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University Funding
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the amount of university funding per student in Northern Ireland in (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96, (c) 1996-97 and (d) 1997-98; and if she will make a statement. [16937]
Mr. Worthington: The information requested is as follows:
| Financial year | Amount of funding per student(7) |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 5,471 |
| 1995-96 | 5,178 |
| 1996-97 | (8)5,002 |
| 1997-98 | (8)4,899 |
(7) In cash terms.
(8) Estimated figure.
NHS
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors underlay the recent allocation of additional funding to the National Health Service in Northern Ireland; what estimate she has made of the proportionality of this additional funding in relation to (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; and if she will make a statement. [16959]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The package announced on 14 October provided an additional £300 million of funding for health care across the UK. One Hundred and ninety million pounds of this money was apportioned in line with the Barnett formula which reflects population size, and Northern Ireland got its fair share. For England, the Department of Health's share was supplemented by internal reallocations and a long-standing claim on the Reserve.
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she expects to publish the consultation paper on the revised health service structure in Northern Ireland. [16934]
Mr. Worthington: I intend to publish a consultation paper on new arrangements for commissioning and delivering health and social services in Northern Ireland in January 1998.
Schools
Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many integrated schools in Northern Ireland (a) exist at present, (b) existed in 1992 and (c) are at the planning stage. [16390]
Mr. Worthington:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend, the Member for Corby (Mr. Hope).
26 Nov 1997 : Column: 584
Mr. Cobyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are issued to Government offices in Northern Ireland concerning dealings with representatives of Sinn Fein; and if she will make as statement. [17836]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Government offices in Northern Ireland adhere to current Government policy which is that Sinn Fein should be treated on the same basis as any other political party.
Vitamin B6 Supplements
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which organisations dealing with the treatment of pre-menstrual tension have made recent representations in support of the restrictions on the retail sale of higher dose vitamin B6 supplements. [17218]
Mr. Rooker: The only organisation dealing specifically with pre-menstrual tension which has made representations about dietary supplements containing vitamin B6 is PMS Help. It has expressed support for the controls that the Government intend to introduce.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has recently received in connection with the restrictions on the retail sale of higher dose vitamin B6 supplements from (a) Dr. Shrimpton, (b) Dr. Gaby and (c) Dr. Munro. [17208]
Mr. Rooker: Dr. Shrimpton and Dr. Gaby were among those who attended a meeting that the Minister for Public Health and I had with representatives of industry and complementary medicine organisations on 23 July to discuss the Government's proposed controls on dietary supplements containing vitamin B6. They also met with officials from the Department earlier on the same day. We have subsequently received a number of letters from both Dr. Shrimpton and Dr. Gaby on the subject of the proposed controls.
Animal Identification Scheme
Mrs. Ballard: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the United Kingdom is taking part in the Identification Electronique des Animaux trials. [17267]
Mr. Rooker: No, principally because our resources in the area of cattle identification are already at full stretch in creating a national database of cattle movements. We are, however, keeping in touch with the trials being conducted in other Member States and various trials of electronic identification are taking place on a smaller scale in the UK.
Multi-annual Guidance Programme
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 4 November 1997, Official Report, column 134, if the United Kingdom has been deemed to have complied with multi-annual guidance programme objectives; what tonnage cut-back
26 Nov 1997 : Column: 585
requirements now exist before vessel construction or modernisation grants are made available; what sums of (a) upgrade grants and (b) decommissioning grants are involved; and if he will make a statement. [17276]
Mr. Morley:
As the table showed in my previous answer, the United Kingdom had shortfalls against target in a number of its MAGP III segments as at the end of 1996 and does not currently qualify for EU funding in respect of vessel construction or modernisation grants, other than for safety-related improvements, which do not result in an increase in fishing effort.
Under the terms of MAGP IV, these shortfalls continue to have to be met in addition to our new objectives, which the Commission has still to confirm. The resulting percentage reductions will vary according to the segments and fisheries concerned and will in some cases be expressed in terms of fishing effort rather than tonnage. It is not possible to give definitive figures in advance of the Commission's formal Decision. As far as future expenditure is concerned, the Government are still considering the position in relation to decommissioning but have no plans to pay upgrade grants other than under the existing safety schemes.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to end the ritual slaughter of animals. [17253]
Mr. Morley:
The Government do not propose to remove the right of the Jewish and Muslim communities to slaughter animals in accordance with the requirements of their religion. We do, however, believe that animals should be stunned before slaughter wherever possible. We will continue to discuss our concerns with representatives of the religious communities, with a view to encouraging, where possible, an increase in the incidence of stunning before slaughter.
Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the UN Codex (Ban on Vitamins); and if he will make a statement. [17318]
Mr. Rooker:
There is no Codex ban on vitamins. The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses is currently in the process of drawing up guidelines on supplements containing vitamin and minerals. These address a number of issues, including the setting of maximum vitamin and mineral content of supplements. The latest draft, which is due to be discussed again in September 1998, includes a number of possible options for this. One of these provides for the vitamin and mineral content of supplements to be limited to 100 per cent. of the recommended daily intake. Other options included establishing maximum limits on a case by case basis, and having no maximum at all.
Codex standards and guidelines are advisory and it is for individual Governments to decide what use, if any, they wish to make of them.
26 Nov 1997 : Column: 586
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average age of hill farmers in (a) 1977, (b) 1987 and (c) 1997. [17417]
Mr. Morley:
Information is not available for the years requested; the closest years are 1975, 1985 and 1995. The following table provides estimates of the average age of holders of hill farms based on analysis of age band data from the Structure Survey.
| Year | Average age(11) |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 54 |
| 1985 | 56 |
| 1995 | 57 |
(9) The holder of the farm is that (natural or legal) person in whose name the farm is operated.
(10) A hill farm is defined as a farm wholly or mainly in less favoured areas.
(11) A holder working on more than one holding will be represented more than once within the average.
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