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European Voluntary Service for Young People
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what study his Department has undertaken of possible promotional usage of the European Voluntary Service for Young People; what steps his Department will take to ensure that the activities involved do not substitute for existing paid jobs; and if the minimum wage will apply to the service. [18835]
Dr. Howells:
I have been asked to reply. I attended the European Council of Youth Ministers in Luxembourg on 28 October, at which a common position was reached on the Commission's draft proposal for a European Voluntary Service for Young People, subject to a UK Parliamentary Scrutiny Reserve. I refer the hon. member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Trickett) on 19 November 1997, Official Report, column 186.
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The Commission's proposal states specifically that the activities undertaken by young people under this programme will in no way replace potential or existing paid jobs; the other points of detail raised will be addressed with other Member States when the precise arrangements for the Programme are being discussed over the next few months.
The Government is committed to seeing this programme under way as early as possible. The Government agrees with Article 1(2) of the draft proposal.
Officers of the Department have had general discussions with the British Youth Council about this programme, and we will draw on our experience of the pilot phase in determining the exact arrangements for the new EVS Programme.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he had with right hon. and hon. Members prior to taking the decision to introduce restrictions on the retail sale of higher dose vitamin B6 supplements; and what plans he has to meet right hon. and hon. Members to discuss the decision prior to laying the necessary statutory instrument. [17818]
Mr. Rooker:
There was no consultation with right hon. and hon. Members prior to the Government taking the decision to introduce restrictions on the sale of dietary supplements containing vitamin B6. I have responded to each and every right hon. and hon. Member who has contacted me. Every request for a meeting has been agreed to.
Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to promote consumers' rights of access to safe vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements of their choice, (a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in the European Union and (c) elsewhere; and what plans he has to meet representatives of (i) Consumers for Health Choice and (ii) the Society for the Promotion of Nutritional Therapy to discuss these matters. [18081]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government believes that consumers' access to supplements should only be restricted where this is necessary on safety grounds. This view has been made clear in the UK's formal response to the EU Commission discussion document on the addition of vitamins and minerals to food and food supplements and in discussions on the draft Codex guidelines for supplements containing vitamins and minerals.
I have no plans to meet representatives of either Consumers for Health Choice or the Society for the Promotion for Nutritional Therapy to discuss these matters, nor have I received any request from these bodies for such meetings.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has
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responsibility for co-ordinating government responsibility for big cats. [17871]
Mr. Morley:
A number of Departments have responsibilities in relation to "big cats". This Department is concerned with the safety of livestock, the Home Office for the safety of people and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions for the legal keeping of such animals by, for example, zoos and circuses. These Departments co-ordinate their actions according to the circumstances of the case.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many sightings of big cats in Norfolk have been reported to his Department since 1993. [17872]
Mr. Morley:
I am aware that, in common with several other areas, there have been a number of alleged sightings of "big cats" in the Norfolk area. However, I am not aware of any attacks on farm livestock attributed to "big cats" in the Norfolk area being reported to this Department.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what compensation is available to farmers in the event of livestock being killed or injured by "big cats". [17873]
Mr. Morley:
There are no funds available to pay compensation to farmers in the event of livestock being killed or injured by "big cats".
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the amount of public funding in 1997 for land put into set-aside. [18142]
Mr. Morley:
Payments for land set aside under the Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) are funded from the European Community Budget. Based on provisional figures for claims under the 1997 Scheme, payments for land set aside in England are expected to be about £80 million. Land entered into certain environmental schemes can also be set aside for the purposes of the Scheme but does not attract any payment under the AAPS; farmers do, however, receive payments for meeting the conditions of the environmental scheme concerned.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been taken with regard to the new system for cattle tagging to be introduced in 1998; what assistance has been offered to farmers; and if he will make a statement. [18138]
Mr. Rooker:
Double tagging of all cattle born or imported into the UK will become mandatory from 1 January 1998. The Department's officials issued an information note on this to farmers in August 1997, and are in close touch with representatives of the livestock industry and eartag manufacturers about the new arrangements.
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Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance is available to farmers for change of agricultural use where current practices may give rise to flooding of adjoining residential areas. [18139]
Mr. Morley:
There are schemes available to encourage farmers to convert arable land to grassland which may help to ameliorate run off from agricultural land; for example farmers can choose to enter eligible land into set-aside. Additional incentives may be available to farmers in Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) to convert arable fields into permanent grass. The ESA scheme also provides capital grants for the creation or re-instatement of dykes and ditches and for the construction of water penning structures.
Ministry grant aid might be available towards the cost of flood alleviation works undertaken by the Environment Agency or local authorities if those bodies could devise an engineered solution to the flooding problem which met established criteria.
Mr. Tom King:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of (a) empty and (b) unused farm buildings. [18322]
Mr. Morley:
The Department collects no information on the number of empty or unused farm buildings.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to encourage young people to enter farming. [18529]
Mr. Morley:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, South (Mr. Jones) on 19 November 1997, Official Report, column 230.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what his Department's policy is towards passports for calves, in respect of (a) charges and (b) the timescale of registration; what changes his Department is planning to the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [18393]
Mr. Rooker:
I announced on 12 November that the Government had decided to charge for the new computerised cattle tracing system via cattle passports. However decisions have yet to be taken about whether to charge for the temporary calf passport as well as the full cattle passport and as to how the movements of animals with temporary calf passports will be recorded on the cattle tracing system.
9. Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the White Paper on the national health service. [17098]
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Mr. Galbraith:
Our White Paper on the future of the NHS in Scotland will be published shortly.
12. Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with professional health staff regarding the forthcoming White Paper on the NHS. [17101]
16. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with the health professionals regarding the forthcoming White Paper on the NHS. [17106]
Mr. Galbraith:
I have had discussions with the Scottish Council of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the STUC and with Scottish representatives of the NHS Confederation on the future of the NHS in Scotland. I also received a number of written representations from health professionals and associations. Their views were taken into account when preparing the White Paper.
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