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Sand Dunes
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the letter of 30 September 1998 from the Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), for fisheries and the countryside to the hon. Member for Linlithgow concerning habitats, if he will make a statement on the action planned for sand dunes. [65384]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 14 January 1999]: Under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, a costed Habitat Action Plan for coastal sand dunes is being prepared and is due to be published later this year. It will include specific targets for the protection and enhancement of sand dunes and a list of actions to help achieve these targets.
A large proportion of sand dunes is designated as SSSIs and twenty-one sites have been proposed to the European Commission as candidate Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive.
The Countryside Stewardship Scheme includes various measures to encourage farmers and land managers to improve the natural beauty and diversity of the countryside. These include payments for managing sand dunes. The Scheme is voluntary and competitive, and agreements under it run for 10 years. Similar measures apply in Scotland under the Countryside Premium Scheme.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the agricultural industry on the re-introduction of free milk in schools. [66069]
Mr. Morley:
The main representations for free school milk have come from a parents pressure group called Milk For Schools. Farming and industry organisations have, however, called for various improvements in the present arrangements.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will assess the benefits of reintroducing free milk in schools. [66068]
Mr. Morley:
Milk can play an important part in a balanced diet but it is only one of many such foods. For this reason, and due to financial constraints, the Government have no plans to assess the benefits of reintroducing free milk in schools.
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has held with Professor Bourne since the publication of the latest statistics on TB breakdowns. [66081]
Mr. Rooker:
The latest TB breakdown statistics to be published are those which I sent the hon. Member on 29 July 1998. Since then my right hon. Friend the Minister and I have met Professor Bourne together on one occasion, and separately on one occasion each.
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by county the numbers of herd breakdowns to tuberculosis in each quarter of each of the last three years. [66082]
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Mr. Rooker:
Figures for the numbers of new confirmed herd breakdowns by county are not available on a quarterly basis. The data are not recorded in a manner which would permit quarterly figures to be constructed. Annual figures are retained on a county basis from 1997 and I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 2 July 1998, Official Report, column 318, and my subsequent letter of 29 July 1998, which also listed provisional figures for the first six months of 1998.
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to (a) restrict and (b) prevent the use of warfarin for pest control. [66083]
Mr. Rooker:
Warfarin is presently permitted in the UK for specified pest control uses under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. However, it also falls within the scope of the emerging EU regulatory regimes for plant protection products and biocidal products.
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