximately 11,000 trainee days to people working in the Province's agri-food industry during the present academic year via short courses covering management and technical topics.
As well as providing education and training, the colleges are responsible for the Department's technology services and certain other aspects of agri- food industry development. The total number of staff engaged in providing all services are:
Enniskillen |Greenmount |Loughry |Total ------------------------------------------------------------ 31 |146 |125 |302
These figures include support staff such as farm workers, cleaners, administration staff, in addition to the teaching staff and technologists.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students are currently pursuing courses at the faculty of agriculture and food science at Queen's university, Belfast at degree level and at postgraduate level; and how many of them have opted for modules within the courses which cover environmental issues. [15431]
Mr. Ancram: The number of students currently pursuing courses at the faculty of agriculture and food science, Belfast is 231 at degree level and 168 at postgraduate level.
All undergraduate students cover a range of environmental issues as integral parts of core modules within each of the degree courses. In addition, 21 undergraduate students and 30 postgraduate students are taking optional modules which specifically cover environmental issues.
Column 483
European Regional Development Fund
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons there is a planned increase of £14 million in ERDF-Trade, Industry, Employment from 1995 96 to 1996 97 in Northern Ireland referred to in Northern Ireland expenditure plans and priorities 1994 95 to 1996 97, table 6.1. [15408]
Mr. Ancram: The 1996 97 forecast represents the anticipated level of ERDF receipts based on the expenditure proposals submitted by Government to the European Commission in November 1993, in connection with the 1994 to 1999 round of European structural funds assistance. These figures have already been revised in our 1995 public expenditure plans to reflect the contents of the Northern Ireland single programme document, which was agreed with the European Commission on 29 July 1994.
Agriculture and Fishing
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will describe the two schemes which provide grants for investments within agriculture and the fishing industry, as mentioned in Northern Ireland expenditure plans and priorities 1994 95 to 1996 97, section 5.21; and if he will give a breakdown of the 15 agricultural projects within which received aid from these schemes in 1993 and of the 11 projects within the fishing sector which received aid from these schemes. [15429]
Mr. Ancram: Grants for processing and marketing of agricultural products are made under European Commission Regulation No. 866/90, which is designed to improve the agricultural processing and marketing infrastructure in member states. Aid is given towards the cost of capital investments--new and refurbished buildings and new equipment. In Northern Ireland, the scheme provides grants at the rate of 35 per cent. of eligible expenditure, up to a limit of £1 million. The minimum eligible project size is £70,000 eligible costs.
The 15 projects awarded grants in 1993 are in the following list.
|£
Beneficiary |Project description |Amount of award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Etherson Meats |Extensions and |104,505
Ballymoney |alterations to existing
|factory premises
Castlewood Farm |Refurbishment of new |286,171
Products Belfast |premises
Fred C. Robinson |Construction of chill, |470,882
Ballyclare |curing and processing
|facilities and purchasing
|of additional plant
Wm Sprott Ltd. |Rationalisation and |460,243
Portadown |upgrading of processing
|capabilities
Unipork Holdings |Rationalisation of group |900,000
Cookstown |killing and chilling
|facilities
Townsend Meats |Construction of new |169,837
Cullybackey |meat processing plant
|designed to conform to
|latest EC requirements
Lean and Easy |Processing and |26,477
Limavady |marketing of boneless
|lamb products
S and M Meats |Establishment of EC- |148,533
|Castlewellan |approved meat
|processing plant
Fermanagh |To increase |379,400
Creameries |competitiveness and
Lisnaskea |expand production of
|speciality cheeses
Robert Clarke Ltd. |Installation of egg |297,277
Keady |grader and factory
|refurbishment
G. Bell and Sons |Integrated cutting |112,174
Crossgar |premises for poultry
|meat
North Down Grain |Extension of cereal, |86,792
Ltd. Ballywalter |oilseed and pulses
|drying, processing and
|storage facilities
J. J. Quinn |Construction of new |102,988
Dungannon |cold storage facilities
Pippin Foods Ltd. |Expansion of existing |251,306
Portadown |facilities; new plant
|and equipment
Kelly Flowers Ltd. |Construction of a |49,622
Lisburn |temperature-controlled
|flower and plant
|packaging and
|presentation unit
Grants to improve the processing and marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products are made under European Council Regulation No. 4042/89. Like the agricultural scheme, aid is given toward the cost of capital investments-- new and refurbished buildings and new equipment. In Northern Ireland, the scheme provides grants at the rate of up to 35 per cent. of eligible expenditure up to a limit of £900,000. Total project costs must not be less than £25,000 and not more than £6 million.
The 11 fisheries projects awarded grant in 1993 are in the following list.
Beneficiary |Project description |£ Amount of award
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quibros Exports |Provision of facilities |59,649
|for processing and
|packing of fresh and
|frozen fish at
|Cookstown, Co Tyrone
Newport Fish Co |Expansion of existing |38,354
Ltd. |processing facilities at
|Cookstown, Co Tyrone
Goldfish Ltd. |Improvements to |30,940
|processing facilities at
|Belfast
C and O Milligan |The modernisation and |201,254
|extension of fish
|processing facilities at
|Ardglass, Co Down
Byrne Fish |The construction of a |72,456
|new fish processing
|factory designed to
|conform to the latest EC
|regulations at
|Ballyhornan, Co Down
Middleton Seafoods |Modernisation of |69,338
|factory to increase
|efficiency and
|marketing opportunities
|and improve hygiene
|standards at Portavogie,
|Co Down
T H Nicholson |The construction of a |68,733
|new fish processing
|factory designed to
|conform to EC
|standards at Kilkeel
| Co Down
J W Cochrane |Modernisation, |148,511
|refurbishment and
|extension of fish
|processing factory to
|bring about compliance
|with forthcoming EC
|legislation at Ardglass,
|Co Down
Kilkeep Kippering |The modernisation, |79,946
|upgrading and
|refurbishment of fish
|processing facilities to
|conform to the latest EC
|standards at Kilkeel,
|Co Down
George Milligan |Upgrading of processing |194,250
|facilities at Ardglass,
|Co Down
Kenneth Kennedy |New fish processing |279,088
|factory at Ardglass,
|Co Down
Farming Community (Suicides)
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suicides there have been in the Northern Irish farming community in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [14259]
Mr. Ancram [holding answer 23 March 1995]: Deaths in the farming community caused by suicide are a cause for concern.
The number of deaths registered as suicides in relation to farmers and farm labourers in Northern Ireland in the five year period to 1993 are set out in the table. Deaths are recorded according to date of registration and not by date of occurrence.
1989: 2
1990: 3
1991: 8
Column 486
1992: 31993: 10
1994: 6 (to September)
Specialist Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what facilities in terms of (a) access to telephones, (b) use of equipment, (c) use of offices, (d) access to ministerial meetings, (e) sight of correspondence, (f) attendance at inter-departmental meetings and (g) access to civil servants are available to specialist advisers in his Department. [15616]
Sir Patrick Mayhew: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him earlier today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Deregulation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that his ministerial management information system for establishing objectives for his Department, includes deregulation objectives (a) for him and (b) for each of the Ministers within his Department. [15616]
Mr. Ancram: Yes. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland ensures that Northern Ireland Ministers seek to further the aims and objectives of the deregulation initiative in the areas for which they are responsible.
Political Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992.
Sir Patrick Mayhew: I appointed Mr. Jonathan Caine as my special adviser in June 1992.
Irish Language
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new plans he has to increase the numbers of parents who can choose Irish language tuition as a second language at all Irish schools. [16634]
Mr. Ancram: None. At present, any school may offer a course in the language, and pupils may choose Irish to fulfil their modern language requirements as part of the compulsory curriculum at post-primary level.
Most of the schools which currently offer Irish as part of their language studies provision have a tradition of doing so. However, as with any other course, schools planning to provide Irish will take into account factors such as demand for it from parents and pupils, the availability of qualified teachers and space for it within the timetable.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if all inspectors responsible for reporting in all Irish schools are fluent Irish speakers; and if he will make a statement. [16633]
Mr. Ancram: Generally, members of inspection teams who report on Irish medium schools are fluent in, or have a good working knowledge of, Irish.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made recently of the adequacy of the resources available for second language
Column 487
teaching of Irish in all schools and for teaching Irish in all Irish schools. [16636]Mr. Ancram: It is a matter for individual schools within their delegated budgets to decide what resources they should devote to any aspect of the curriculum--including Irish. In addition to mainstream budgets, the Department of Education also makes available a grant of some £40,000 per annum to assist the Irish medium schools with production of curricular materials. The teaching of Irish in schools is assessed by the inspectorate on the same basis as any other subject.
Mr. Gerry Adams
Mr. Jessel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if Mr. Gerry Adams is or has been in receipt of income support or any other social security benefit. [16367]
Mr. Moss: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Social Security Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Alec Wylie. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from Alec Wylie to Mr. Toby Jessel, dated 23 March 1995: I have been asked to reply to your recent question about Mr. Gerry Adams.
I should first explain that information on a person's entitlement to social security benefits, including whether or not they are claiming or getting benefit, is confidential. I am therefore unable to comment on individual cases. However, I can assure you that all claims to benefit are assessed and regularly reviewed by independent adjudication officers, strictly in accordance with social security law and payment is made only where there is a valid entitlement.
I hope this letter sets out the position for you.
Temporary Contracts
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration for this year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total work force these employees constitute.
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 15 March 1995]: The information has been placed in the Library.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Sugar Beet
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in rank order the acreage under sugar beet in (a) each county and (b) each region. [15501]
Mr. Jack: The information requested has been compiled from the June 1994 agricultural census of England and Wales and is as follows:
June 1994 Agricultural Census Sugar Beet Coverage
Area
County |Hectares |Acres
--------------------------------------------------------------
Norfolk |57,012.2 |140,877.1
Lincolnshire |33,600.0 |83,025.6
Suffolk |22,974.3 |56,769.5
Cambridgeshire |22,878.4 |56,532.5
Shropshire |10,103.8 |24,966.5
Humberside |9,439.2 |23,324.3
Nottinghamshire |8,281.1 |20,462.6
North Yorkshire (Northallerton) |7,918.1 |19,565.6
North Yorkshire (Beverley) |4,538.6 |11,214.9
Hereford and Worcester |4,486.3 |11,085.6
Essex |4,219.9 |10,427.4
Staffordshire |2,335.6 |5,771.3
South Yorkshire |1,770.1 |4,373.9
Leicestershire |920.0 |2,273.3
Bedfordshire |482.3 |1,191.8
Northamptonshire |417.7 |1,032.1
Somerset |411.5 |1,016.8
West Yorkshire |405.2 |1,001.2
Lancashire |337.5 |834.0
Derbyshire |304.2 |751.7
Merseyside |223.6 |552.5
West Midlands |170.7 |421.8
Hertfordshire |168.1 |415.4
Cheshire |160.5 |396.6
Gloucestershire |149.0 |368.2
Warwickshire |148.1 |366.0
Cornwall |142.4 |351.9
Oxfordshire |120.1 |296.8
Wiltshire |117.1 |289.4
Clwyd |66.3 |163.8
Dorset |63.2 |156.2
Devon |52.5 |129.7
Greater Manchester |41.0 |101.3
Powys |17.4 |43.0
Buckinghamshire |10.0 |24.7
Dyfed |8.1 |20.0
Gwynedd |5.3 |13.1
South Glamorgan |3.3 |8.2
Hampshire |1.0 |2.5
Kent |0.4 |1.0
Avon |0.0 |0.0
Berkshire |0.0 |0.0
Cleveland |0.0 |0.0
Cumbria |0.0 |0.0
Durham |0.0 |0.0
East Sussex |0.0 |0.0
Greater London (E) |0.0 |0.0
Greater London (SE) |0.0 |0.0
Gwent |0.0 |0.0
Isle of Wight |0.0 |0.0
Isles of Scilly |0.0 |0.0
Mid Glamorgan |0.0 |0.0
Northumberland |0.0 |0.0
Surrey |0.0 |0.0
Tyne and Wear |0.0 |0.0
West Glamorgan |0.0 |0.0
West Sussex |0.0 |0.0
England |194,403.7|480,371.5
Wales |100.4 |248.1
England and Wales |194,504.1|480.619.6
June 1994 Agricultural Census Sugar Beet Coverage (by Region)
Area
Counties within |Hectares |Acres
Regions
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cambridgeshire |22,878.4 |56,532.5
Norfolk |57,012.2 |140,877.1
Suffolk |22,974.3 |56,769.5
East Anglia Region |102,864.9 |254,179.2
Derbyshire |304.2 |751.7
Leicestershire |920.0 |2,273.3
Lincolnshire |33,600.0 |83,025.6
Northamptonshire |417.7 |1032.1
Nottinghamshire |8,281.1 |20,462.6
East Midlands Region |43,523 |107,545.3
Humberside |9,439.2 |23,324.3
North Yorkshire (Beverley) |4,538.6 |11,214.9
North Yorkshire (N'allerton) |7,918.1 |19,565.6
South Yorkshire |1,770.1 |4,373.9
West Yorkshire |405.2 |1,001.2
Yorkshire/Humberside |24,071.2 |59,479.9
Hereford and Worcester |4,486.3 |11,085.6
Shropshire |10,103.8 |24,966.5
Staffordshire |2,335.6 |5,771.3
Warwickshire |148.1 |366.0
West Midlands |170.7 |421.8
West Midlands Region |17,244.5 |42,611.2
Bedfordshire |482.3 |1,191.8
Berkshire |0.0 |0.0
Buckinghamshire |10.0 |24.7
East Sussex |0.0 |0.0
Essex |4,219.9 |10,427.4
Greater London (E) |0.0 |0.0
Greater London (SE) |0.0 |0.0
Hampshire |1.0 |2.5
Hertfordshire |168.1 |415.4
Isle of Wight |0.0 |0.0
Kent |0.4 |1.0
Oxfordshire |120.1 |296.8
Surrey |0.0 |0.0
West Sussex |0.0 |0.0
South East Region |5,001.8 |12,359.4
Avon |0.0 |0.0
Cornwall |142.4 |351.9
Devon |52.5 |129.7
Dorset |63.2 |156.2
Gloucestershire |149.0 |368.2
Isles of Scilly |0.0 |0.0
Somerset |411.5 |1,016.8
Wiltshire |117.1 |289.4
South West Region |935.7 |2,312.1
Cheshire |160.5 |396.6
Lancashire |337.5 |834.0
Merseyside |223.6 |552.5
Greater Manchester |41.0 |101.3
North West Region |762.6 |1,884.4
Clwyd |66.3 |163.8
Dyfed |8.1 |20.0
Gwent |0.0 |0.0
Gwynedd |5.3 |13.1
Mid Glamorgan |0.0 |0.0
Powys |17.4 |43.0
South Glamorgan |3.3 |8.2
West Glamorgan |0.0 |0.0
Wales |100.4 |248.1
Cleveland |0.0 |0.0
Cumbria |0.0 |0.0
Durham |0.0 |0.0
Northumberland |0.0 |0.0
Tyne and Wear |0.0 |0.0
North Region |0.0 |0.0
Notes:
1. County totals in acres may not add up to regional totals, this is due to
rounding to 1 decimal place.
2. This data relates to main holdings only-minor holdings excluded.
Lindane
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if lindane or gamma hexachlorocyclohexane is used in agricultural production, with particular reference to crop spraying, and if he will make a statement. [15500]
Mrs. Browning: Lindane is approved for use on a number of crops. The independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides is currently reviewing the agricultural uses of lindane. I expect the committee to report its conclusions later this year.
Farm and Food Prices
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by how much (a) farm prices and (b) food prices have increased in the United Kingdom since September 1993. [15822]
Mr. Jack: The index of producer prices of agricultural products increased by 8.6 per cent. between September 1993 and January 1995. Over the same period, the retail prices index for food increased by 2.4 per cent.
Common Agricultural Policies
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total budget of the common agricultural policy in each year since 1973; what proportion of the EC's total budget this accounts for; and what proportion of the common agricultural policy was allocated to the United Kingdom. [15790]
Mr. Jack: For the years 1973 to 1992, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 9 March 1994, Official Report ; column 275 . The information in respect of 1993 and 1994 is as follows:
|Total CAP |Total UK
|receipts as |
|Guarantee) |of total EC |total EC CAP
|(mecu) |expenditure |expenditure
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 |35,088 |55 |8.2
1994 |32,924 |50 |8.5
Sources:
1993 annual financial report of the guarantee section of the European
agricultural guidance and guarantee fund and Commission working doc.
VI/72/94-15.12.94
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest figure for (a) the total value of moneys illegally abstracted from
Column 491
the common agricultural policy's export refund and price support schemes and (b) how much the common agricultural policy has lost through the evasion of customs duties and farm levies; and if he will estimate the proportion of defrauded funds that are recouped. [15794]Mr. Jack: The information is in table 2, page 40, of the Commission report titled "Protection of the Community's Financial Interests: The Fight Against Fraud--1993 Annual Report", which was published on 23 March 1994. A copy was placed in the library.
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the proportion of common agricultural policy spending that does not go to farmers but is (a) paid to middlemen who store unwanted surplus food and (b) is used to subsidise this surplus for export onto world markets. [15795]
Mr. Jack: Information on EC expenditure up to 1993 on intervention storage and on export refunds in contained in annexe 9 and annexe 5, respectively, of the annual financial reports of the guarantee section of the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund. These have been deposited in the Library of the House of Commons. For 1994, intervention storage accounted for 3.4 per cent. of total expenditure, and export refunds for 24.8 per cent. The corresponding figures for 1995, based on the draft supplementary and amending budget, are 3.5 per cent. and 19.6 per cent. respectively.
Cereal Farmers
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cereal farmers in the United Kingdom last year received cash benefits in excess of £40,000 from the common agricultural policy; and what proportion received these benefits without growing anything. [15793]
Mr. Jack: Statistics on the distribution of payments under the arable area payments scheme are not yet available as the final oilseed payments are still being made. I will write to the hon. Member when the figures that he has requested are available.
EC Fresh Meat Legislation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for each member of the European Community the domestic legislation equivalent to the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992. [15640]
Mrs. Browning: I am placing the information in the Library.
Special Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food what facilities in terms of (a) access to telephones, (b) use of equipment, (c) use of offices, (d) access to ministerial meetings, (e) sight of correspondence, (f) attendance at interdepartmental meetings and (g) access to civil servants are available to specialist advisers in his Department. [15638]
Mr. Waldegrave: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him earlier today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Column 492
Deregulation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what targets he has for withdrawing regulations within his Department. [15554]
Mr. Jack: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Under- Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ensure that his ministerial management information system for establishing objectives for his Department, includes deregulation objectives (a) for him and (b) for each of the Ministers within his Department. [15572]
Mr. Jack: One of the principal aims of the Department is to work to reduce regulatory and administrative burdens on business. Each Minister has to pursue this objective in the policy areas for which they are responsible. My noble Friend the Earl Howe has particular responsibility for promoting deregulation in the Department.
Political Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15639]
Mr. Waldegrave: Since May 1992, the following political advisers have been appointed to my Department:
|Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Keith Adams |April 1992 to May 1993
Dr. Elizabeth Cotterell |May 1993 to July 1994
Mr. David Rutley |July 1994 to date
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of BSE cases in cattle born in each year since 1979. [15907]
Mrs. Browning: The following is a table which gives the contribution of BSE cases by year of birth. The data includes only cases with known dates of birth, cases with estimated dates of birth are therefore excluded.
Year |Number of cases ------------------------------------------------ 1980 |102 1981 |256 1982 |1,381 1983 |4,446 1984 |7,994 1985 |10,856 1986 |19,122 1987 |34,640 1988 |19,494 1989 |6,859 1990 |1,070 1991 |22
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the proportion of cattle and BSE has changed by age, and if this follows his Department's projections. [15908]
Mrs. Browning: The table shows the age specific incidence of confirmed cases of BSE in herds with
Column 493
homebred cases. The figures are in line with the Government's projections, and clearly show the impact of the action taken to prevent recycling of infection through feed. The increasing incidence in animals six years of age and older is as expected as these were predominantly born before July 1988.Column 493
Age specific incidences of confirmed cases of BSE herds with homebred cases
BSE affected BSE affected
herds: cases with a herds: cases with a
clinical clinical
onset in 1990 onset in 1991
|Numbers of |Number of |Incidence |Numbers of |Number of |Incidence
Age years |animals at risk |cases of BSE |(per cent.) |Animals at risk |cases of BSE |(per cent.) |Range of dates of
|birth
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 |0 |0 |0.00 |0 |0 |0.00 | Born after 18 July 1988
2 |35,137 |24 |0.07 |48,575 |11 |0.02 | Born after 18 July 1988
3 |65,317 |863 |1.32 |90,284 |1,687 |1.87 | Born after 18 July 1988
4 |57,444 |2,265 |3.94 |79,769 |4,601 |5.77 | Born after 18 July 1988
5 |48,888 |1,696 |3.47 |67,138 |2,641 |3.93 |<2>2 January 1988
|-30 December 1989
6 |39,497 |785 |1.99 |53,589 |1,065 |1.99 |2 January 1987
|-30 December 1988
7 |29,681 |207 |0.70 |40,406 |362 |0.90 | Born before 18 July 1988
8 |21,004 |40 |0.19 |28,565 |99 |0.35 | Born before 18 July 1988
9 |13,516 |11 |0.08 |18,917 |27 |0.14 | Born before 18 July 1988
10 |7,826 |4 |0.05 |11,288 |8 |0.07 | Born before 18 July 1988
11 |4,337 |2 |0.05 |6,157 |2 |0.03 | Born before 18 July 1988
12 |3,247 |2 |0.06 |4,602 |2 |0.04 | Born before 18 July 1988
BSE affected BSE affected
herds: cases with a herds: cases with a
clinical clinical
onset in 1992 onset in 1993
|Numbers of |Number of |Incidence |Numbers of |Number of |Incidence
Age years |animals at risk |cases of BSE |(per cent.) |Animals at risk |cases of BSE |(per cent.) |Range of dates of
|birth
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 |0 |0 |0.00 |0 |0 |0.00 | Born after 18 July 1988
2 |56,705 |12 |0.02 |53,051 |8 |0.02 | Born after 18 July 1988
3 |104,919 |686 |0.65 |97,325 |436 |0.45 | Born after 18 July 1988
4 |92,327 |6,178 |6.69 |84,494 |2,781 |3.29 | Born after 18 July 1988
5 |77,656 |5,095 |6.56 |70,730 |5,762 |8.15 |<2>2 January 1988
|-30 December 1989
6 |61,481 |1,719 |2.80 |55,862 |2,806 |5.02 |2 January 1987
|-30 December 1988
7 |45,971 |474 |1.03 |41,530 |694 |1.67 | Born before 18 July 1988
8 |32,340 |195 |0.60 |29,132 |211 |0.72 | Born before 18 July 1988
9 |21,137 |60 |0.28 |18,986 |80 |0.42 | Born before 18 July 1988
10 |12,489 |10 |0.08 |11,212 |39 |0.35 | Born before 18 July 1988
11 |6,733 |4 |0.06 |6,273 |10 |0.16 | Born before 18 July 1988
12 |5,582 |5 |0.09 |4,992 |3 |0.06 | Born before 18 July 1988
BSE affected
herds: cases with a
clinical onset in
1994<1>
|Number of |Number of cases
Age years |Animals at risk |of BSE |Incidence per cent. |Range of dates of
|birth
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 |0 |0 |0.00 | Born after 18 July 1988
2 |36,825 |1 |0.00 | Born after 18 July 1988
3 |68,093 |125 |0.18 | Born after 18 July 1988
4 |58,425 |1,271 |2.18 | Born after 18 July 1988
5 |48,184 |1,996 |4.14 |<2>2 January 1988-30 December 1989
6 |37,933 |2,177 |5.74 |2 January 1987-30 December 1988
7 |27,646 |719 |2.60 | Born before 18 July 1988
8 |19,561 |199 |1.02 | Born before 18 July 1988
9 |13,076 |61 |0.47 | Born before 18 July 1988
10 |7,707 |37 |0.48 | Born before 18 July 1988
11 |4,265 |11 |0.26 | Born before 18 July 1988
12 |3,464 |4 |0.12 | Born before 18 July 1988
<1> Herds with cases accumulateed by 5 January 1995.
<2> Partly influenced by feed ban.
Column 493
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the peak age of BSE detection in cattle born after the feed ban. [15909] Mrs. Browning: The peak age of onset of BSE in cattle born after the ban is four years of age.
Column 494
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has to show the likelihood of a herd with a BSE case in one year developing another case the year after compared with herds unaffected by BSE. [15910]
Column 495
Mrs. Browning: In 1993 17,201 herds had one or more cases of BSE confirmed of which 8,102 of these herds also had one or more cases confirmed in 1994. The likelihood of a herd with a BSE case one year developing another case the year after was therefore less than 50 per cent.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of (a) reported and (b) confirmed BSE cases by age group for 1994. [15911]
Mrs. Browning: The distribution of cases restricted and subsequently confirmed, by age at clinical onset is:
Age |Reported |Confirmed ---------------------------------------- 0-1 |3 |0 1-2 |43 |0 2-3 |274 |12 3-4 |984 |429 4-5 |4,256 |3,502 5-6 |7,093 |6,150 6-7 |9,922 |8,418 7-8 |3,946 |3,030 8-9 |1,188 |799 9-10 |485 |274 10-11 |238 |126 11-12 |105 |44 12-13 |52 |11 13-14 |27 |6 14-15 |15 |2 15-16 |1 |0 16-17 |3 |1 17-18 |0 |0 18-19 |1 |0
The data include only cases with known dates of birth, cases with estimated dates are therefore excluded.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of British cattle, by age group, were tested for BSE in 1994; and what proportion of each herd were tested in 1994 for BSE. [15912]
Mrs. Browning: No cattle were tested for BSE in 1994. No test is yet available to identify BSE in the live animal.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of reported cases of BSE, the number of reported cases tested and the number of cases confirmed for each month from June 1988. [15913]
Mrs. Browning: It is not possible without incurring
disproportionate costs to detail the number of reported cases of BSE and the number of confirmed cases of BSE for each month from June 1988. Information on the number of suspect cases reported and placed under restriction each week since the disease was made notifiable until 28 September 1994 is, however, contained in table 2 of the Government's latest BSE progress report.
No reported cases were tested during this period as no test is yet available to detect BSE in the live animal.
| Next Section
| Home Page |