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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 29 July 1997
PRIME MINISTER
Data Protection
Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will require (a) MI5, (b) MI6 and (c) GCHQ to register under the Data Protection Act 1984. [10686]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 25 July 1997]: The Government are considering this matter.
Joint Consultative Cabinet Committee
Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Prime Minister if he will define the terms of reference of the new Joint Consultative Cabinet Committee. [10580]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 25 July 1997]: Terms of reference will be announced to the House in due course.
Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Prime Minister what are the precedents for the new Joint Consultative Cabinet Committee; what will be its membership; who will provide the secretariat; what charge it will make on public funds; how often it will meet; to whom it will report, and at what intervals; and if he intends that it should serve for the duration of this Parliament. [10582]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 28 July 1997]: There are several precedents for the new Committee, including the 1931 Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence. A later example was the Sub-Committee on Air Defence Research (1935-37). The membership of the Committee will be announced in due course. The secretariat will be provided by the Cabinet Secretariat. Costs related to the Committee are expected to be small and will be met from existing resources. The Committee will meet on a regular basis and, like other Cabinet Committees, its deliberations will be reported to Cabinet as necessary. I expect it to continue indefinitely.
Yemen
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on UK-Yemen relations. [11339]
The Prime Minister: We enjoy good relations with the Yemen. At their meeting in London on 17 July, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed with the Yemeni Foreign Minister ways in which we might improve co-operation between our two countries.
Ministers (Complaints about the Media)
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since 2 May on which Ministers or persons acting on behalf of Ministers have complained to the media about the reporting of the Government's activities, indicating in each case the name of the Minister or person concerned. [10779]
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The Prime Minister
[holding answer 28 July 1997]: No central record exists.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister what account was taken of the relative priority of the responsibilities of the Minister without Portfolio for (a) Labour party and (b) Government matters in calculating his remuneration from public funds. [10774]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 28 July 1997]: Account was taken only of his responsibilities within the Government.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the meetings and events since 2 May at which the Minister without Portfolio has represented the Government. [10780]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 28 July 1997]: Since 2 May my hon. Friend has had a wide range of meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Adjournment debate on Wednesday 23 July, Official Report, columns 994-1022, whether he will ask a Scottish Lord Justice of Appeal in Ordinary to consider the validity or otherwise of the Crown Office information concerning two Libyans connected with the destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, and report to him. [11073]
The Prime Minister:
No. Consideration of the evidence in a criminal case is a matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate.
Live Animal Exports
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to ensure that animals exported from the United Kingdom receive (a) the mid-journey break and (b) the 24-hour break, required by directive 95/92/EC, after they have left the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [10280]
Mr. Morley: Enforcement of the rest period requirements of EU directive 95/29 is the responsibility of the authorities of the member state in which a rest is required to take place. For our own part, the Government will not hesitate to use the sanctions provided by the directive against transporters who are shown to have made false declarations about the journeys they have undertaken.
Animal Welfare
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the animal welfare implications of importing exotic animals into the United Kingdom for commercial purposes; and if he will make a statement. [10788]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 28 July 1997]: This Government give high priority to the welfare of all animals, whatever their origin.
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The Protection of Animals Act 1911 protects domestic and captive animals from cruelty. Exotic animals kept for farming purposes are further protected by the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968 which makes it an offence to cause or allow unnecessary pain or unnecessary distress. The keeping of certain exotic species is also subject to the licensing requirements of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made to the Commission on ending the current calf slaughter scheme. [11323]
Mr. Rooker:
The UK has made a number of representations to the Commission about the future operation of the calf processing aid scheme and the early marketing scheme for veal, which were introduced by the Commission with the objective of reducing beef production. Under EU law, member states are obliged to operate one or both of the schemes. In May, the Commission undertook to provide the Council of Agriculture Ministers with a further report on the effectiveness of both schemes in the light of experience. I understand that the report is likely to be submitted to the Council of Agriculture Ministers in September.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what method of communicating with farmers will be adopted by his Department to replace the regional panels. [11333]
Mr. Rooker:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for West Dorset (Mr. Letwin) on 25 June 1997, Official Report, column 540.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made to the European Commission on increased flexibility on non-food crops to be grown on set-aside land which qualifies for integrated administration and control system, IACS, payments. [11334]
Mr. Rooker:
A wide range of crops may be grown on set-aside land for specific non-food uses. The European Commission has recently amended the detailed rules which apply to this aspect of the arable area payments scheme to make them more flexible in some respects. The Commission regulation concerned is expected to be published shortly and interested parties have been advised of the changes to the rules.
Mr. Curry:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of (a) the backlog of cattle awaiting slaughter under the over-30-months scheme as a result of the reduction in the number of designated abattoirs and (b) the total loss to farmers through being unable to get cattle slaughtered before the new price and weight regime applies in August.[11252]
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Dr. John Cunningham:
There is no backlog of over-30-months scheme cattle awaiting slaughter as a result of the reduction in the number of abattoirs. In the months of July and August, around 15,000 over-30-months cattle are normally slaughtered each week, and the Intervention Board has made available the capacity to handle 16,000 OTMS cattle a week in the scheme abattoirs.
The reduction in the rate of compensation and the introduction of a weight limit, which are effective from 4 August, has resulted in significantly increased demand for the scheme because some farmers have brought forward their cull plans to try and benefit from the existing compensation arrangements. The Intervention Board has increased the amount of scheme slaughtering capacity by around 20 per cent. in the two weeks immediately preceding the rate change to assist producers, and has also issued instructions to scheme abattoirs to ensure, as far as possible, that producers are treated equitably and fairly. It is inevitable that some producers will be disappointed, but it would have been self-defeating for the Government to support a reduction in the scheme rate, and at the same time, take steps to minimise the number of cattle adversely affected by it.
The effect of the change in the scheme rate and the introduction of a weight restriction will reduce the return for a dairy cow weighting 560 kg by around £40, and for a suckler cow weighing 620 kg by around £80.
Mr. Curry:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many abattoirs are authorised in England and Wales to carry out slaughtering of cattle under the over-30-months scheme; and if he will list the abattoirs which charge for haulage and the amounts charged in each case. [11246]
Dr. Cunningham:
Following a recent tender, the Intervention Board has let contracts to 22 abattoirs in England and Wales to slaughter animals under the over-30-months scheme. The contracted abattoirs collectively carry more than sufficient capacity for the number of animals expected to enter the scheme, with reserve capacity available to deal with seasonal fluctuations.
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