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Medical Priority Dispatch Systems
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairmen of the Welsh ambulance trusts concerning the introduction of medical priority dispatch systems. [17589]
Mr. Hague: None. The possible use of medical priority despatch systems is being examined alongside the current review of ambulance performance standards.
Treatment Centres
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are conditions for acceptance for treatment at the treatment centres for cataracts, orthopaedics and general surgery; and at the latest available date how many patients in each health authority area are deemed as qualifying under those conditions. [17584]
Mr. Hague: The key requirement for referral to the three treatment centres are that the patient has been assessed as in need of the operation by his local consultant, has no clinical contra-indication and, for cataract procedures and hip or knee replacements, has been on an in-patient waiting list for a minimum of four months.
(9) Hips and knee replacement figures include those for joint revisions.
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Geriatric Long-Stay Beds
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients occupied geriatric long-stay beds in NHS hospitals in (a) 1971, (b) 1976, (c) 1981, (d) 1986 and (e) 1991 and in each of the last three years. [17588]
Mr. Hague: Information is collected centrally on the basis of the number of in-patient cases treated in the specialty of geriatric medicine and, therefore, no split between long-stay and acute patients is available. The number of in-patient cases is given in the following table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1971 | 11,153 |
| 1976 | 17,840 |
| 1981 | 23,776 |
| 1986-87 | 37,634 |
| 1991-92 | 47,219 |
| 1992-93 | 50,255 |
| 1993-94 | 51,666 |
| 1994-95 | 48,577 |
Pembrokeshire Cliffs
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to complete the designation of the Pembrokeshire cliffs candidate special protection area. [17862]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Castlemartin coast in Pembrokeshire was classified as a special protection area under the wild birds directive on 12 January 1996. Consultation has taken place on the proposed Ramsey and St. David's coast SPA and responses are being considered. The Limestone sea cliffs side in south-west Wales was submitted to the European Commission in June 1995 for consideration as a candidate special area of conservation under the habitats directive. The Pembrokeshire islands candidate SSC has yet to be submitted to the Commission. A decision will be taken when all the points arising from last year's public consultation have been fully considered.
Sea Empress
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what monitoring of the seabird population he is proposing as a result of the Sea Empress oil spill. [17863]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
The Countryside Council for Wales is conducting a study of the entire marine environment to monitor the effects of the Sea Empress oil spill. Monitoring of seabird populations is an important element of the study which will involve liaison with all of the interested agencies in the area. This will form part
28 Feb 1996 : Column: 587
of a comprehensive environmental monitoring and assessment programme for which my right hon. Friend has provided £250,000.
Cattle (Tuberculosis)
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what levels of compensation were paid to farmers with cattle affected with TB in each of the last five years; and what would have been paid if the level of compensation was set at (a) 100 per cent. and (b) 120 per cent. [16241]
Mrs. Browning: The total of compensation paid to farmers in England with cattle affected by TB is as follows:
| Year | Compensation £ |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 371,173 |
| 1991-92 | 557,987 |
| 1992-93 | 1,030,340 |
| 1993-94 | 1,928,000 |
| 1994-95 | 1,329,936 |
For 1994-95 it is estimated that compensation would have increased by (a) £826,280 and (b) £1,257,523 respectively if the level had been at (a) 100 per cent. and (b) 120 per cent. of the value of the animals. Comparable figures cannot be established, except at disproportionate cost, for earlier years.
Food Content
Mr. Galbraith: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the research into food products being conducted by York university, with particular reference to fruit pastilles.[16318]
Mrs. Browning: The research project is part of the LINK food processing sciences research programme. LINK projects are jointly funded by industry and Government. The academic contribution to this project is provided by York university and the Cranfield institute of technology with a consortium of food companies providing the industrial contribution. Half of the resources for the project are provided by the industrial consortium with the remainder coming from Government. The project is directed at developing a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of mixtures of biopolymers, such as protein and starch. Fruit pastilles are a convenient and simple model system for use in part of the study.
British Beef (Ban)
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had during the last month with the German Government as to the existing ban on the import of British beef; and if he will make a statement. [16322]
28 Feb 1996 : Column: 588
Mrs. Browning:
I deeply regret the action taken by some German lander in banning the import of British beef. This clearly breaches Germany's EC obligations and is an unacceptable restriction on British trade.
My right hon. Friend wrote to the German Agriculture and Health Ministers earlier this month to protest against the bans and to seek an assurance that urgent action is being taken to ensure compliance by the lander with the Community rules on trade in beef. My right hon. Friend also wrote to Commissioner Fischler about this matter and discussed it with him on 20 February. The Commission has started the process necessary to commence infringement proceedings against Germany.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on capacity in the abattoir industry; what plans he has to reduce that capacity; and by what means and under what authority he intends to take forward such plans. [16655]
Mrs. Browning
[holding answer 22 February 1996]: The Meat and Livestock Commission estimates that basic slaughtering capacity in Great Britain is already some 45 per cent. in excess of our current slaughter requirements and that the situation is getting worse. It is generally recognised that this has been the major cause of serious under-investment, low profitability and poor competitiveness over the last decade.
The Government have no plans to reduce abattoir capacity and believe that it is for the meat and livestock industry to determine for itself what are the needs of the market-place and how they should best be met. The Agriculture Act 1967 gives the MLC the power to prepare a development scheme to deal with excess capacity in the industry. The MLC is currently consulting the meat and livestock industry on such a scheme. My right hon. Friend is required by the Act to consider any development scheme put to him by the MLC, together with objections to it, before deciding whether to put it to Parliament for approval.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the officials in his Department who have declared a current interest; what requirements are placed on officials to declare relevant interests; in what form records of such declarations are kept; and if he will establish a central register of officials' interests. [16891]
Mr. Boswell:
A number of officials in the Department have declared their outside interests in accordance with departmental requirements. As with all employment matters, individuals' details are a confidential matter between them and their employer.
The departmental requirements are that staff must seek approval before becoming associated with any kind of private business interest which is related to the work of the Department, including holding shares which represent more than 10 per cent. of the issued share capital in any
28 Feb 1996 : Column: 589
agricultural, food or fishery businesses or in any other businesses directly related to the area in which they work.
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