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Intervention Stores (Beef)

Mr. Martin Redmond: To ask the Minster of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by location, the current cost of the stock of beef held in intervention stores; and what the figure was (a) 12 months and (b) 24 months ago. [2321]

Mr. Douglas Hogg: Since the question concerns matters which are direct responsibility of the chief executive of the Intervention Board Executive Agency. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member.

Letter from George Trevelyan to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 November 1995:

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your written Parliamentary Question (64) tabled for answer on 27 November 1995.[2321]
"To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will list by location, the current cost of stock of beef held in intervention stores; and what the figure was (a) 12 months and (b) 24 months ago."
Member States are required annually to submit to the Commission a Stock Account showing the value of beef stocks held in intervention stores as at 30 September. The information set out in the attached table lists the locations of stores that held stocks of beef for the years in question. A breakdown of the costs of stocks by location is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost because the book value of the stock at any particular time is assigned under EC accounting conventions to the stockholding at a national level. The value of the stocks held in the UK on 30 September in each year was:
1993: £87,575,989
1994: £31,473,031
1995 ¹ : £6,003,333
¹ provisional.
I am sending a copy of this letter, together with a copy of the table to the House of Commons Library and the Public Information Office.
Intervention stores holding beef stocks Stores containing intervention beef stocks at 30 September identified *

Location of cold stores	1993	1994	1995
North of England and Scotland
Inverness	*	*	*
Dundee	*	*	*
Edinburgh	*	*	*
Gateshead	*	*	--
Glasgow	*	*	*
Glenrothes	*	*	*
Bellshill	*	*	*
Aberdeen	*	*	*
Midlands
Grimsby (x3)	*	*	--
Marston	*	*	--
Hull (x2)	*	*	*
Liverpool (x3)	*	*	*
Salford	*	*	--
St. Helens	*	*	--
Leeds (x3)	*	*	*
Fleetwood	*	*	--
Preston	*	*	--
Doncaster	--	*	*
Pontefract	*	--	--
Blackburn	*	*	--
Tamworth	*	*	*
Eccleshall	*	*	--
Cannock	*	*	--
Manchester	*	--	--
Retford	*	*	--
Sheffield	*	*	--
Shrewsbury	*	*	--
Marston	*	*	--
Scunthorpe	*	*	*
Oswestry	*	--	--
Nottingham	*	*	--
East and South-east
Lowestoft	*	*	*
Southall	*	--	--
Spalding	*	*	--
Lympne	*	*	--
Hornsey	*	*	*
Gillingham	*	*	--
Kings Lynn (x2)	*	*	*
Peterborough	*	*	*
Stratford	*	*	--
Wisbech	*	*	*
Dagenham	*	*	--
March	*	*	--
Bury St. Edmunds	*	*	--
Leicester	*	--	--
Luton	*	--	--
Thetford	*	*	--
Wigston	*	--	--
Paddock Wood	*	*	--
Sevenoaks	*	--	--
South-west and Wales
Walsall	*	*	--
Cornwall	*	*	--
Willand	*	*	*
Sherbourne	*	*	--
Brierly Hill	*	*	--
Avonmouth	*	--	--
Cardiff	*	*	--
Eastleigh	*	--	--
Exeter	*	*	*
Newport	*	*	*
Plymouth	*	*	--
Swansea	*	*	*
Taunton	*	*	--
Tewkesbury	*	--	--
Northern Ireland
Banbridge	*	*	*
Belfast (x3)	*	*	*
Ballymena	*	*	*
Lurgan	*	*	*
Portadown (x2)	*	*	*
Lisburn (x2)	*	*	*
Dungannon	*	*	*
Antrim	*	*	*
Newtonabbey	*	*	*
Larne	*	*	*
Omagh	*	*	*
Coleraine	*	*	*




Source: Intervention Board IMD-B November 1995.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 878

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures are being taken by his Ministry to prevent the falsification by farmers of documentation regarding BSE infected cattle. [2669]

Mrs. Browning: The Ministry requires that ear tag numbers of all cattle being moved to a market, or presented for slaughter, and which are accompanied by farmers' declarations, are checked by an official veterinary surgeon against the Ministry's central record of BSE cases. Enforcement as regards false documentation is a matter for local authorities, but prosecution is actively encouraged by the Ministry.

Official veterinary surgeons have also been asked to be alert for any indication of possible fraud, such as the replacement of ear tags, and to inform a divisional veterinary manager of the State Veterinary Service of any suspicion they have so that the circumstances can be investigated.

Baby Milk Formula

Mr. Chris Davies: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the reports received from the inquiry panel established by the local authority co-ordinating body on trading standards to investigate alleged infringements of the Baby Milk Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 1995; what steps he will take to establish uniformity in the enforcement approach; and if he will make a statement. [2530]

Mrs. Browning: No such inquiry panel exists. The Department of Health, in consultation with representatives of health professions, voluntary groups, baby milk manufacturers and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is drawing up guidelines, as required by the regulations, on the donation of informational and educational materials produced by infant formula manufacturers and retailers. The guidance notes will shortly be circulated to interested parties for comment. In addition, LACOTS is preparing guidance on the implementation and interpretation of the regulations.

The two documents will assist enforcement officers in local authorities to achieve a uniform approach in the enforcement of the regulations.

TRANSPORT

Investors in People

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to achieve investor in people status; when it started the process; when it expects to achieve investor in people status; and if he will make a statement. [2985]

Mr. Norris: The Department of Transport is committed to taking forward investor in people progressively.

The Department's executive agencies are progressively implementing investor in people at a pace relating to their own circumstance.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 879

Three pilot schemes have been developed in the central transport unit. Of these the marine accident investigation branch has submitted its investors in people portfolio to Hants training and enterprise council.

Oil Tankers

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many oil tankers over (a) 10,000 tonne net registered tonnage, (b) 20,000 tonne net registered tonnage, (c) 50,000 tonne NRT and (d) 100,000 tonne NRT visited British ports in 1993 and 1994; and how many were fitted with double hulls. [2852]

Mr. Norris: The information is as follows:

Gross registered tonnage	1993	1994
Over 10,000	4,341	4,412
Over 20,000	2,435	2,513
Over 50,000	1,221	1,284
Over 100,000	140	133

Figures for net registered tonnage--NRT--and the number of double hull oil tankers are not available. As the regulations requiring new oil tankers to be fitted with double hulls, or similar structures, have only recently been introduced, the majority of existing oil tankers have single hulls.

Airports

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those airports that are equipped with distance measuring equipment in England and Wales. [2853]

Mr. Norris: The following aerodromes in England and Wales are equipped with distance measuring equipment

Barrow/Walney Island
Biggin Hill
Birmingham
Blackbushe
Blackpool
Bournemouth
Bristol
Cambridge
Cardiff
Carlisle
Clacton
East Midlands
Exeter
Fairoaks
Filton
Gamston/Retford
Gloucestershire
Hawarden
Humberside
Leeds Bradford
Liverpool
London City
London Gatwick
London Heathrow
London Luton
London Stansted

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 880

Lydd
Manchester
Newcastle
Norwich
Oxford (Kidlington)
Plymouth
Shoreham
Southampton
Southend
Swansea
Teesside
Warton
Welshpool
Woodford
Yeovil (Westland) Source: Communications (COM) section of UK Air Pilot, published by the Civil Aviation Authority.

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