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Staff Travel
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the mileage rates currently applicable to staff, indicating what changes have been made to encourage staff to switch from cars to public transport and other less polluting forms of travel. [70955]
16 Feb 1999 : Column: 699
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: The mileage rates currently applicable to staff within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and The Royal Parks Agency are:
| Per mile | Up to 1500cc | 1501- 2000cc | Over 2000cc | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car--Standard rate | ||||
| Up to 4,000 miles | -- | 34 | 43 | 47 |
| Over 4,000 miles | -- | 19 | 23 | 31 |
| Public transport rate | 23 | -- | -- | -- |
| Passenger supplement | ||||
| First passenger | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Others | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Equipment supplement | 3 | -- | -- | -- |
| Per mile | Up to 125cc | Over 125cc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor cycles--up to 4,000 miles | |||
| Third party insurance | -- | 14.6 | 22.1 |
| Comprehensive insurance | -- | 16.2 | 25.3 |
| Over 4,000 miles | -- | 6.1 | 9.0 |
| Bicycles | |||
| Mileage allowance | 6 | -- | -- |
DCMS and RPA offer season ticket loans for public transport and loans to assist in the purchase of bicycles. My Department is aiming to meet the Government targets on green transport by March 1999. It will seek to identify practical measures aimed at promoting greener travel including reviewing car mileage rates.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to relocate staff in (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible to the regions of the United Kingdom with the highest levels of unemployment; and what plans he has further to decentralise the location of his Department and its agencies. [70469]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 15 February 1999]: I have not relocated staff and have no plans to do so. However, I will be establishing a new post for my Department in each of the Government Offices in the English regions in the next financial year. I am also encouraging the decentralisation of work to all the English regions from a number of the national bodies sponsored by my Department and located in England.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the total number of staff (a) in his Department and (b) in each of the agencies for which he is responsible and their location in (i) London, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) each of the English regions. [70483]
16 Feb 1999 : Column: 700
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: I refer my hon. Friend to "Civil Service Statistics 1998" which is placed in the Libraries of the House. This includes regional information. Staff at the Royal Parks Agency are all based in the London area.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to change the name of the English Tourist Board. [71729]
Janet Anderson:
On 14 December 1998 we announced in "A New Cultural Framework" that we would establish a new streamlined, more strategic body to support tourism in England. An implementation Team is looking at all aspects of the body, including its role, detailed remit and name.
Genetically Modified Crops
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received about genetically modified crops from the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes; and if he will make a statement. [68629]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 1 February 1999]: All advice received from the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes is published in their Annual Reports. Copies of these have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has held with English Nature about genetically modified crops. [68066]
Mr. Nick Brown: On 16 November my hon. Friend the Minister of State met the Chairman of English Nature to discuss genetically modified crops. In addition my officials and those of English Nature have attended recent meetings at which this subject has been discussed.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the circumstances in which food and food ingredients containing, or produced using, genetically modified organisms or micro-organisms must be labelled. [69875]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 8 February 1999]: Provision for labelling novel foods is described in article 8 of Regulation 258/97. This requires that the consumer is informed of any characteristic or property of the food, such as composition, nutritional value or intended food use, which renders a novel food or food ingredient no longer equivalent to an existing food or food ingredient. In addition, the food must be labelled if it could have health implications for certain population sectors, contains ingredients that raise ethical concerns or contains a genetically modified organism.
Finally, Regulation 1139/98 on labelling genetically modified (GM) soya and maize sets a precedent for the labelling of all food ingredients containing or produced from genetically modified organisms where they contain GM material (protein or DNA).
16 Feb 1999 : Column: 701
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the information held by his Department on consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food. [68089]
Mr. Nick Brown:
My Department encourages all its research contributors to publish details of their work in peer reviewed scientific journals.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information held by his Department about consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food was released to (a) Monsanto, (b) Novartis and (c) other companies wishing to introduce genetic modification into Britain. [68090]
Mr. Nick Brown:
Research sponsored by my Department on consumer attitudes towards biotechnology is available for public viewing in the library of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Its availability, as with other research projects, is announced in the Food Safety Information Bulletin.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what discussions he has held with retailers about consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food; [68088]
Mr. Nick Brown:
Ministerial colleagues and I have held meetings with retailers on a variety of matters including genetically modified food. In relation to genetically modified food we have stressed the importance we attach to safety and labelling.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received on (a) genetically modified organisms and (b) the biotechnology industry from the US Administration. [66682]
Mr. Nick Brown:
I met US Trade Representative, Ambassador Barshefsky, on 23 October 1998. The Ambassador expressed some concerns about the way genetically modified organisms were being dealt with in the EU. I reassured her that the UK Government was committed to a science-based approach which protected human health and the environment.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the dates and venues of the meetings which he will be holding or attending which form part of his consultation exercise Towards a New Direction for UK Agriculture. [66904]
Mr. Nick Brown:
Following the conference on Agenda 2000 CAP reform on 11 January, further consultation meetings are being arranged by MAFF Regional Service Centres. Details of these are being suitably publicised at local level.
16 Feb 1999 : Column: 702
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date or dates the decision was taken to launch the consultation exercise, Towards a New Direction for UK Agriculture. [66908]
Mr. Nick Brown:
I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 16 November 1998, Official Report, columns 624-26, announcing a package of aid measures for livestock farmers. In the course of that statement I mentioned that the Government would be undertaking--in consultation with all interested parties--a thorough review of the rural economy and consulting widely on a range of issues over the coming months.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many responses his Department has received as part of the consultation exercise Towards a New Direction for UK Agriculture; and if he will publish them. [66905]
Mr. Nick Brown:
Details of numbers of forms received in response to the consultation exercise will be published in due course, along with an analysis of their content. Unless the authors object, copies of letters (though not individual forms) will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much the consultation exercise Towards a New Direction for UK Agriculture cost (a) to produce and (b) in postage. [66909]
Mr. Nick Brown:
The costs for the consultation exercise "Towards a New Direction for UK Agriculture" were as follows:
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what mechanisms have been devised (a) to collate and (b) to utilise the responses to the consultation exercise Towards a New Direction for UK Agriculture ahead of the deadline for the conclusion of Agenda 2000 negotiations. [66907]
Mr. Nick Brown:
The exercise of handling the responses to the consultation exercise has begun and appropriate mechanisms for data input are being put in place. Regional meetings are being arranged in the next few weeks to highlight the issues at stake and further encourage informed comment. Responses received will be utilised to help ensure that informed decisions are made about future agricultural policy so as to take full account of UK farming interests, along with those of consumers and the environment.
(2) what discussions he has held with retailers about consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food. [68062]
(a) to produce--£41,000
(b) postage--£37,000.
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