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Computers (Century Date Change)
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total cost to the National Health Service of millennium compliance. [19201]
Mr. Boateng:
Information is not available to estimate accurately the total costs of millennium compliancy. The best estimate available from industry and other sources is that the total cost of resolving the problem for Information Technology systems in any organisation will be equivalent to the annual expenditure on those systems, For the National Health Service as a whole this amounts
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to between £200 and £300 million. This does not include expenditure in resolving the embedded chip problem for which no estimates are currently available.
Flooding (Thames and Medway Estuaries)
8. Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his assessment of the impact of rising water levels on the potential for flooding in the Thames and Medway estuaries. [17672]
Mr. Morley: The Department's current guidance to flood defence operating authorities is that an allowance of 6 mm a year should be made for relative sea level rise due to global warming and vertical land movements when assessing the need for further coastal defence measures in the south of England.
Less Favoured Areas
11. Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received from farmers in the less-favoured areas; and if he will make a statement.[17675]
Dr. John Cunningham: I and my Ministerial colleagues have received many representations from farmers in the less-favoured areas. We are considering the case the industry has made for increasing the rates of Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance and I hope to make an announcement shortly.
Hill Farming
12. Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next proposes to meet hill farmers in Northumberland to discuss farm incomes. [17676]
Dr. John Cunningham: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Secretary is planning to visit Hexham later this month to meet local farming representatives.
17. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what initiatives he has taken to improve (a) the incomes and (b) the security of hill farmers. [17681]
Mr. Morley: An announcement will be made shortly on support for hill farmers.
Environmental Initiatives (Norfolk Broads)
13. Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is undertaking to promote environmental initiatives on the Norfolk Broads.[17677]
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Mr. Morley:
We have just announced new targets for protecting and enhancing the grazing marsh land of the Broads by increasing the uptake of the Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme.
14. Charlotte Atkins:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made towards a moratorium on the use of organophosphates in sheep dips. [17678]
Mr. Rooker:
No veterinary medicine is authorised for use unless it meets stringent statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy. The Government act on the advice of the independent scientific Veterinary Products Committee, which has recently reaffirmed its advice that, provided they are used safely, there is no scientific justification for withdrawing organophosphate sheep dips from the market.
We constantly remind users of the need to follow instructions and advice as to procedure in use of such authorised products.
Dr. Brand:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to implement recommendations made in the 1997 Veterinary Products Committee Report, with particular reference to those relating to the use and purchase of organophosphorous sheep dips. [18164]
Mr. Rooker:
New guidance from the Health and Safety Executive will be sent to all registered sheep farmers in the New Year. It will emphasise the importance of the Certificate of Competence in the Safe Use of Sheep Dips. It will explain practical measures for planning and carrying out dipping, including the steps necessary under the Control of Substances to Health Regulations 1994 (COSHH) to assess the risks and decide what precautions are needed, and will advise on safe disposal of used sheep dip.
In parallel, the National Proficiency Tests Council is reviewing its testing scheme for the Certificate of Competence and will incorporate the recommendations of the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC).
Other recommendations of the VPC, relating to supply of organophosphate (OP) dips by veterinarians, labelling, disposal, research and reviews of non-OP dips and other OP veterinary medicines, have been implemented or are being actively pursued.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people have notified his Ministry or the Department of Health to date that they are suffering from the toxic side effects of exposure to organophosphate sheep dips; and if he will make a statement. [18208]
Mr. Rooker:
The Department of Health does not keep records of human suspected adverse reactions (SARs) to veterinary medicines, which are reported to the Suspected Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme (SARSS) run by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. Reports of the
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Appraisal Panel for human SARs are published annually and are available in the Library of the House. The Panel's Report for 1996 will be published shortly. It will show that, for the 11 years up to December 1996, there were 602 reports of human SARs to organophosphorus sheep dips.
15. Mr. Davidson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what his main objectives are in respect of CAP reform. [17679]
Dr. John Cunningham:
I want to secure a market oriented policy with less costly farm support decoupled from agricultural production; a better deal for consumers and more emphasis placed on target environmental and rural development objectives.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reforms to the Common Agriculture Policy the Government propose; and what account will be taken of rural development policy and its impact on the rural economy. [18794]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government want to secure a market oriented policy with less costly farm support decoupled from agricultural production; and more emphasis placed on targeted environmental and rural development objectives.
16. Mr. Grogan:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to achieve biodiversity targets. [17680]
Mr. Morley:
Actions taken by the Department are set out in a paper prepared for the UK Biodiversity Group "MAFF's Role in Implementing the Biodiversity Action Plans". I have today placed a copy in the Library of the House.
18. Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of United Kingdom food imports could be grown in Britain; and what success the United Kingdom has had in reducing such imports. [17682]
Mr. Rooker:
Provisional figures indicate that last year the UK was 69 per cent. self-sufficient in terms of food and feed products or materials that could be grown in season, in the UK. This figure shows a reduction of about 4 per cent. on the average in recent years, mainly as a result of reduced output and exports of beef and higher levels of imported meat and meat products.
19. Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received on access to open country. [17683]
Dr. John Cunningham:
My Department has received a number of representations from farmers and landowners, conservation organisations and walkers.
4 Dec 1997 : Column: 353
20. Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will establish a continuing survey of dioxin levels in milk in North-East Derbyshire; and if he will make a statement. [17684]
Mr. Rooker:
Samples of cows' milk from farms in the north-east Derbyshire area have been analysed regularly since 1991, when elevated levels of dioxins were first discovered. Samples taken in July 1997 from 19 farms in the Bolsover area showed that levels of dioxins in the milk have fallen and are now generally similar to those found in other parts of the UK. The need for further surveys will be reviewed next year in the light of the results from samples taken in October this year and the next survey planned for July 1998.
22. Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he has taken to encourage environmentally friendly farming.[17686]
Mr. Morley:
The Government are working with conservation and farming organisations to improve the efficiency and targeting of agri-environment schemes. Existing schemes are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, we are also developing new initiatives. The pilot Arable Stewardship scheme, which will be introduced next year, is aimed at restoring the wildlife interest of arable farmland areas and includes measures for reversing the loss of plant and animal species which are largely dependent on arable crops. We have also established, through the National Agri-Environment Forum, a working group to address the environmental issues associated with the uplands.
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