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Nuclear-powered Submarines
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost of the decommissioning and lay-up of nuclear-powered submarines in each of the past 15 years. [16561]
Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the chief executive of the Ships Support Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. V. Babington to Mr. Alan Simpson, dated 25 February 1997:
25 Feb 1997 : Column: 187
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the costs of decommissioning and laying up of nuclear powered submarines in each of the last fifteen years, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Ships Support Agency.
The cost details on the attached table relate to the period 1990/91 to 1996/97 exclusively; prior to that date only HMS DREADNOUGHT underwent decommissioning and lay-up, in 1982/83, and it is not possible to provide costs for this vessel.
| £ million | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial year | ||||||||
| Project | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | Total |
| Warspite | 1.6 | 9.6 | -- | 0.1 | -- | -- | -- | 11.3 |
| Conqueror | -- | 4.7 | 5.7 | -- | 0.2 | -- | -- | 10.6 |
| Courageous | -- | -- | 9.9 | 0.9 | -- | -- | -- | 10.8 |
| Churchill | 9.0 | 2.2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 11.2 |
| Swiftsure | -- | 1.6 | 9.9 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 11.5 |
| Revenge | -- | -- | 8.2 | 6.5 | 4.0 | -- | -- | 18.7 |
| Resolution(25) | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0.3 | 2.1 | 13.8 | 16.2 |
| Total at outturn prices | 10.6 | 18.1 | 33.7 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 13.8 | 90.3 |
1. Valiant, Renown and Repulse have not yet completed their de-fuelling, de-equipping and layup preparations (DDLP) so are not included in this table.
2. It is not possible to provide costs of HMS Dreadnought's DD and LP; the information insofar as it is available could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
3. Average annual maintenance costs of decommissioned nuclear submarines are £50,000 and ten yearly dockings are approximately £3 million.
4. Financial year 1993-94 costs for HMS Warspite spread into years financial year 1992-93.
(25) HMS Resolution's DD and LP completed January 1997. Final costs are not yet available.
25 Feb 1997 : Column: 187
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Crown Prosecution Service (Charges)
Mr. Boateng:
To ask the Attorney-General how many charges were received by the Crown Prosecution Service from each of the police forces in England and Wales in each of the past five years; and how many of these were (a) discontinued and (b) withdrawn or otherwise not proceeded with during the same period in respect of each force. [17118]
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The Attorney-General:
Cases discontinued by the CPS fell from 193,110, or 13.3 per cent. of completed cases in magistrates courts, in 1992 to 153,274, or 12 per cent. of completed cases, in 1996.
Tables providing detailed information about the outcome of cases conducted by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the past five years were placed in the Library of the House as part of my written answer yesterday to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox), Official Report, 24 February 1997, column 22. The Crown
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Prosecution Service records the outcome of proceedings by numbers of defendants rather than charges, and statistics are maintained for CPS areas which correspond to the police forces as shown on a new table which, to assist the hon. Member, I have added to the tables in the Library.
| CPS area | Police force |
|---|---|
| North | Cumbria |
| Durham | |
| Northumbria | |
| Cleveland | |
| Yorkshire | North Yorkshire |
| West Yorkshire | |
| Mersey/Lancashire | Lancashire |
| Merseyside | |
| Humber | Humberside |
| Lincolnshire | |
| South Yorkshire | |
| North West | Cheshire |
| Greater Manchester | |
| East Midlands | Derbyshire |
| Nottinghamshire | |
| Leicestershire | |
| Northamptonshire | |
| Wales | North Wales |
| Dyfed-Powys | |
| South Wales | |
| Gwent | |
| Midlands | Staffordshire |
| West Midlands | |
| Warwickshire | |
| Anglia | Bedfordshire |
| Cambridgeshire | |
| Hertfordshire | |
| Essex | |
| Norfolk | |
| Suffolk | |
| Severn/Thames | West Mercia |
| Gloucestershire | |
| Wiltshire | |
| Thames Valley | |
| South West | Avon and Somerset |
| Devon and Cornwall | |
| Dorset | |
| South East | Hampshire |
| Surrey | |
| Sussex | |
| Kent | |
| London | City of London |
| Metropolitan |
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Certified Herds Scheme
Mr. French: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to submit proposals for a United Kingdom certified herds scheme to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement.[17888]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: I have, today, submitted to the Commission papers that explain how the UK has fulfilled the pre-conditions laid down under the Florence agreement, our proposals for a UK export certified herds scheme and the scientific basis for that scheme. A copy of these papers has been placed in the Library. I have urged the Commission to ensure that the consultation procedure laid down in the Florence agreement is initiated immediately so that we can resume exports of meat from animals in export certified herds as quickly as possible. I have also written to my counterparts in other member states to explain how we have implemented the BSE eradication programme in the UK and to seek a constructive contribution to the discussion of our proposals.
Illegal Animal Imports
Dr. Strang: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many animals were reported as illegally landed in the United Kingdom in 1996. [15638]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Notices were served on 554 consignments in 1996 for offences against animal health legislation governing the importation of live animals into the United Kingdom. Information on the numbers of animals involved could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
BSE
Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current cost per animal of the incineration process for cattle diagnosed as suffering from BSE. [16243]
Mr. Baldry: The current costs of having cattle suspected of showing clinical signs of BSE incinerated in one of the nine plants currently contracted to the Department ranges from £105 to £135 per beast.
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regulations govern the disposal to landfill of cattle carcases with specified bovine material removed. [16232]
Mr. Baldry:
The landfilling of controlled waste is subject to the waste management licensing provisions of part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. Waste management licences contain appropriate terms and conditions. Among other matters, these will specify the types and quantities of waste which may be disposed of the in each site. The Environment Agency is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the licensing system. Landfill site operators are also subject to the duty of care provisions in section 34 of the 1990 Act and the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991.
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It is relevant that all cattle suspected of displaying clinical signs of BSE are slaughtered and their carcase sent for direct incineration and that cattle slaughtered under the over-30-months scheme are either incinerated or rendered and destroyed.
The Animal By-Products Order 1992 and the Specified Bovine Material (No. 3) Order 1996 are also relevant.
Mr. Williams:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of meat and bonemeal in storage from the over-30-months scheme; what is the cost of storage; and what plans he has for its disposal. [16195]
Mr. Baldry:
The total amount of meat and bonemeal held in storage following the rendering of carcases under the over-30-months scheme was 168,100 tonnes as at 17 February 1997 and the cost to the Intervention Board executive agency is estimated to be about £60,000 per week.
The Government are actively pursuing a number of options for the disposal of meat and bonemeal arising from the OTMS. The Intervention Board recently agreed a contract with a high-temperature incineration company, ReChem, to burn MBM at its Fawley plant and has an exercise under way for further incineration facilities from which additional MBM disposal capacity is expected to emerge. Combustion trials have been carried out at PowerGen's test facilities at Ratcliffe on Soar, Nottinghamshire, and at National Power's test facilities at Didcot, Oxfordshire, to establish the feasibility of burning MBM in power stations. These trials have been monitored by the Environment Agency and the results will be placed on the public register. The test results are being fully evaluated, and full weight will be given to the protection of human health and of the environment before any decisions are reached.
Mr. Williams:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many carcases are in storage under the over-30-months scheme awaiting rendering and final disposal; and what is the current weekly cost of storage. [16245]
Mr. Baldry:
As at 16 February 1997, the carcases of some 208,000 animals slaughtered under the over-30-months scheme were being held in cold storage awaiting disposal at an average cost of some £270,000 a week.
Mr. Williams:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle carcases were incinerated in 1996. [16246]
Mr. Baldry:
A total of some 52,000 cattle were incinerated in 1996 by this Department or the Intervention Board executive agency, of which about 81 per cent. were animals purchased under the over-30-months scheme and about 19 per cent. BSE suspects.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for each county the number of carcases slaughtered as a result of the BSE crisis currently in cold storage and awaiting disposal; and if he will make a statement. [16528]
25 Feb 1997 : Column: 192
Mr. Baldry:
As at 16 February 1997, the number of carcases of animals slaughtered under the over-30-months scheme and held in cold storage by county is as follows:
| County | Carcases |
|---|---|
| England | |
| Avon | 10,100 |
| Cambridgeshire | 3,300 |
| Devon | 2,700 |
| Greater Manchester | 3,800 |
| Hereford and Worcester | 1,300 |
| Humberside | 7,900 |
| Kent | 34,200 |
| Lancashire | 7,100 |
| Lincolnshire | 27,400 |
| London | 1,400 |
| Shropshire | 8,600 |
| South Yorkshire | 2,700 |
| Staffordshire | 800 |
| Tyneside | 1,600 |
| Total England | 112,900 |
| Wales | |
| Ynys | 3,500 |
| South Glamorgan | 2,600 |
| Newport, South Wales | 3,900 |
| Total Wales | 10,000 |
| Scotland | |
| Border Region | 2,300 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 9,100 |
| Grampian Region | 2,600 |
| Highland Region | 17,800 |
| Strathclyde | 2,700 |
| Total Scotland | 34,500 |
| Northern Ireland | |
| County Armagh | 27,000 |
| County Down | 8,600 |
| County Fermanagh | 5,800 |
| County Tyrone | 9,200 |
| Total Northern Ireland | 50,600 |
| Total United Kingdom | 208,000 |
Disposal of this material will be completed at a pace determined by control requirements and the availability of rendering and incineration capacity.
Mrs. Jackson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in which locations in the past 10 years (a) cattle infected with BSE, (b) rendered meat and bonemeal, (c) cattle carcases slaughtered under the over-30-months scheme, (d) specified bovine material and (e) ash from incinerated cattle, have been landfilled.[16847]
Mr. Baldry
[holding answer 24 February 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 11 February 1997, Official Report, columns 143-45.
Mrs. Jackson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make an assessment of the relative safety of (a) landfilling and (b) incineration as methods of disposal of cattle waste, under the BSE eradication schemes; and if he will make a statement.[16849]
25 Feb 1997 : Column: 193
Mr. Baldry
[holding answer 24 February 1997]: Cattle suspected of displaying clinical signs of BSE are disposed of by direct incineration in plants contracted to MAFF, which are subject to authorisation by the Environment Agency or relevant local authority under part I of the Environment Protection Act 1990. Cattle slaughtered under the over-30-months scheme are incinerated, or rendered and destroyed in accordance with the requirements of Commission regulation 716/96/EEC. Specified bovine material is also removed from cattle slaughtered for human consumption and consigned for rendering or direct incineration.
The independent Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee has considered the current and proposed methods of dealing with waste material from the slaughter of cattle, including landfill and incineration, and concluded that these are safe. A news release reporting its conclusions was issued by MAFF on 7 June 1996 and a copy is available in the Library.
Mrs. Jackson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the quantity of rendered meat and bonemeal presently stored in Britain under the BSE eradication programme; [16896]
Mr. Baldry
[holding answer 24 February 1997]: I have provided the information requested on the number of carcases in cold storage by location in the answer given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) today.
(2) if he will list the tonnage of (a) cattle carcases, (b) rendered meat and bonemeal and (c) tallow by location of storage. [16898]
| County | Meat and bonemeal | Tallow |
|---|---|---|
| (Tonnes) | (Tonnes) | |
| England | ||
| Devon | 41,500 | -- |
| Essex | -- | 30,400 |
| Lancashire | 58,000 | -- |
| Merseyside | 5,500 | 71,400 |
| Total England | 105,000 | 101,800 |
| Scotland | ||
| Fife | 4,000 | -- |
| Midlothian | 21,600 | -- |
| Total Scotland | 25,600 | -- |
| Northern Ireland | ||
| County Antrim | 29,600 | -- |
| County Tyrone | 7,900 | -- |
| Total Northern Ireland | 37,500 | -- |
| Total UK | 168,100 | 101,800 |
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the level
25 Feb 1997 : Column: 194
of infective units (a) per gram and (b) per tonne, found in rendered meat and bonemeal under the BSE eradication programme. [16897]
Mr. Baldry
[holding answer 24 February 1997]: No tests have been conducted to ascertain the level of infective units in the rendered meat and bonemeal produced under the over-30-months scheme. This is because the only way of achieving this would be to inject groups of mice with a number of samples of different dilutions of each sample to be tested. These tests would take two years and would be extremely expensive.
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