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Departmental Chauffeur-driven Cars

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the cost of chauffeur-driven cars used by his Department was in each of the past five years. [5854]

Mr. Douglas Hogg: Expenditure by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in respect of chauffeur- driven cars for the financial years 1990-91 to 1994-95 is set out in the list.

1990-91: £234,430.21
1991-92: £289,972.83
1992-93: £294,921.47
1993-94: £264,662.21
1994-95: £223,697.49

Departmental Property

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the annual cost to his Ministry and his Ministry's agencies and non-ministerial public bodies of their empty and under-utilised properties for (a) 1979-80, (b) 1989-90, (c) 1991-92, (d) 1993-94, (e) 1994-95, (f) 1995-96 and (g) 1996-97. [11415]

Mr. Boswell [holding answer 30 January 1996]: Before 1 April 1990, the civil estate was managed by the Property Services Agency.

The annual costs incurred by the Ministry and its agencies in respect of empty properties are as follows:

1991-92: £320,000
1992-93: £944,000
1993-94: £1,803,000
1994-95: £4,471,000
1995-96: £4,258,000
1996-97: £2,744,000

Information on the costs of the Ministry's under-utilised properties and on the costs of empty and under-utilised properties held by non-departmental public bodies could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

31 Jan 1996 : Column: 775

A significant proportion of each of the above figures relates to opportunity cost rents which are not a charge on the Exchequer.

The Ministry follows Treasury policy and makes every effort to dispose of vacant properties within three years of their becoming redundant.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of his Ministry's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in (a) 1993-94, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1995-96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11417]

Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 30 January 1996]: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's estimated expenditure over the past three years on newspapers and magazines, defined as scientific, technical and other highly specialised and general periodicals, is as follows:

1993-94: £624,000
1994-95: £623,000
1995-96: £481,000

The Ministry subscribes centrally to over 3,500 titles, and other records are maintained at a number of different locations. To provide a central list of publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available could be done only at disproportionate cost.

EU Funding

Mr. Hain: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much in (a) ecu and (b) pounds by standard region and in total is allocated to the United Kingdom from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund under the present structural funds agreement. [11655]

Mr. Boswell [holding answer 29 January 1996]: The UK's allocation by objective and region in (a) ecu and (b) pounds sterling from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund under the present structural funds agreement--1994 to 1999--is shown in the table:

Region	Ecus	Pounds sterling
Objective 1
Merseyside	3	3
Highlands and Islands	56	47
Northern Ireland	187	158
Total UK	246	205
Objective 5a
UK	361	301
Objective 5b
South-West	41	34
The Marches	7	6
Midlands Uplands	2	2
Northern Uplands	23	19
Lincolnshire	9	8
East Anglia	11	9
Rural Wales	36	30
Borders of Scotland	4	3
Dumfries and Galloway	6	5
Central Scotland/Tayside	3	3
Grampian	5	4
Total UK	147	123

1. All figures are at 1994 prices, are given in millions and have been rounded to the nearest million.

2. The exchange rate used is £1 = 1.20 ecu.

31 Jan 1996 : Column: 776

Cattle

Dr. Strang: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the size of the herd of each breed of cattle in the United Kingdom, for each year since 1985. [12178]

Mr. Douglas Hogg: The Ministry does not hold the information requested.

Live Animal Exports

Mr. Heppell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what requirements are made of vehicles seeking exemption licences to carry animals in more than one tier on roll-on, roll-off ferries; [11980]

(2) how many vehicles have been approved for the transport of animals on the open decks of ferries in the last 12 months. [11982]

Mrs. Browning: The issue of exemption licences for vehicles carried on roll-on, roll-off ferries ceased as from 1 January 1993. There are no provisions requiring approval of vehicles carried on the open deck of ferries.

Mr. Heppell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the orders and regulations governing the suitability of (a) vessels and (b) vehicles for the transport of livestock. [11981]

Mrs. Browning: The following orders, made or deemed to have been made, under the Animal Health Act 1981, contain provisions governing the suitability of (a) vessels and (b) vehicles:

Statutory Instrument	Reference
The Transit of Animals Order 1927 (as amended by the Transit of Animals (Amendment) Orders 1927 and 1939, the Transit of Animals (Road and Rail) Order 1975) and the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1992)	S.R. and O. 1927/289(S.R. and O. 1927/399, 1939/501,S.I. 1975/1025S.I. 1992/3304)
The Animals (Sea Transport) Order 1930 (as amended by the Animals (Sea Transport) (Amendment) Order 1932 and the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1992)	S.R. and O. 1930/923(S.R. and O. 1932/248S.I. 1992/3304)
The Horses (Sea Transport) Order 1952 (as amended by the Horses (Sea Transport) Amendment Order 1958 and the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1992)	S.I. 1952/1291(S.I. 1958/1272S.I. 1992/3304)
The Transit of Animals (General) Order 1973 (as amended by the Transit of Animals (Amendment) Order 1988 and the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1992)	S.I. 1973/1377(S.I. 1988/815S.I. 1992/3304)
The Transit of Animals (Road and Rail) Order 1975 (as amended by the Transit of Animals (Road and Rail) (Amendment) Order 1979, the Transit of Animals (Amendment) Order 1988) and the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1992)	S.I. 1975/1024(S.I. 1979)1013)(S.I. 1988/815S.I. 1992/3304)
The Welfare of Poultry Order 1988 (as amended by the Welfare of Poultry (Transport) (Amendment) Order 1989 and the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1992)	S.I. 1988/851(S.I. 1989/52S.I. 1992/3304)
The Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1994 (as amended by the Welfare of Animals during Transport (Amendment) Order 1995)S.I. 1994/3249(1995/131)

31 Jan 1996 : Column: 777

Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's budgetary provision for the financial year 1996-97 to allow for his officials to be able to monitor at Dover docks each vehicle exporting livestock which intends to embark on specialist livestock ferries sailing from Dover; and if he will make a statement. [12165]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 29 January 1996]: Monitoring the conditions under which livestock are exported will continue to be a priority task for the Department.

European Directives

Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on internal procedures which have been put in place to ensure that European directives are not gold plated in domestic regulations in his Department; and how, when and by whom these procedures will be activated; [12260]

(2) if he will place in the Library copies of the guidance notes, office notes and other relevant documents which relate to the new internal procedures for (a) removing gold plating from existing domestic regulation and (b) ensuring new European directives are not gold plated. [12263]

Mr. Boswell [holding answer 30 January 1996]: The Ministry's firm policy is not to gold plate EC directives when implementing them in the UK by the addition of unnecessary burdens. Detailed and comprehensive procedures have been devised to help our close scrutiny of proposals to implement new EU directives to ensure these ends. We do not feel it appropriate to publish this internal departmental guidance. There is also close

31 Jan 1996 : Column: 778

consultation with other Departments on the further development of means to satisfy ourselves that no gold plating is taking place.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1134, in what circumstances overwhelming policy reasons have amplified minimum regulatory standards when translating European directives into United Kingdom law; and if he will make a statement. [12261]

Mr. Boswell [holding answer 30 January 1996]: The cost of analysing all past statutory instruments, in order to identify those which may have amplified minimum regulatory standards, would be disproportionate.

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