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Genetically Modified Crops

Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the report on organic farming and gene transfer from genetically modified crops commissioned from the John Innes Centre will be published. [87296]

Mr. Rooker: The report is being published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Quarantine

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) the criteria he used to exempt the pet of William Dowell from quarantine and (b) the powers under which the exemption was granted. [86629]

Mr. Rooker: This is a wholly exceptional and very tragic case, and in the circumstances it would have been heartless not to make an exemption from the quarantine rules.

The power to be used is contained in Article 2(1) of the Animals (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order of 1927 (SR & O 1927, No. 290).

Common Fisheries Policy

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list total United Kingdom

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permitted landings, in tonnes, of fish under the present Common Fisheries Policy distributions; and if he will estimate discards, by tonne, of each fish type in the past 12 months. [86730]

Mr. Morley: The United Kingdom's quota share of the Total Allowable Catch (which need not be landed in the UK) for 1999 is set out in the table:

Tonnes

Stock and ICES(1) reporting area	1999 UK quota
Sandeels IIa, IV	20,000
Herring I, II	25,190
Herring IVa, b	40,570
Herring IVc, VIId	1,693
Herring Vb, VIaN, VIb	39,240
Herring VIa (Clyde)	1,000
Herring VIIa	4,880
Herring VIIe, f	500
Herring VIIg-k	30
Herring IIa, IV Industrial by-catch	550
Cod IIa, IV	56,260
Cod Vb, VI, XII, XIV	5,690
Cod VIIa	1,585
Cod VIIb-k, VIII, IX, X	1,570
Megrim IIa, IV	2,880
Megrim Vb, VI, XII, XIV	1,520
Megrim VII	3,210
Dab and Flounder IIa, IV	2,590
Anglers IIa, IV	17,960
Anglers Vb, VI, XII, XIV	2,650
Anglers VII	4,800
Haddock IIa, IV	57,045
Haddock Vb, VI, XII, XIV	15,110
Haddock VII, VIII, IX, X	2,220
Haddock VIIa	2,390
Whiting IIa, IV	24,590
Whiting Vb, VI, XII, XIV	4,060
Whiting VIIa	1,720
Whiting VIIb-k	2,680
Hake IIa, IV	350
Hake Vb, VI, XII, XIV	5,550
Lemon sole and Witch IIa, IV	7,330
Blue Whiting IIa, IV	1,070
Nephrops IIa, IV	13,165
Nephrops Vb, VI	12,305
Nephrops VII	7,545
Plaice IIa, IV	28,070
Plaice Vb, VI, XII, XIV	1,450
Plaice VIIa	885
Plaice VIId, e	2,150
Plaice VIIf, g	205
Plaice VIIh, j, k	170
Pollack Vb, VI, XII, XIV	400
Pollack VII	2,960
Saithe IIa, IIIb, c, d IV	8,830
Saithe Vb, VI, XII, XIV	3,125
Saithe VII, VIII, IX, X	1,350
Turbot and Brill IIa, IV	1,390
Skates and Rays IIa, IV	3,920
Mackerel IIa (EC) III, IV	1,390
Mackerel IIa (non-EC), Vb, VI, VII, VIIIa, b, d, e, XII, XIV	165,480
Sole II, IV	945
Sole Vb, VI, XII, XIV	30
Sole VIIa	200
Sole VIId	905
Sole VIIe	410
Sole VIIf, g	270
Sole VIIh, j, k	120
Sprat IIa, IV	5,900
Sprat VIId, e	6,300
Horse mackerel IIa, IV	5,840
Horse mackerel Vb, VI, VII, VIIIa, b, c, d, e, XII, XIV	25,310

(1) International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

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Information on discards is not collected on a comparable stock by stock basis. From research work involving observers on fishing vessels, scientists estimate that the level of discarding varies according to number and age of fish available, season, mesh size used and anticipated market conditions as perceived by fishermen. We understand that discarding tends to be very low for pelagic species and for some demersal fish such as sole but can be significantly higher for gadoids such as cod, haddock and whiting.

MAFF is contributing funds to an international project to study the economic causes of discarding at sea and to consider alternative management measures to reduce discarding in EU fisheries. The majority of fish discarded is undersize or considered uneconomic.

Sandeels

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his policy towards sandeel conservation; what are the present estimated total stocks in UK waters; and what is the present allowable catch. [87342]

Mr. Morley: I remain concerned to ensure that an appropriate Total Allowable Catch is established each year for sandeels. I am also concerned to ensure that effective conservation measures are put in place to ensure that sandeels are available to those sea birds that depend on them at certain times of the year.

Figures for estimated total sandeel stocks in UK waters are not available. The main sandeel fishery off the UK is in the North Sea. In October 1998 the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advised that the North sea spawning stock biomass of this short lived species stood at 1.8 million tonnes. On this advice the Council of Ministers set a Total Allowable Catch of 1 million tonnes. A further 7,000 tonnes may be taken in the tightly regulated local fishery at Shetland.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Communications Regulation

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the Government are implementing the proposals in the Green Paper regulating communications, approaching convergence in the information age. [87773]

Mr. Chris Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I have today published a report 'Regulating Communications: The Way Ahead', setting out the way forward on the regulation of the converging industries.

The Government's proposals for an evolutionary approach to the regulation of the converging communication sectors to take account of convergence proposed in last July's Convergence Green Paper received widespread support in the consultation it initiated.

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The new statement makes clear the Government's determination to ensure that the UK can take advantage of the opportunities convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology will bring. It shows how the Government are adapting the UK's regulatory framework to take account of changes in markets and technology, notably through modernisation and strengthening of competition law and deepening co-operation between OFTEL, the ITC and the Office of Fair Trading.

Changes in these fast moving markets will eventually amount to a transformation and so demand new approaches to regulation to achieve policy goals. But the pattern and timing are far from clear. Our rejection of a big bang approach to reforming communications regulation in favour of the evolutionary approach outlined in last year's Convergence Green Paper has received widespread support. Most of those who commented supported this approach, recognising the uncertainties about the pace and direction of change. We believe that the changes we have made and continue to make will ensure that consumers and businesses alike are well served by flexible and effective regulation.

The document announces a number of important new initiatives to promote UK competitiveness and protect the consumer interest in the converging communications sectors. In particular it:

proposes new models for a reformed system of telecommunications regulation, including the possibility of ending licensing, to take account of the fact that we now have many different operators;

announces a detailed assessment of the regulation of commercial TV broadcasting to ensure that the differences in regulation between different commercial broadcasters are no more than is necessary to protect the public interest;

sets out a number of measures to take account of developments in commercial radio broadcasting;

details the steps to be taken in implementing the lifting of restrictions on BT's provision of entertainment services including the amendment of local cable licenses to remove "build obligations" in certain circumstances.

Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Attorney-General what steps have been taken to implement Recommendations 4 and 9 of the Review of the Crown Prosecution Service in respect of research on discontinuances and downgrading of charges by the CPS. [86908]

The Solicitor-General: Recommendations 4 and 9 of the Glidewell Report are being considered by the CPS with the inter-agency Criminal Justice Information Working Group. The first part of Recommendation 9 was accepted by the Government in November 1998, and has been implemented. The Attorney-General will be announcing the Government's decisions on Recommendation 4 and the second part of Recommendation 9 later this month as part of a wider statement on the Glidewell Report.

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