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Rabies
Mr. Key: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date the Council of Ministers discussed the report of the Scientific Veterinary Committee on various aspects of rabies, paper VI/1533/92-EN-REI-I (PVET/EN/1268). [22026]
Mrs. Browning: We do not have any record of this working paper itself being discussed at the Council of Ministers. However, discussions on the Balai directive--EC directive 92/65--were held at the Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting on 15 June 1992. The rabies provisions of this directive, particularly those relating to dogs and cats, were based on the Scientific Veterinary Committee recommendations in this paper.
Organophosphate Poisoning
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to introduce a system of compensation for farmers suffering from
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organophosphate poisoning who cannot obtain legal aid; and if he will make a statement. [22371]
Mrs. Browning: I have no plans to introduce such a system. Questions of compensation are a matter between the individual and the company concerned.
Fishing Fleet
Mr. David Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the discrepancy in the size of the British registered fishing fleet and the figures quoted by the EU Fisheries Commissioner, Emma Bonino, on her recent visit to the United Kingdom. [22253]
Mr. Baldry: The figures which the Fisheries Commissioner was reported as using apparently showed a doubling of the UK fleet from 116,000 GRT--gross registered tonnage--in 1986 to 239,000 GRT now.
This is not so. The 1986 figure comes from a statistical series recording only certain significantly active vessels and is not comparable with later figures which give the total registered fleet. Moreover, the supposed figure for current tonnage is wrong and does not come from any published UK source.
Our own figures show that there has in fact been a net reduction in registered tonnage over the last 10 years to the present position of 207,000 GRT.
I have written to Mrs. Bonino drawing her attention to this.
Mr. David Porter:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the Environment Agency will from 1 April prepare, operate and maintain a programme for sea defence and coast protection; what will be its policy by region on managed retreat and artificial defences; and if he will make a statement. [22254]
Mr. Boswell:
From 1 April the Environment Agency will assume the operational powers of the National Rivers Authority on flood defence. The EA will exercise general supervision over all matters relating to flood defence in England and Wales. It will also undertake measures to reduce flooding from main rivers and the sea.
These functions will continue to be carried out through regional flood defence committees. Maritime local authorities will retain responsibility for coast protection against erosion.
The EA will operate within the Ministry's comprehensive policy framework for flood and coastal defence which inter alia encourages the provision of technically, environmentally and economically sound and sustainable defences. There is no presumption in favour of "managed retreat", or "managed setback" as it is better described. Setting back the line of defence is simply one of a range of options that regions of the EA can be expected to consider. All capital schemes, including artificial defences, should be based on an understanding of natural processes and, as far as possible, be compatible with those processes. The development of catchment
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plans and shoreline management plans will enable the EA to ensure that schemes are considered in a strategic context.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will raise the animal welfare aspect of the Danish ban and German suspension of Avoparcin at the intergovernmental conference in Italy; if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the use of Avoparcin; and what actions the United Kingdom Government plan to take at the IGC on this issue. [22543]
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Mrs. Browning:
The availability of Avoparcin is controlled under directive 70/524/EEC. The Danish ban and German suspension have been taken in accordance with article 11 of the directive, and the data submitted by both member states are under urgent consideration by the European Commission's Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition. On the basis of the currently available scientific information, we do not believe that such prohibition action is justified, but the position will be reviewed in the light of the committee's scientific advice, which is expected in April. In the circumstances, it would not be appropriate to raise this issue at the intergovernmental conference.
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