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Countryside Stewardship Scheme
16. Mrs. Lait: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to expand the countryside stewardship scheme. [32378]
Mr. Boswell: We are expanding the countryside stewardship scheme with £5 million additional funds for new agreements both this year and next year. A number of additional items will also be eligible for payment.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
17. Mr. Touhig: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action is being taken to address the problem of discrimination against disabled
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people in agriculture where the employer is not covered by the provisions of the Disability Discrimination act 1995. [32379]
Mr. Boswell: Employers not covered by the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will be encouraged to follow the guidance in the employment code of practice.
25. Mr. Wareing: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action is being taken in respect of discrimination against disabled people in agriculture where the employer is not covered by the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [32387]
Mr. Boswell: Employers, including agricultural employers, who employ fewer than 20 employees are not covered by the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Such employers will be encouraged to follow the guidance in the employment code of practice. My noble Friend the Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment will be deciding when and how to promote this in due course.
Cattle Cull Scheme
18. Mr. Mark Robinson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in the implementation of the 30-month cow cull scheme. [32380]
Mr. Baldry: The scheme is now running at maximum throughput of 27,000 animals a week, taking into account the restrictions on rendering and incineration capacity.
22. Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to review the working of the over-30 month slaughter scheme. [32384]
Mr. Baldry: The scheme is under continuous review.
Live Animal Exports
21. Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new plans he has to safeguard the welfare of live animals exported from the United Kingdom. [32383]
Mrs. Browning: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food gave to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Forman) on 22 May 1996, Official Report, column 211.
Fishing Policy
23. Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next intends to discuss fishing matters with EC Commissioner Bonino. [32385]
Mr. Baldry: I most recently discussed fishing matters with Mrs. Bonino at the Fisheries Council on 10 June. No date has yet been fixed for our next discussion.
26. Mr. Spearing: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies (a) he and (b) the Council of Agricultural and Fisheries Ministers of the European Community have commissioned in respect of the propagation and conservation policies adopted by Norway within their national territorial waters, and their possible adaptation for use by the European Community. [32388]
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Mr. Baldry: UK and other EU fisheries experts maintain close contact with their Norwegian counterparts and the measures applied by Norway: discussions take place on both a formal and an informal basis in various forums. No studies have been commissioned by the UK; nor, so far as we are aware, by the EU. However, Norway and the EU share concerns on the state of North sea stocks. Joint working groups are studying the issues with a view to improving management arrangements for jointly managed stocks. Equally, there are common interests in the production of salmon on which there are continuing contacts.
Beef Ban
24. Mr. Congdon: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his proposed timetable and procedure for the removal of the EU beef ban. [32386]
Mrs. Browning: We have already succeeded in removing any restrictions on the export of semen and on agreeing conditions for the export of gelatin and tallow. This is an important first step.
Our policy on the next steps is to agree a framework which sets out clear and agreed conditions which have to be met to lift elements of the export ban and indicates the dates by which we expect to meet these criteria. Negotiations with our Community partners on this are proceeding and I will keep the House informed of progress.
Fishing Fleet
Mr. David Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current tonnage of the United Kingdom fishing fleet; how far this is from its targets under the multi-annual guidance programme; and if he will make a statement. [34076]
Mr. Baldry: Latest available figures from the UK register show the current nominal tonnage of the UK fishing fleet as 207,000 tonnes. This figures, which represents some vessels measured in gross registered tonnes and others measured in gross tonnes, compares with an overall target for the end of 1996 in our existing multi-annual guidance programme of 176,981 GRT. Figures published recently by the European Commission, ostensibly using GT units, show us at 247,198 tonnes as against a target of 209,370 tonnes.
For a number of reasons, none of these figures give a correct picture of the actual position.
The first reservation relates to the end 1996 target itself. This was set using provisional data for the size of the UK fleet as at the end of 1991. We now know that this failed to include a significant number of vessels, the effect of which is to overstate the degree of reduction which we need to achieve.
The second reservation relates to the units of measurement used. Vessel tonnage is a volumetric measure which depends critically on the exact methodology. A valid comparison of fleet tonnage requires a consistent standard for the period in question. Consistency is, however, not readily achievable because the European Community is progressively altering the methodology used for the fishing fleet from the various
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national and international standards, previously collectively called GRT, to a common standard based on the international tonnage convention 1969 and known as GT. A phased programme of conversion was introduced by Council regulation (EEC) 2930/86, amended in particular by Council regulation (EEC) 3259/94, using technical provisions laid down in Commission decision 95/84/EC. Copies of these instruments are available in the House library. This process is not due to be completed until 2003.
There is no simple mathematical relationship between GRT and GT for any given vessel establishment of a GT figure can be done only by physical measurement or, in the case of smaller vessels, by the application of formulae designed to give an approximation. Moreover, although GT figures are often higher than GRT figures for the same vessel, the range of outcomes can be as low as 50 per cent. or as high as 300 per cent. of the original tonnage according to the individual vessel characteristics. It is therefore impossible to use general assumptions to convert either the end 1996 target, or the current nominal tonnage of our fleet, to a GT basis, since the true result will depend on the actual relationship between GRT and GT for each of the particular vessels included on each occasion. Thus conversion requires consideration of each individual vessel.
The Commission's attempted conversion in their recent published figures noted above, does not allow for this and does not use procedures agreed by member states or laid down in EU law. Their figures cannot therefore be properly described as GT, nor can the relationship between them be assumed to be proportional to actual progress in reducing our fleet.
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