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Correspondence
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many replies he has received since 1 July from (a) prisons, (b) health authorities and (c) local authorities to letters sent by him urging them to obtain products of the highest welfare and animal hygiene standards; [95775]
- (2) how many letters he has written since 1 July to (a) prisons, (b) health authorities and (c) local authorities urging them to obtain products of the highest welfare and animal hygiene standards; [95776]
(3) further to his oral answer of 28 October 1999, Official Report, column 1141, answering letters about public sector meat purchases, on what date the letters he referred to were sent. [97115]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 26 October 1999]: I wrote on 27 October to 150 local authorities concerning both beef and pigmeat, and additionally to 131 prisons and 401 health authorities concerning pigmeat on the same date. I have since received a number of responses.
Sheep Sales
Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the total number of (1) ewes on British farms and (2) lambs sold to market was in each of the years 1990 to 1998. [96546]
Ms Quin: The number of (1) breeding ewes on agricultural holdings in the UK at 1 June and (2) clean sheep and lambs marketed in the UK are shown below for the years 1990 to 1998.
(17) The figures come from the June Agricultural and Horticultural Census and relate to the position on main and minor holdings. Up to 1994, the figures relate to ewes kept for breeding, including draft and cast ewes and two-tooth ewes put, or to be put, to the ram. From 1995, the figures relate to ewes and shearlings that have produced lambs in the last year (whether intended for further breeding or slaughter) and female sheep (one year and over) put, or to be put, to the ram.
(18) The figures consist of home fed slaughterings and live exports, and have been adjusted to take account of unrecorded trade.
(19) For comparability with other years, the figures have been adjusted from a 53 week to a 52 week basis.
(20) Provisional.
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School Milk
Sir Peter Emery: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action his Department is taking in EU institutions in respect of the funding of the school milk scheme. [96881]
Ms Quin: My right hon. Friend the Minister raised the question of the future of the EU school milk scheme at the Agriculture Council in June when he received a very positive response from other member states. We continue to lobby the Commission for the scheme to remain in place.
Performance Targets
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all performance targets set for his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1997, other than those listed in
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Public Service Agreements 1999-2002 [Cm 4181], stating in each case (a) the target to be reached and (b) the date by which it was to be reached. [94979]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 1 November 1999]: The Department has set out the key performance targets on which it will be judged in its PSA, and the measures of success it will use in the OPA published in March this year. A full list of the targets and target dates for Agencies and Executive NDPBs can be found annually in the Next Steps Report and Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies Report.
These high level targets are supported at operational level by numerous targets to ensure delivery by individual units. Listing these operational targets would be inappropriate and disproportionate in terms of resources.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for the introduction of diversification grants for non-assisted areas. [96705]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 1 November 1999]: We are currently considering what measures, including aid for diversification, we should introduce under the new Rural Development Regulation, in the light of responses to our recent consultation.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes he intends to make to Milk Marque following the report by the Competition Commission; and if he will make a statement. [96609]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 1 November 1999]: My right hon. Friend the Minister has no locus to require changes to be made to Milk Marque.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers he estimates will be affected by his proposals for Milk Marque. [96610]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 1 November 1999]: My right hon. Friend the Minister has made no such proposals. All the farmers who are members of Milk Marque will be affected directly by the action proposed by Milk Marque as a result of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report. There may be indirect effects on others.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many prosecutions have been brought against United Kingdom egg producers for being in contravention of legislation for the welfare of laying hens; and how many prosecutions there have been in other European Union countries in each of the last three years. [96753]
Mr. Morley:
The number of prosecutions of UK egg producers brought by UK Agriculture Departments for offences in breach of animal welfare legislation in each of the last three years was two in 1996, four in 1997 and nil in 1998. Records of prosecutions taken by other bodies such as local authorities and the RSPCA are not kept centrally. Requests or information concerning prosecutions in other EU countries should be addressed to the individual member states.
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Mr. Drew:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the figures, by country of destination, for the export of British beef in (a) the last month prior to the introduction of the ban and for (b) the same month 12 months earlier. [96296]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 29 October 1999]: The table shows UK exports of beef during March 1996, the last month prior to the beef ban, and the same month 12 months earlier, as recorded in the Official Overseas Trade Statistics. British beef is not separately identifiable from that of non-UK origin in the data.
| March 1995 | March 1996 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country of destination (21) | Tonnes | Value (£ million) | Tonnes | Value (£ million) |
| France | 13,074 | 26.7 | 6,339 | 13.3 |
| Italy | 3,209 | 9.7 | 2,470 | 6.8 |
| Netherlands | 2,279 | 6.9 | 2,303 | 6.7 |
| Irish Republic | 3,855 | 6.0 | 3,292 | 5.8 |
| South Africa | 1,998 | 1.9 | 1,893 | 1.5 |
| Spain | 871 | 2.1 | 399 | 1.0 |
| Denmark | 645 | 1.5 | 441 | 1.2 |
| Belgium-Luxembourg | 592 | 1.7 | 177 | 0.9 |
| Portugal | 379 | 0.9 | 487 | 1.2 |
| Germany | 372 | 1.4 | 127 | 0.6 |
| Others | 5,411 | 7.1 | 1,400 | 2.4 |
| Total | 32,685 | 65.8 | 19,329 | 41.4 |
(21) This does not necessarily represent the final destination of the goods
Pesticides Safety Directorate
Helen Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to conduct a Quinquennial Review of the Pesticides Safety Directorate. [97430]
Mr. Nick Brown: The Pesticides Safety Directorate was established as an Executive Agency on 1 April 1993. I am today announcing the Quinquennial Review of this Agency, which will include an evaluation of the performance of the Agency, and reconsideration of the Prior Options relating to Agency status as well as the options required under Better Quality Services. If appropriate, the existing Framework Document will also be reviewed.
The terms of reference for the review are as follows:
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It will draw on and take account of other relevant work, for example the considerations feeding into the White Paper and Bill to establish the Food Standards Agency, and other relevant material.
We shall be setting out the arrangements whereby interested parties will be given an opportunity to submit their views.
I hope to publish the outcome of the review in the second quarter of 2000.
to conduct an evaluation of the performance of the Agency since its inception;
to consider in the light of this evaluation, and the views of customers and other stakeholders, whether among the available options Agency status remains the most cost effective way of achieving MAFF's aims; and
if the review concludes that the Pesticides Safety Directorate should continue to function as an Executive Agency, then to consider what changes, if any, are required to the Framework Document in the light of the findings of the review. If, however, the review concludes that a different delivery system would provide high quality, more effective and better value for money services, to set out the rationale and to recommend an appropriate option to Ministers.
The review will be conducted by officials from MAFF working with officials from PSD in close consultation with the Cabinet Office and Treasury and with the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales.
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