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Beef (Illegal Exports)
Mr. Hill:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken over allegations of illegal exports of United Kingdom beef; and if he will make a statement.[9120]
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Dr. Jack Cunningham:
My officials, in conjunction with officials from other member states, the Commission's Anti-Fraud unit and DGXXIV, are pursuing investigations in this country and elsewhere into allegations of the illegal export of UK beef. It will be some time before those investigations are complete. Criminal proceedings will be instigated if sufficient evidence of illegal activity is found. All allegations of illegal exports of beef are urgently and rigorously investigated.
As a result of serious hygiene concerns arising out of our investigations, however, my Department yesterday issued Notices preventing two meat plants in the UK from trading in beef.
In the light of recent events I have undertaken a thorough review of the measures currently in place to implement the ban on the export of UK beef imposed by EC Decision 96/239 as amended by EC Decision 96/362 and have concluded that those measures should be enhanced and extended. I have today informed the European Commission that I intend to:
The UK is under an obligation to implement and enforce the export ban firmly and effectively for as long as it is in place. Only in this way will we regain the trust of our European partners, which is an essential pre-requisite to an early lifting of the export ban.
37. Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the President of the Council if she will make it her policy to issue statements following meetings of the Cabinet Committees that she chairs. [6728]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
No. Details relating to proceedings of Cabinet Comittees are not published.
35. Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the President of the Council if she will assess the advantages of introducing a cycle allowance for right hon. and hon. Members. [6726]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
If hon. Members, instead of using a car, want to use cycles for Parliamentary business then it makes sense to consider this. I shall look at ways of taking this further.
36. Mr. Gapes:
To ask the hon Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to improve facilities for visitors and families of hon. Members. [6727]
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Mr. Kirkwood:
Following a Recommendation of the Catering Committee in the last Parliament, the House agreed on 12 July 1994 that the area currently occupied by the Westminster Hall Cafeteria should be converted to a Visitor Centre, but this should only take place once a suitable alternative has been found for the present lunchtime users. No doubt this is a matter a new Catering Committee will wish to take up at an early date.
Provision of facilities for families of hon. Members is a matter for the Administration Committee.
38. Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the President of the Council what is her policy on taking major constitutional Bills in a Committee of the whole House. [6729]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
I refer the hon. Member to the Government's Memorandum to the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons.
39. Mr. Stunell:
To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has (a) to make the Palace of Westminster more accessible to the public and (b) to provide clearer information on the operation of the House; and if he will make a statement. [6730]
Mr. Kirkwood:
The Commission appreciates the importance of ensuring that access to the Palace of Westminster is available to the thousands of members of the Public who visit it each week and information is provided through the Public Information Office so that they can understand the House of Commons and its activities. A number of initiatives are in progress and I will arrange for a list of these to be published in the Official Report.
The following is the information:
The Public Information Office of the Library takes the lead in providing information to the public and it has been making every effort to deal with the increased public interest in Parliament which has become evident in the last few months.
Plans by the Education Unit of the Public Information Office to provide more information for young people were agreed by the Administration Committee in March 1997. These are in addition to the current Autumn Visits Programme, and include greater use of the public gallery for schools visits from November 1997, from 1998 the use of Committee Room 10 to be made available for the holding of six or seven "Pupil Parliaments" per year and from autumn 1997 the holding of four teacher seminars per year. The Administration Committee has also agreed that, following the opening of Portcullis House, a Committee or Conference Room in that building be set aside each Monday and Friday when the House is sitting to enable whole-days seminars for schoolchildren on the work of Parliament to take place.
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The Line of Route is available to parties of visitors sponsored by Members and the Administration Committee regularly reviews the arrangements to ensure the greatest possible access. In addition, the general public will be admitted to Westminster Hall from 4 August to 26 September to visit an exhibition being held by the House of Lords Record Office.
Electronic means are also being used to increase accessibility. The Parliamentary public Internet web-site is proving popular and greatly increases the accessibility of the papers and proceedings. New arrangements were instituted for overseas visitors from 1 May 1997. In addition an interactive CD-ROM about Parliament and its activities is currently being produced on a commercial basis with the co-operation of the House authorities and an interactive education web-site is in the planning stage.
It is planned to redevelop the area currently occupied by Westminster Hall Cafeteria to include a visitors' centre after the new Portcullis House is occupied.
An exhibition video and hard disk ROM is on view in the historic Jewel Tower, almost opposite St. Stephen's Entrance.
40. Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the President of the Council if she will bring forward proposals to put Privy Counsellors on an equal footing with other hon. Members in parliamentary debates. [6732]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
I have no plans to do so. The Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons may wish to consider this in due course, but for the present I think this should be left to the discretion of Madam Speaker.
Mr. Peter Atkinson:
To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the final value of the pensions of employees of the House will be protected following the Budget; and what estimate he has made of the cost of this protection to the Government. [8352]
Mr. Kirkwood:
The pensions of employees of the House who are members of the House of Commons Staff Pensions Scheme (HOCSPS) should not be affected by the budget proposals. The HOCSPS is analogous to the Principal Civil Service Scheme and is operated on a pay as you go basis. Since it is not a funded scheme and consequently has no investments the abolition of tax credits should have no effect on the value of pensions payable.
Mr. Atkinson:
To ask the President of the Council if the final value of the pensions of hon. Members' staff will be protected following the Budget; and what estimate she has made of the cost of this protection to the Government. [8353]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
The final value of the pension in respect of any individual on any honourable Member's staff will depend on a wide range of factors, including the level of contributions paid to the individual's pension arrangements, the choice of investment vehicle selected from time to time by the individual, and the level of annuity rates prevailing at the time when the individual
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elects to draw pension. Whether or not the Budget will affect the final value of the pension will depend on all of these factors, as well as on economic variables such as the future progress of the investment markets. The ultimate pension levels are not guaranteed, either before or after the Budget.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the President of the Council what proposals she has to make structural changes to the Chamber of the House. [6731]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
I have no such proposals.
introduce new secondary legislation both to clarify and strengthen the powers available to UK officials where illegal exports are suspected;
I am also giving urgent consideration to enhancing veterinary checks at beef plants.
to enhance the checks that are carried out at ports of despatch.
41. Mr. Mitchell: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will increase the financial provision for resources and facilities available to visitors to the House. [6733]
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