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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Meat Rendering Industry

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regulations have been enacted since 1980 which (a) deregulate and (b) regulate the meat rendering industry. [28103]

Mr. Boswell: Legislation introduced by the Department since 1980 to regulate the rendering industry is as listed. No deregulatory legislation was introduced during this period:


Departmental Staff

Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many extra staff

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(a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible, have employed since 20 March; and what extra staff have been (i) recruited and (ii) deployed from his Department in London to assist regional and local offices in providing information and assistance. [28216]

Mr. Boswell: Core MAFF, ADAS and the Pesticides safety directorate have employed 31 extra staff since 20 March as follows:


Of these, 30 members of staff were recruited by regional or local offices.

Eight members of staff have been deployed from London to our offices in Tolworth as follows:


Chief executives of other agencies will reply separately.

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Letter from P. I. Stanley to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 15 May 1966:




    Since the date in question CSL has taken on some 54 staff. This includes 15 casual or fixed-term appointees and 33 Regional Bee Inspectors who are employed on short-term contracts to carry out work of a seasonal nature.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 15 May 1996:



    The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about extra staff employed since 20 March as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. (28216)
    The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has employed 6 extra staff since 20 March. Of these 2 were recruited, 1 transferred from core-MAFF, 2 transferred from the Central Science Laboratory and 1 is on loan from the Department of Health.

Letter from George Trevelyan to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 15 May 1996:



    I am replying to your Question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food about the number of additional staff employed by this Agency since 20 March 1996 as this is a matter that falls within my administrative responsibility. (28216)
    Since 20 March this year, this Agency has recruited and appointed 54 new staff, ranging from the Higher Executive Officer grade to Clerical and Support Grade staff. Of these, 33 of the new staff have been deployed to help other existing staff working on BSE schemes or additional work arising from the recent announcements about BSE. Some of the other new recruits have been posted to other parts of the Agency in order that a further 10 more experienced permanent staff can be re-deployed to BSE related duties.
    The Agency is based in Reading and Newcastle and as the majority of our new staff requirements have been in the non-mobile clerical grades, no additional staff have been deployed from London or from other locations.

Letter from T. W. A. Little to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 15 May 1996:



    The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on staff recruited since 20 March in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency since 20 March 1996.
    13 staff have been recruited and have filled existing vacancies in the Agency.

Letter from Johnston O'Neill to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 15 May 1996:



    As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service, your question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerning the employment of extra staff since 20 March has been passed for me for reply with respect to this Executive Agency. (28216)
    The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) was launched on 1 April 1996 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 fresh meat premises in England, Scotland and Wales.
    The MHS is responsible for enforcing the enhanced specified bovine offal (SBO), now termed specified bovine material (SBM) controls recommended by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee. These controls are central to the protection of public health from any risk of BSE. They require the removal of all those tissues known to potentially harbour BSE infectivity from all cattle at slaughter. Compliance with these controls is of paramount importance

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    To ensure the rigorous enforcement of SBM controls the MHS has recruited 47 additional Meat Inspectors (MIs) and 1 Official Veterinary Surgeon (OVS). The MHS has also developed a new concept of "meat technician" to provide back up support to MIs and OVSs and to give additional public assurance that SBM controls are comprehensively enforced. These individuals are required to hold appropriate relevant qualifications, e.g. from the Institute of Meat or have extensive practical experience in the meat trade. 52 meat technicians have now been recruited, 32 of whom are currently on a training course developed by the MHS in conjunction with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, University College Salford, the Royal Society of Health.
    The working hours of existing MHS staff have also been increased to ensure the strict enforcement of the controls. 31 casual Meat Inspectors have so far been upgraded to full time inspectors. In addition other staff continue to be redeployed to SBM control functions.
    Training on SBM controls is also being provided to all meat inspection staff. To assist in this exercise, the MHS has drawn up a guidance pack and a comprehensive set of slides on SBM controls.

Civil Servants

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of the companies in which civil servants in his Department are directors have given money to political parties in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [29251]

Mr. Boswell: Details of contributions to political parties by companies are given in companies' accounts. Whether a particular company has or has not made a contribution to any political party is not taken into account when deciding whether appointments are suitable.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to ensure that civil servants from his Department who sit on the boards of food and agricultural companies are removed from official duties in areas of work in which those companies have a trading interest; and if he will make a statement. [29255]

Mr. Boswell: The position of staff holding non-executive directorships or similar appointments is safeguarded by the general requirement binding on all civil servants that they must not take part in activities which might conflict with the interests of their Department, or impair their usefulness as public servants, or be inconsistent with their position as such.

Civil servants acting as directors remain subject to the Official Secrets Acts and the need to preserve the confidentiality of departmental business and information received in confidence from others. In relation to any particular appointment, individuals and their line managers must consider whether there is a present or potential conflict of interest, including whether their duties are in areas of work in which the company has a trading interest. If appropriate, an appointment may not be proceeded with, or restrictions may be placed on the kinds of discussion that the individual can take part in.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what costs his Department has paid in respect of liabilities incurred by civil servants or directors of companies; and if he will make a statement. [29250]

Mr. Boswell: I am not aware of any departmental civil servant holding a non-executive directorship or non-executive appointment being subject to legal

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proceedings or threatened legal proceedings in respect of his or her non-executive role; or of any other liability on behalf of civil servants or directors.

It was agreed in 1991 to allow Departments to indemnify civil servants in non-executive roles because the civil liabilities associated with such appointments might have deterred civil servants from taking up these opportunities.

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