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Beef Producers

Mr. Hardy: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what additional assistance he has produced to beef producers during the last six months.[9040]

Mr. Baldry: United Kingdom farmers have received additional direct financial assistance totalling nearly £110 million. In addition, the advance payments under the suckler cow and beef special premium schemes have been paid at a rate of 80 per cent. rather than the normal 60 per cent. Market support measures, such as the expanded intervention coverage for beef and the calf processing scheme, have also served to enhance producers' income.

Mr. Hardy: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to amend the system of subsidies in respect of farmers who buy rather than breed beef animals. [8956]

Mr. Baldry: Producers who buy male cattle to fatten for slaughter are currently able to claim under the beef special premium scheme, subject to observance of scheme rules. Those who marketed adult cattle, including heifers, for slaughter for human consumption between 20 March and 30 June were able to claim additional subsidies worth £66.76 per head of cattle marketed. A second round of marketing payments is now available in respect of cattle marketed between 1 July and 30 September. Claims must be made before 8 January. The payment rate under this second phase in likely to be around £55 per head. I have no plans to alter this position or to seek any amendments to existing subsidy schemes for this category of producer.

Mr. Hardy: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the profit made on animals by beef producers during the last six months. [8957]

Mr. Baldry: Beef profitability varies widely and depends on the farm type and production system. Various estimates of annual profitability are published each March in "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom".

Fishing Regulations

Mr. Porter: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, (1) pursuant to his answer of

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3 December, Official Report, column 625, on buying and selling fishing quotas and licences, when his Department first authorised the sale of fish quotas; [8954]

(2) pursuant to his answer of 3 December, Official Report, column 625, on buying and selling fishing quotas and licences, what rights of ownership over a fish quota are transferred when that quota is exchanged between fishermen's groups. [8955]

Mr. Baldry: The Ministry has not authorised the sale of fish quotas. Fishermen's groups are free to swap or transfer between themselves quota allocated to them annually subject to the approval of the Fisheries Departments. No one has ownership rights over United Kingdom quotas.

Quota Hopping

Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he plans to take to sustain the present level of fishing effort in the period before the determination of the quota-hopping issue. [8958]

Mr. Baldry: Discussions are still taking place in the Fisheries Council on the need for reductions in fishing effort following the expiry of the current multi-annual guidance programme at the end of this year. We are also continuing to press for treaty changes in the intergovernmental conference to deal with the problem of quota hoppers. I have, however, made it clear that I am not prepared to contemplate any further compulsory capacity or effort controls on UK fishermen while these issues remain unresolved.

Genetically Engineered Food

Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the percentage of imported foodstuffs which will contain genetically engineered ingredients in (a) January 1997 and (b) January 1998; and if he will make a statement. [8960]

Mr. Browning: Of the 1996 USA soya bean harvest, about 2 per cent. has come from genetically modified plants, this is anticipated to rise to 10 per cent. in 1997. Of the 1996 USA maize harvest, approximately 0.6 per cent. comprised genetically modified plants and it is expected that in 1997 this will rise to 5 per cent.

Other countries are planting genetically modified crops next year. The level of imports into the UK cannot be predicted with any accuracy at this time.

Cattle Insemination

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what powers his Ministry has to require minimum standards of training, and permanent contract conditions, for inseminators for cattle AI programmes; and if he will make a statement. [9179]

Mrs. Browning: Provisions relating to the training and business status of inseminators for cattle AI are included in regulation 24(b) of the Artificial Insemination of Cattle (Animal Health) (England and Wales) Regulations 1985. Any breach of these regulations constitutes an offence under section 10(6) of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 1984.

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NATIONAL HERITAGE

National Lottery

8. Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress has been made to ensure that lottery funds can be used for expenditure on items other than capital items. [7607]

Mr. Sproat: The National Lotteries Charities Board and the Millennium Commission have always been able to make revenue awards. In April, I announced changes to the policy directions to allow the Arts and Sports Councils to make revenue awards. The first arts and sports revenue programmes were announced in November. The National Heritage Bill will allow the heritage lottery fund the same flexibility.

14. Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans she has to increase the percentage of national lottery funds directed to good causes. [7608]

Mr. Sproat: None. The Director General of the National Lottery appointed Camelot as the operator of the national lottery because over the course of the licence it offered the best return to good causes. The National Audit Office reviewed the evaluation process and supported the director general's decision. The percentage of funds going to the good causes could be increased only through a change to the licence, with Camelot's agreement.

15. Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will ensure that greater priority is given to projects benefiting children and young people in the distribution of lottery proceeds. [7609]

Mrs Virginia Bottomley: Young people and children are already benefiting greatly from the lottery. At least 1,500 awards, worth more than £175 million have already been made.

I directed the distributing bodies specifically to take the needs of young people into account when I issued a new policy directions to them in April this year.

The schemes launched last month by the Arts and Sports Councils under these directions will allow children and young people to benefit even further from the lottery.

19. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the total sum contributed by the national lottery to organisations, groups and charities in the borough of Southend-on-Sea. [7613]

Mrs. Bottomley: Twelve national lottery awards have been made in the borough of Southend-on-Sea with a total value of £2.3 million.

20. Dr. Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on the role of the national lottery in preserving the nation's historic churches. [7614]

Mr. Sproat: The national lottery provides a tremendous opportunity for the preservation of historic churches and cathedrals in this country. To date, the heritage lottery fund has made 121 grants totalling £14.8 million to preserve our ecclesiastical heritage.

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The heritage lottery fund and English Heritage have also worked together to produce a single procedure whereby churches and other places of worship can apply for funding from both sources through a single route; £20 million a year could be available through this joint scheme which will make it easier for congregations to apply for funding.

24. Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many grants the national lottery funding bodies have made to protect and conserve the nation's heritage since the inception of the lottery. [7619]

Mrs. Bottomley: The heritage lottery fund, which has responsibility for allocating lottery proceeds specifically to projects concerned with the protection and conservation of the nation's heritage, has made 604 grants totalling £368 million.

27. Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations she has received about the effect on smaller charities of the national lottery; and if she will make a statement. [7622]

Mrs. Bottomley: The introduction of the national lottery has given charities and voluntary organisations of all sizes unparalleled opportunities to secure significant new funding for projects and initiatives across a wide range of activities. While I have received many representations about the effect of the national lottery on small charities, it is too early to say or to identify what other effects, if any, the national lottery is having on charities' incomes, and my Department is engaged in research into the matter. What is certain is that the lottery has led, and will lead, to hundreds of millions of pounds of additional money reaching charitable and voluntary organisations every year.

Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on national lottery awards to disadvantaged groups. [7612]

Mr. Sproat: The National Lottery Charities Board has made 5,160 awards, with a total value of £352 million to charitable, benevolent and philanthropic groups.

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