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Mr. Gray: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of carcases that were destroyed by (a) professional knackermen and (b) hunt incinerators in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99. [117957]
Ms Quin [holding answer 6 April 2000]: Records are not collected of the number of animal carcases destroyed by knackermen or hunt kennels and no estimates were made of the numbers destroyed during 1997-98 or 1998-99.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last issued advice to farmers on methods of disposal of fallen stock. [117960]
Ms Quin [holding answer 6 April 2000]: Advice on the disposal of fallen stock was last given to farmers when the Water Code was revised and re-issued in October 1998. A summary of the Water, Air and Soil Codes, which included this advice was circulated with IACS information to 80,000 farmers in February 1999.
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the United Kingdom's balance of trade with regard to organic produce in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [118298]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 7 April 2000]: No such figures are available. Organic products are not separately identified in Customs and Excise trade data.
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of how many farmers will request support for conversion under the organic farming scheme before April 2001. [118300]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 7 April 2000]: None. The Organic Farming Scheme is closed to new applications while a review is underway.
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people are employed in the organic farming sector. [118297]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 7 April 2000]: We estimate the number of registered organic farmers and growers in the UK at the end of January to be 2,500. In addition to primary producers, we estimate that just over 1,000 operators are registered for processing and/or importing organic products.
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has carried out into improving the efficiency of organic farming in the last three years; and what was the cost of the research. [118299]
10 Apr 2000 : Column: 57W
Mr. Morley [holding answer 7 April 2000]: The three main objectives of the MAFF Organic research programme and the spend on these objectives for the last three years are as follows:
£000 | |||
---|---|---|---|
1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | |
Constraints on production | 801 | 1,320 | 1,828 |
Costs of the conversion period | 34 | 53 | 49 |
Environmental impact | 73 | 108 | 150 |
Total | 908 | 1,481 | (10)2,027 |
(10) Estimate
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list for each council area in Northern Ireland the number of dwellings with (a) controlled and (b) registered rents. [116359]
Mr. George Howarth: As there is no requirement on landlords to register controlled rents, this information does not exist.
The number of registered rents is given in the table.
Council area | Total number of dwellings with registered rents |
---|---|
Antrim | 44 |
Ards | 346 |
Armagh | 43 |
Ballymena | 58 |
Ballymoney | 33 |
Banbridge | 34 |
Belfast | 3,499 |
Carrickfergus | 92 |
Castlereagh | 133 |
Coleraine | 77 |
Cookstown | 41 |
Craigavon | 452 |
Down | 55 |
Dungannon and South Tyrone | 69 |
Fermanagh | 46 |
Larne | 133 |
Limavady | 24 |
Lisburn | 244 |
Derry City | 55 |
Magherafelt | 36 |
Moyle | 10 |
Newry and Mourne | 102 |
Newtownabbey | 617 |
North Down | 204 |
Omagh | 35 |
Strabane | 43 |
Total | 6,525 |
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for Heritage Lottery funding were made and how many projects approved in
10 Apr 2000 : Column: 58W
each of the last three years; if sufficient funding was available to match applications; and if he will make a statement. [116516]
Mr. George Howarth: Details of applications received and approved in the last three years are as follows:
Applications received | Applications approved | |
---|---|---|
1997-98 | 57 | 26 |
1998-99 | 109 | 59 |
1999-00 | (11)157 | 60 |
(11) 34 applications are still live
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) takes a flexible approach to Partnership Funding. Applications made through the Mains Grant or Revenue programmes can receive up to 90 per cent. HLF funding for projects up to £100,000 and 75 per cent. for projects over that amount. Through these programmes in Northern Ireland the Heritage Lottery Fund is not aware of any projects which have received HLF awards failing because of applicants' inability to secure partnership funding.
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many awards were made available, and at what cost, to Northern Ireland students undertaking courses at residential institutions for adult education in Great Britain in each of the last 10 years. [117581]
Mr. Ingram: The number of awards is as follows:
Financial year | Number of awards |
---|---|
1990-91 | 8 |
1991-92 | 8 |
1992-93 | 8 |
1993-94 | 8 |
1994-95 | 12 |
1995-96 | 12 |
1996-97 | 12 |
1997-98 | 12 |
1998-99 | 12 |
The actual expenditure in 1998-99 was £46,104, when only 11 of the awards made available were taken up. Figures beyond this year are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) amount and (b) percentage of money from the education budget was devoted to transport in (i) 1991, (ii) 1995 and (iii) 1999. [117342]
Mr. George Howarth: The information is as follows:
Financial year | Transport costs £ million | Percentage of education budget |
---|---|---|
1991-92 | 27.5 | 2.45 |
1995-96 | 38.1 | 2.84 |
1996-99 | 46.2 | 3.15 |
Audited figures for 1999-2000 are not yet available.
10 Apr 2000 : Column: 59W
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) amount and (b) percentage of funding was retained by his Department from the education budget in (i) 1991, (ii) 1995 and (iii) 1999. [117341]
Mr. George Howarth: The information requested is as follows:
Financial year | Amount retained (£ million) | Percentage retained |
---|---|---|
1991-92 | 15.2 | 1.36 |
1995-96 | 16.3 | 1.22 |
1998-99 | 19.5 | 1.33 |
Audited figures for 1999-2000 are not available.
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount allocated to the education budget for Northern Ireland in 1991. [117339]
Mr. George Howarth: The total for the 1991-92 financial year was £1,121 million.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on (a) the upkeep and (b) the purchase of works of art in his Department for each financial year since 1992. [117479]
Mr. Ingram: The Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland is responsible for the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) Art Collection which is independent from the Government Art Collection.
Expenditure on the NICS art collection since 1992 is as follows:
£ | ||
---|---|---|
Upkeep | Purchase of works of art | |
1992-93 | 346 | 39,000 |
1993-94 | 290 | 30,000 |
1994-95 | 285 | 27,000 |
1995-96 | 270 | 39,000 |
1996-97 | 655 | 31,000 |
1997-98 | 215 | 23,000 |
1998-99 | 958 | 30,000 |
1999-2000 | 1,594 | 59,000 |
I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts on 4 April 2000, Official Report, columns 393-94W.
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