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Meat Hygiene Service
Mr. McLeish: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total number of staff involved in the Meat Hygiene Service in each year since 1989-90; what are the planned numbers of staff for each of the years 1996-97 to 1998-99. [24448]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 2 April 1996]: I have asked the chief executive of the Meat Hygiene Service to reply to the hon. Member direct. Letter from J. McNeill to Mr. Henry McLeish, dated 3 April 1996:
As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) your question concerning the number of staff employed by the MHS has been passed to me for reply.[24448]
The Meat Hygiene Service was launched on 1 April 1995 as an Executive Agency of MAFF. It took over from some 300 local authorities responsibility for enforcement of the hygiene and welfare at slaughter legislation in licensed meat premises in England, Scotland and Wales. Consequently there are no MHS staff numbers prior to that date.
The MHS currently employs 509 red meat and 163 poultry meat inspectors on a full time basis. In addition it utilises 69 inspectors (62 red meat; 7 white) on fixed term contracts of 100 weeks duration. There is also a pool of 222 staff (203 red; 19 white) used on a casual basis. As you will appreciate, these last two sets of figures in particular fluctuate according to demand.
These meat inspection staff are supervised by Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs). The MHS directly employs 39 OVSs and in addition contracts out work to 110 full time equivalent vets to supplement them. 3 vets are also utilised on a casual basis.
Staff numbers for future years will depend on the actual number of plants operating at the time and any policy developments, as recently on SBO controls. No definitive figures are available at this time.
Set-aside Land
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to allow farmers affected by the crisis in the beef industry to graze cattle on set-aside land until it is possible to market them. [23846]
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Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 April 1996]: EU rules do not currently allow the grazing of cattle on set-aside land between 15 January and 31 August. In light of the exceptional and unforeseen difficulties facing UK producers in marketing their cattle, we are discussing urgently with the Commission the possibility of varying this requirement on a temporary basis.
Beef (Labelling)
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to require food processors and producers to clearly label products which involve the use of beef or beef by-products. [24090]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 April 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) on 2 April 1996, Official Report, columns 196-97.
We have no plans to impose further labelling requirements. Food suppliers may, of course, display additional information in relation to their products, provided that it is true and not misleading.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Executive Agencies
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each site in Tyne and Wear, apart from local retail offices, at which staff of (a) the Contributions Agency, (b) the Benefits Agency and (c) the Information Technology Services Agency are employed; and if he will give the numbers employed by each agency in (i) actual numbers are (ii) whole-time equivalent numbers at (1) 31 December 1994 and (2) 31 December 1995. [13283]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested.
Such information as is available is in the table.
| Location | Number |
|---|---|
| Longbenton | 3,783 |
| Broadway West | 52 |
| Kenton Bar | 1,100 |
| Scottish Life House | 97 |
| Hebburn | 546 |
| Lancaster House | 112 |
| Alfred Wilson House | 532 |
| Bellway | 17 |
| Durham House | Nil |
| Emerson House | Nil |
| Tyne View | Nil |
| Total | 6,239 |
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on how many occasions in each of the past five years Ministers in his Department have passed (a) hon. Members' letters and (b) hon. Members' questions to agencies for response; and what this figure is as a percentage of the total number of letters and questions received. [19416]
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Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Session | Total number of PQs tabled | Number answered by chief executives | Percentage(18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 3,244 | 495 | 15 |
| 1993-94 | 2,359 | 442 | 19 |
| 1994-95 | 2,749 | 389 | 14 |
| 1995-96(19) | 1,666 | 204 | 12 |
Notes:
(18) Rounded to nearest whole number.
(19) Up to 2 April 1996.
1. Figures for written answers were obtained by doing a manual count and may be subject to error.
Source: Departmental archive of written answers and ministerial correspondence.
| Year | Total correspondence | Number of chief executive replies | Percentage(20) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 23,193 | 2,388 | 10 |
| 1995 | 19,645 | 2,192 | 11 |
Notes:
(20) Rounded to nearest whole number.
1. Figures for written answers were obtained by doing a manual count and may be subject to error.
Source: Departmental archive of written answers and ministerial correspondence.
3 Apr 1996 : Column: 346
Isle of Wight (Expenditure)
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 4 March 1996, Official Report, columns 77-78, what information his Department collates in respect of its expenditure on the Isle of Wight. [20072]
Mr. Burt: With the exception of housing benefit and council tax benefit expenditure as it relates to local authorities, the Department does not routinely collate any expenditure information on specific areas of Great Britain.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many questions were tabled to his Department in each Session since 1987-88; how many were not answered on grounds of disproportionate cost; what percentage of the total number of questions this represented; how many were not answered on the grounds that the information was not centrally available; and what percentage of the total number of questions this represented. [21146]
Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table:
3 Apr 1996 : Column: 345
| Session | Total Parliamentary Questions tabled | Disproportionate cost replies as a | Not centrally available replies as a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Percentage(21) | Total | Percentage(21) | ||
| 1992-93 | 3,244 | 117 | 4 | 17 | 1 |
| 1993-94 | 2,359 | 129 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 1994-95 | 2,749 | 123 | 4 | 25 | 1 |
| 1995-96(22) up to 2 April 1996 | 1,666 | 126 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
Notes:
(21) Rounded to nearest whole number.
(22) Up to 2 April 1996.
Source:
Departmental archive of written answers; figures were obtained by a clerical count and may be subject to error.
3 Apr 1996 : Column: 345
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total cost of answering parliamentary questions in each parliamentary Session since 1989-90. [22897]
Mr. Burt: This Department does not calculate the data requested and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
State Earnings-related Pension Scheme
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost of the new contracted-out SERPS rebate which will take effect from April 1997 for each of the next 10 years. [21440]
Mr. Heald: The contracted-out rebate is set for a maximum of five years only. Estimated costs for the financial years 1997-98 to 2001-2, in terms of national insurance fund revenue forgone, are set out in the table.
3 Apr 1996 : Column: 346
| Year | £ billion (rounded) |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 7.7 |
| 1998-99 | 7.8 |
| 1999-01 | 7.9 |
| 2000-01 | 8.0 |
| 2001-02 | 8.1 |
1. Costs are estimated on the basis of the levels of contracting out and other assumptions used for the Government Actuary's report on the Pensions Bill 1994, Cm 2714.
2. The amounts shown are the costs in respect of each financial year and have been rounded to one decimal place. In some cases, the costs will not fall in the financial year to which they relate. In particular, payments by the DSS to appropriate personal pensions and occupational money purchase schemes will not fall due until the following financial year.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for how long after the date of commencement of the Pensions Act 1995 state scheme premiums may be paid in respect of earners who were employed in
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contracted-out employment which occurred before that date in order to buy them back into the state earnings-related pension scheme for that period. [23126]
Mr. Heald: No specific time limit has been prescribed within which payment of state scheme premiums outstanding at 6 April 1997 should be made.
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