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Beef Imports
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks are currently carried out on beef products imported from South and North America to establish if they contain hormone growth promoters; and if he will make a statement. [105653]
Ms Quin [holding answer 19 January 2000]: Samples from every consignment of beef from the USA must be examined for residues of certain xenobiotic hormones, natural hormones and for stilbenes.
More generally, all meat imported into the EU must originate from approved third countries. Responsibility for approving third countries rests with the European Commission, who must take account of information on matters which include legislation on the use, authorisation, distribution and marketing of substances which might be administered to livestock. Inclusion and retention on the list of approved countries is subject to the submission of acceptable monitoring plans for residues, including hormonal growth promoters, in meat, which provide guarantees at least equivalent to those provided by EU member states.
Holbeck Holdings
Mr. Jack: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the outcome was of the Intervention Board's most recent inquiries into the financial standing of Holbeck Holdings of Kilmarnock. [105294]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 19 January 2000]: The Intervention Board's inquiries revealed that there had been no material change to the company's financial status since they had previously successfully operated under the over-30-month scheme.
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Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with animal feed manufacturers on compensation for farmers for the BSE epidemic; and if he will make a statement. [103152]
Ms Quin:
None. For a farmer to claim damages from the supplier of feed, he would have to show that the supplier either knew or ought to have known the feed was contaminated and would therefore cause damage to the farmer by way of introducing BSE into his herd. No general guidance can be given as each case would have to be determined on its own facts and circumstances.
Departmental Consultation
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the public consultation exercises on policy matters carried out by her Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; who was consulted and by what means; how responses were analysed; how and in what form the results were transmitted to those responsible for the consultation; how the results of the consultation were published; and what analysis has been carried out of the extent and nature of policy changes resulting from the consultation. [106292]
Marjorie Mowlam:
The information requested is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost. We believe that effective consultation is essential to developing policies and services of high quality. We issued guidance to Departments in 1998 on the subject; we are now evaluating the effect the guidance has had, and will publish our findings.
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Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what has been spent by her Department on external consultants and advisors since May 1997 funded from (i) her Department's programme provision and (ii) her Department's running costs. [99481]
Mr. Stringer:
My Department's expenditure on external consultants and advisers since May 1997 from programme provision is £134,921. The expenditure from running costs is £7,026,025.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which projects relating to his Department that appeared in the Private Finance Panel's list of 29 November 1995 (a) have been completed, (b) are still pending, (c) have been dropped and (d) are being pursued by means other than a public private partnership. [105880]
Mr. Paul Murphy [holding answer 24 January 2000]: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 25 January 2000, Official Report, columns 117-18W.
Welsh Assembly
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of total cost of the new Welsh Assembly building. [106984]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have not made any such estimate. This is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
Operations (Cancellation)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many operations in Wales have been (a) cancelled and (b) postponed since 1 December as a result of the influenza outbreak. [106856]
Mr. Paul Murphy: This is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
EU Structural Funding
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will discuss with the First Secretary the granting of Objective 2 status to North East Wales; and if he will make a statement. [106700]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary on a regular basis and we discuss a number of issues including Structural Funds support for Wales. However, the decision approving the UK's Objective 2 map was made by the European Commission last month and covered those Welsh areas in the UK Government's proposals of 8 October.
Armed Robberies (Alyn and Deeside)
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent research he has commissioned into the incidence of attempted armed robberies in Alyn and Deeside; and if he will make a statement. [106701]
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Mr. Paul Murphy:
I have not commissioned any such research. Law and order are matters for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to meet the First Secretary to discuss the role of Hawarden Airport, Deeside, in the future economic development of North East Wales. [106699]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
I have regular meetings with the First Secretary to discuss a wide range of issues including transport and its impact on the future economic development of Wales. This includes the non-devolved subject of airports, a matter reserved to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The First Secretary has not requested a meeting to specifically discuss Hawarden Airport, but transport is an issue considered in the Assembly's economic development plans. The Welsh Regional Air Services study, which concludes this month, will investigate possible enhanced services such as linking North and South Wales, and the link between air services, economic growth and regeneration.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the First Secretary to discuss the impact of the Government's legislative programme on road, rail and air transport, in the constituency of (a) Alyn and Deeside and (b) North East Wales; and if he will make a statement. [106703]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
I have regular meetings with the First Secretary to discuss a wide range of issues including transport and its impact in Wales, which will of course bring benefits to Alyn and Deeside and North East Wales generally.
On 30 November I spoke to the whole of the National Assembly for Wales about the Government's legislative programme and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State addressed members' questions in a second plenary session on 8 December. I am keen to ensure that the interests of Wales are fully met during the passage of the Transport Bill, and will maintain dialogue with Cabinet colleagues and the Assembly.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional allocation there has been to standard spending assessments for local authorities in Wales to support their work under the new contaminated land regime; and if he will make a statement. [106148]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Since Transfer of Functions on 1 July 1999, local authority allocations and contaminated land policy have been matters for the National Assembly for Wales.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the budget for his Department, including the budget for the National Assembly, in the financial years 2000-01 and 2001-02; and what was the outturn spending in (a) 1998-99 and (b) 1999-2000. [106063]
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Mr. Paul Murphy:
The total Welsh budget for both my Department and the National Assembly, is £7,912 million for 2000-01, and £8,336 million for 2001-02. These are the current figures, which are liable to change to reflect transfers to and from other Government Departments.
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