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Meat Hygiene

Mr. Paice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Mr. Todd) of 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 184, on meat hygiene, if he will place a copy of his letter to the hon. Member for South Derbyshire in the Library. [75189]

Mr. Rooker [holding answer 8 March 1999]: The exercise to collate and analyse information on the level of hygiene inspection charges levied on individual meat plants in other Member States is not yet complete.

Once the exercise is complete, I will write to those hon. Members who have asked questions on this subject and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many inspections have been carried out in the UK by the EU Commission's Food and Veterinary Office in each of the last 12 months as part of its enforcement of the Meat Hygiene Directive. [75192]

Mr. Rooker [holding answer 8 March 1999]: In the last 12 months the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office carried out two inspections in the UK on controls in fresh (red) meat establishments under Directive 64/433/EEC in June and September 1998.

Date-based Export Scheme

Mr. Paice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the reasons given by fresh meat wholesalers and abattoir owners for their reluctance to apply for the date-based export scheme; and what steps he is taking to address those difficulties. [75193]

Mr. Rooker [holding answer 8 March 1999]: The main concerns expressed about the Date-based Export Scheme (DBES) by trade organisations representing abattoirs are the requirement to dedicate plants to export eligible animals and meat, and the availability of eligible animals. A small number of plants have, however, expressed interest.

I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of the response issued by the Department to comments made on the consultation on our implementation of the DBES, together with a summary of those comments. Our response document recognises the difficulties of complying with the DBES conditions and that the requirement for dedication is particularly onerous. However, this requirement and the rules on eligibility of animals are set down in the EC Commission Decision. I do not believe that we could have negotiated a more liberal scheme, or that Member States would be ready to consider any changes in the near future.

Cattle Health Scheme

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of the Cattle Health Scheme. [76120]

9 Mar 1999 : Column: 194

Mr. Rooker: During the last UK Presidency of the EU Council, agreement was reached on changes to animal health trade rules. The new rules allow the UK to apply for official freedom from enzootic bovine leukosis for Great Britain, and we intend to do so. This will benefit farmers, and will reduce public expenditure.

The Cattle Health Scheme attests herds as being individually free of enzootic bovine leukosis, so will not be needed once GB freedom is achieved. We will continue to run the Scheme for the time being and review its future in September. Officials are writing to all members of the Scheme to let them know the position.

Abattoir Inspection Charges

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the response to his Department's consultation on the proposal to charge industry for the costs of enforcing controls on specified risk material; and if he will make a statement. [76121]

Mr. Rooker: We received 26 responses to the consultation document and we have also received other correspondence relating to these proposals. Almost all argued that the proposed charges should not be levied at a time when the livestock industry is still in great financial difficulties. Some argued that the charges would discriminate against small abattoirs in rural areas.

I and my colleagues in Scotland and Wales have carefully considered these responses but concluded that, in the light of the Government's overall priorities, we should proceed as planned. I therefore yesterday laid the necessary Regulations before Parliament. A number of consultees commented that the charge should be based on throughput rather than an hourly rate. I recognise the benefits that this could bring to small, low throughput abattoirs and have therefore asked my officials to consider the feasibility of altering the basis of the SRM charge so as to lessen the severe impact on small, low throughput abattoirs. Any change would require a further consultation exercise and amending legislation.

Copies of the responses to the consultation are available for public inspection at the main MAFF library in London.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Chamber Business

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the President of the Council how much time in the last session of Parliament was devoted in the Chamber to (a) Scottish, (b) Welsh, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) European Union, (e) Commonwealth and other foreign and (f) other business. [75539]

Mrs. Beckett: Any figures given cannot be entirely objective, as it is not always clear in what category particular debates belong. Where this is unclear the figures have been included in the "other" category. Taking this into account, the figures are as follows: (a) 121 hours 50 minutes, (b) 96 hours 47 minutes, (c) 110 hours 25 minutes, (d) 124 hours 14 minutes, (e) 104 hours 16 minutes and (f) 1560 hours 4 minutes.

9 Mar 1999 : Column: 195

These figures do not take account of the occasions on which matters relating to territorial, European Union or foreign affairs were debated at the same times as matters relating to the United Kingdom as a whole. Questions relating to Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs have all been included in category (c), even though some of them may in fact have related to category (d). All time taken on the Floor of the House last Session has been included in the above figures.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Select Committee Reports

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he or his Ministers have received any advance copy, draft or briefing upon the contents of any report of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee prior to its due publication date and time; and if he will make a statement. [75775]

Mr. Chris Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire) on 1 March 1999, Official Report, column 531. There have no instances of members of select committees giving me or my Ministerial colleagues drafts of select committee reports, or of parts of reports including their conclusions, before publication. Nor, to the best of my knowledge, have there been any occasions on which members of select committees have given such material to civil servants or special advisers in my Department. This excludes embargoed copies of reports issued under House of Commons Standing Order 116.

Board of English Heritage

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what are the names, qualifications and experience of the members of the Board of English Heritage; and how many of them, and which, have a disability. [74557]

Mr. Alan Howarth: The Commissioners of English Heritage are as listed, together with their qualifications and experience. None has divulged any information regarding disability.










9 Mar 1999 : Column: 196


    The right hon. the Lord Faringdon: Term of office: 16/9/98--31/3/2000


    Chairman of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) since October 1994. Chairman of Witan Investments Co plc since 1980.


    Candida Lycett Green: Term of office: 9/6/98--8/6/2001


    Writer and broadcaster, specialising in architecture matters. Members of the Friends of Friendless Churches.


    Professor Eric Fernie: Term of office: 9/6/98--8/6/2001


    Director of Courtauld Institute since 1995; previously Professor of Fine Art at Edinburgh University. RCHME Commissioner since 1997.


    Lady Elizabeth Gass DL: Term of office: 9/6/98--8/6/2001


    Lord Lieutenant of Somerset since 1999 and a member of National Trust Wessex Regional Committee since 1994.


    Andrew Fane: Term of office: 9/6/98--8/6/2001


    Former councillor of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and a member of the National Trust East Anglia Regional Committee.


    Kirsty McLeod: Term of office: 9/7/98--8/7/2001


    Publishing Editor and journalist.


    HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO: Term of office: 1/10/98--30/9/2001


    Qualified architect. Also Trustee of the British Museum.


    Bridget Cherry: Term of office: 1/10/98--30/9/2001


    Editor, Pevsner's Buildings of England since 1983, and Buildings of Scotland, Ireland and Wales since 1991. Trustee of the Sir John Soane's Museum since 1994.


    Amanda Arrowsmith: Term of office: 16/9/98--30/9/2001


    RCHME Commissioner since 1994 and Local Authority Archivist. County Director of Libraries and Heritage, Suffolk County Council since 1990. President of the Society of Archivists.


    Philip Davis: Term of office: 14/1/99--17/1/2002


    Councillor (Labour) of Telford and Wrekin Council since 1979. Founder Chair, UK Local Authorities World Heritage Sites Forum since 1994.

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