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EU Culture Council
Ms Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Culture Council on 17 November. [61130]
Janet Anderson: EU Ministers responsible for cultural and audiovisual issues met on 17 November 1998 in Brussels.
Ministers agreed to extend the funding programmes for the arts, Kaleidoscope, and for literature, Ariane, to 1999. From January 2000, a new single framework programme for culture, entitled Culture 2000, will replace the existing programmes, such as Kaleidoscope and Ariane, as well as Raphael, which covers heritage issues, and a range of other cultural actions. Culture 2000 will enable not only co-operation within traditional sectors, but cross-sectoral co-operation to take place. Ministers agreed a Common Position, subject to final agreement by the Netherlands, which will now be considered by the European Parliament.
Ministers also adopted a Resolution highlighting the important role of public service broadcasting in the digital era, and discussed other issues, including cross-border fixed book price agreements, statistics concerning the audiovisual and related sectors, and the convergence of the telecommunications, media and information technology sectors.
Agriculture Council
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 23 and 24 November. [61131]
Mr. Nick Brown: I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the EU Agriculture Council in Brussels on 23 and 24 November. My noble Friend Lord Sewel, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, was also present.
The Council voted on a proposal made by the Commission for the lifting of the world-wide ban on the export of British beef in respect of meat from animals born after 1 August 1996. 10 Member States voted in favour of the measure; only one, Germany--for understandable domestic reasons--voted against. Spain, France, Austria and Luxembourg abstained. This vote represented a substantial move towards the Commission proposal by 5 Member States from the earlier vote in the Standing Veterinary Committee. Most important, the procedures under which the vote was taken in Council enable the Commission formally to adopt the Decision.
I can now announce to the House that within the last 3 hours the Commission has adopted the proposal, which permits the export from the UK of boneless beef and beef products from animals slaughtered between 6 and 30 months of age and born after 1 August 1996. That is the date on which the Commission have verified that all contaminated feed was removed from the food chain. There are further conditions which aim to prevent the offspring of BSE cases from entering the export scheme;
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a requirement for the slaughter of offspring of BSE cases; and strict rules on slaughtering and processing. The Government will shortly issue a consultation paper on our proposals for implementing these rules. I shall be laying before Parliament secondary legislation which will make the offspring cull, which has been operating since July on a voluntary basis, compulsory. The legislation will provide compensation at the market rate, to owners of animals slaughtered.
This is an excellent outcome which I am sure the House will welcome. It has been achieved against a background of scepticism about the seriousness with which we have tackled BSE. We have now overcome these misconceptions and had our case judged objectively on its scientific merits and supported by independent Commission inspections, taking as our over-riding principle the absolute need to safeguard public health.
Every Agriculture Minister who spoke in the Council, including those who did not vote in favour, had very positive things to say about the commitment shown by the new United Kingdom Government to tackling the problems presented by BSE. The outcome is also an affirmation of the value of this Government's close co-operation and dialogue with our partners in Europe and with the European Commission.
The lifting of the ban comes hard on the heels of the support measures for the agriculture sector which I announced to the House on 16 November 1998, Official Report, columns 624-66. Both demonstrate the Government's commitment to securing a viable long term future for the sector.
The Council also held a discussion of the Commission's proposals for CAP reform in the context of the Agenda 2000 measures. These proposals are essential for the future stability of European agriculture and in order to facilitate a successful enlargement of the Union to the east. The Council agreed a report to the Vienna European Council next month identifying the main outstanding issues and expressing its determination to reach conclusions on the package as a whole by next March. It is an important Government objective to secure an ambitious reform of the CAP which serves the national interest and I very much welcomed the commitment by the Council to take early decisions. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor made similar points in the discussion in Ecofin on 23 November on the future financing of the European Union.
This was a very important Council meeting for the United Kingdom. We have achieved a major objective of our policy towards Europe in the lifting of the beef export ban. Although it will take time for the British beef industry to win back markets which have been lost to them in the past two and a half years, I believe we have created the conditions in which they can now plan for the future, confident that their industry is operating to the
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highest possible standards. Our immediate task is to work with the industry to ensure that the scheme which we have successfully negotiated in Europe works effectively to help regain recognition for the quality of British beef on world markets.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on progress towards a Food Standards Agency. [61132]
Mr. Nick Brown:
The Government are fully committed to the establishment of the Food Standards Agency as set out in the White Paper published in January 1998. It is a matter of regret that, because of the government's heavy legislative programme in other areas, it has not been possible to secure a space in the forthcoming Parliamentary session. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health for Scotland, for Northern Ireland and for Wales and I are determined nevertheless to move action forward where we can, in the meantime, in ways which do not require legislation.
Since the general election, this Government have made a number of improvements to the way in which food safety and standards issues are handled. Officials from MAFF and DH are now working together in a Joint Food Standards and Safety Group, which reports directly to both the Secretary of State for Health and myself. The Group also liaises closely with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices. The safety of the consumer lies at the heart of our decision making.
I am holding discussions with my right hon. Friends as to how we can, in practical terms, enhance these current joint working arrangements and lay further foundations for the Agency. As soon as we have completed these discussions, I will make a further announcement to the House. A draft Bill will be published in due course.
Mr. Russell Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the support and administration of the Army's training areas and ranges. [60856]
Mr. Spellar:
As part of the Government's search for efficiencies, the Commander in Chief Land Command is shortly to initiate a competition to seek a long term strategic partner from the private sector to assist in the development of a future strategy to deliver better value for money from the large number of contracts currently in existence from the support and administration of the Army's training areas and ranges. Details will be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC) and MOD Contracts Bulletin.