House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 6 Feb 1996 (pt 12)

Animal Welfare

Mr. Thomason: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he will be taking to ensure that the welfare of animals is given proper consideration at the forthcoming intergovernmental conference. [14221]

Mr. Douglas Hogg: In 1992 we secured a declaration, attached to the Maastricht treaty, on the need to pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals when drafting and implementing Community legislation on the common agricultural policy, transport, the internal market and research. That was a significant advance; the time has now come to build on it. We will be asking our European partners to use the opportunity of the intergovernmental conference to add a protocol to the treaty of Rome placing a formal legal obligation on the Council of Ministers to give full regard to considerations of animal welfare in the exercise of its powers on agriculture, transport, research and the single market.

Integrated Administration and Control System

Mr. Thomason: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the arrangements for IACS applications in England and Wales in 1996. [14222]

Mr. Baldry: The UK deadline for submitting IACS applications in 1996 will again be the latest possible date of 15 May.

The IACS explanatory booklets and form will be issued in March. We have consulted the industry closely on the documentation and this year, for the first time, we are introducing a separate booklet and form for livestock farmers who have no interest in the arable area payments scheme. Other changes to the format of the text have been made to make it as helpful and as easy to follow as possible, given the complex nature of the rules. As last year, farmers will be sent a full printout of their 1995 declaration of forage, arable and other land areas, which they must check to ensure the entries are still valid and enter any necessary changes. In addition, this year, they will receive a copy of this printout to keep for their records.

The latest date for applying for new field numbers so that they can be returned in time for farmers to lodge their 1996 IACS applications will be 1 March. Where changes to field boundaries occur after this date, applications for field numbers should accompany the IACS application form.

I strongly urge farmers to consider now whether they need new field numbers and not leave applying to the last minute.

Departmental Cash Limits

Mr. Thomason: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes are proposed in his Department's cash limits for 1995-96. [14223]

6 Feb 1996 : Column: 139

Mr. Douglas Hogg: Parliamentary approval is being sought for a supplementary estimate for class III, vote 3--Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: operational expenditure--during which the cash limit will be increased by £6,385,000 from £402,545,000 to £408,930,000. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit will then be reduced by £4,672,000 from £408,930,000 to £404,258,000. Within this provision, the cash limit will be reduced by £1,622,000 as a result of a transfer to vote 4, by a transfer of £2,600,000 to the Office of Science and Technology to cover the cost of redundancies arising among staff of the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council seconded to Horticulture Research International and by a transfer of £450,000 to the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland for the decommissioning of nephrops vessels.

In addition, vote 3--operational expenditure--will be reduced by a further £1,877,000 from £404,258,000 to £402,381,000. This is a result of a transfer to class III non-voted expenditure on supplementary credit approvals.

6 Feb 1996 : Column: 140

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class III, vote 4--Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: departmental research, advisory services and administration, executive agencies and certain other services--will be increased by £3,622,000 from £330,408,000 to £334,030,000. The £3,622,000 arises as a result of a transfer from vote 3 where it is reflected as reduced provision of £1,622,000 and by end-year flexibility of £2,000,000. The gross running costs limit for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will decrease by £11,954,000 from £334,694,000 to £322,740,000.

Conservation Schemes

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the annual expenditure figures and forecasts for the (a) countryside access scheme, (b) environmentally sensitive areas, (c) farm conservation grant scheme, (d) farm woodland premium scheme, (e) habitat scheme, (f) nitrate sensitive areas, (g) moorland scheme, (h) organic aid scheme and (i) countryside stewardship for each year between 1990-91 and 1997-98. [13636]

Mr. Boswell [holding answer 5 February 1996]: The information is as follows. Figures relate to England.

6 Feb 1996 : Column: 139

£ million

1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 (14)1995-96 (15)1996-97 (15)1997-98

FCGS(16) 22.90 29.60 28.50 28.00 21.00 11.00 4.00 3.00

Moorland scheme -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.35 0.23

Habitat scheme -- -- -- -- -- 0.95 2.00 3.00

Countryside access scheme -- -- -- -- -- 0.05 (17)2.50 (17)2.50

ESAs(18) 7.45 7.76 10.87 16.55 20.10 30.5 32.77 37.69

FWPS(19) -- -- -- 0.66 1.46 2.05 4.53 5.88

NSAs(20) (21) 0.30 1.00 1.40 1.50 1.50 3.70 6.10 7.60

Organic aid scheme -- -- -- -- 0.03 0.27 0.46 0.96

Countryside stewardship -- 0.16 3.82 8.30 10.80 11.26 12.22 17.22

	1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	(14)1995-96	(15)1996-97	(15)1997-98
FCGS(16)	22.90	29.60	28.50	28.00	21.00	11.00	4.00	3.00
Moorland scheme	--	--	--	--	--	--	0.35	0.23
Habitat scheme	--	--	--	--	--	0.95	2.00	3.00
Countryside access scheme	--	--	--	--	--	0.05	(17)2.50	(17)2.50
ESAs(18)	7.45	7.76	10.87	16.55	20.10	30.5	32.77	37.69
FWPS(19)	--	--	--	0.66	1.46	2.05	4.53	5.88
NSAs(20) (21)	0.30	1.00	1.40	1.50	1.50	3.70	6.10	7.60
Organic aid scheme	--	--	--	--	0.03	0.27	0.46	0.96
Countryside stewardship	--	0.16	3.82	8.30	10.80	11.26	12.22	17.22

(14) 1995-96 figures are estimates.

(15) 1996-97 and 1997-98 figures are PES provisions.

(16) FCGS--farm and conservation grant scheme.

(17) Figures are subject to review.

(18) ESAs--environmentally sensitive areas.

(19) FWPS--farm woodland premium scheme.

(20) NSAs--nitrate sensitive areas.

(21) Includes expenditure under the pilot NSA scheme.

6 Feb 1996 : Column: 139

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Al Yamamah II

Mr. Cohen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what financial guarantees were offered to Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace in connection with Al Yamamah II. [12984]

Mr. Oppenheim: On grounds of commercial confidentiality the Export Credits Guarantee Department does not publicise details of individual firms' business without their prior approval.

Overhead Power Lines

Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will reject the application by Norweb to install overhead power lines between Claughton and Wennington; and if he will make a statement. [13563]

6 Feb 1996 : Column: 140

Mr. Page: No application has yet been received from Norweb. The position remains as given in my letter of 10 January to my hon. Friend.

Arms Trade

Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the figures for the imports and exports of arms manufactures in the United Kingdom for each of the last 10 years. [13571]

Mr. Oppenheim: Information on United Kingdom trade in defence equipment is published in "UK Defence Statistics" which is available in the Library of the House.