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Marine Renewable Energies

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with offshore engineering companies on marine renewable energies. [120224]

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Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 2 May 2000]: I have frequent contact with representatives of the oil and gas companies, for example in chairing the PILOT initiative. Matters covered in discussions include opportunities for diversification in the companies' offshore activities.

Congo

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received concerning (a) British pilots and (b) air charter service air cargo companies supplying weapons to both sides in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [120267]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 2 May 2000]: The answer is as follows:

(a) None and (b) none.

Miners' Pension Fund

Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received calling for a review of the arrangements for the distribution of surpluses from the miners' pension funds between Government and miners, and from whom. [120357]

Mrs. Liddell: I have received in the region of 160 representations on this issue. These have come from a range of parties including local authorities, Members of Parliament and private individuals.

Bronchitis and Emphysema (Test Centres)

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the second test centre for claimants for compensation for chronic bronchitis and emphysema to be established in Durham; and if he will make a statement. [120399]

Mrs. Liddell: There is currently a spirometry test centre based at the Miners Offices in Durham City. The centre is fully resourced and equipped to perform assessments for the Medical Assessment Process. There are no plans at present to open a second centre in Durham. The situation will be kept under review.

Rover/BMW

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what communications he has received from Mr. Towers concerning the timing of his final bid to BMW. [120495]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 2 May 2000]: Mr. Towers is now in negotiations with BMW. I shall be meeting him in due course.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of whether public money would be needed for the Towers consortium to outbid Alchemy Partners for Longbridge. [120494]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 2 May 2000]: No request for public money has been received from the Towers consortium.

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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Regional Offices

Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding the proposed restructuring of his Department's regional offices; and from which organisations. [120405]

Mr. Morley: The Department has received a number of representations about the future of the Ministry's Regional Service Centres following the recent review of CAP scheme administration. The majority of representations have been from, or on behalf of, staff of the RSCs.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what models for restructuring regional offices he has considered; and if he will make a statement; [120403]

(2) what plans he has to restructure his Department's regional offices; and if he will make a statement. [120404]

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Mr. Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 37W, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill) which sets out the latest position.

Live Animal Exports

Mr. Prosser: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 1 March 2000, Official Report, column 286W, on live animal exports, from which counties in England and Wales the sheep removed from consignments of slaughter/further fattening sheep in 1999 by his staff at Dover port originated; and how many originated from each of those counties. [120077]

Mr. Morley: The counties in England and Wales from which animals removed from consignments of slaughter/further fattening sheep by staff at Dover port in 1999 started their journeys, and the total number of animals starting their journeys in those counties were:

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County	Total sheep	Unfit sheep	Dead sheep	Removed for other reasons
Hereford	65,257	2	6	26
Kent	688,364	49	0	17
North Yorkshire	57,111	1	2	87
Somerset	597	1	0	0
Worcester	2,904	3	0	0
Denbighshire	157,182	16	4	0
Powys	73,406	6	2	0
Wrexham	40,827	1	0	0
Other counties in England and Wales	16,254	0	0	0
Journeys starting outside of England and Wales	13,181	3	1	30
Total	1,115,083	82	15	160

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Marine Animals (Nets)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will bring forward proposals to reduce the number of (a) porpoises and (b) other marine animals caught in nets, as required by the 1992 European Habitats Directive; and if he will make a statement. [118827]

Mr. Morley: Under the provisions of the EC Habitats Directive, the UK has an obligation to monitor the incidental capture of Annexe IV (a) species (which include all cetaceans) and take further research and conservation measures, as required, to ensure this capture does not have a significant detrimental impact on these species.

My Department has been monitoring the incidental capture of cetaceans through a number of research contracts with the Sea Mammal Research Unit. In addition, a number of mitigation measures are currently being trialled with a view to reducing marine mammal bycatch generally. If these prove effective, the UK industry will be encouraged to adopt them. Furthermore, if appropriate, the European Commission will be approached, with a view to them being applied at Community level.

The UK Government, in consultation with environmental NGOs, have also prepared a draft strategy on the protection of the harbour porpoise in UK waters. The aim of this strategy is to address the potential decline

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in numbers of this species. It is anticipated that the document will be published by DETR in the near future, with a view to it being submitted to the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) Meeting of Parties in Bristol in July.

English Rural Development Plan

Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who will administer the English Rural Development Plan at the regional level. [119006]

Mr. Morley: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the competent authority designated by the member state with overall responsibility for administering the England Rural Development Plan. At regional level, Regional Programming Groups involving partners from Government Departments and agencies will oversee the implementation and administration of the Programme. A full description of the proposed administrative arrangements is available in Section 12 and Annexe IX of the Plan.

BSE

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the studies on the presence of the BSE infective agent in cattle (a) under 30 months of age and (b) older than 30 months. [119036]

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Ms Quin: Between January and March 1999, brain tissue was collected from approximately 4,163 randomly selected cattle, over five-years-old, passing through the Over Thirty Month Scheme (OTMS) and examined for the presence of BSE infection. The purpose of the study was to assess if cattle carry any detectable BSE infection before clinical symptoms are seen.

Of the brains removed, a total of 3,951 were in a suitable condition for examination and initial results showed that 18 cattle had signs of BSE infection. The remaining 3,933 were negative and showed no signs of infection. Taken in isolation these results could indicate that approximately 0.5 per cent. of the remaining cattle over five years and older may be infected. It will not be possible fully to interpret the data until the results from other diagnostic tests and a statistical analysis of the age structure of cattle slaughtered under the OTM Scheme is complete.

A similar study of cattle under thirty months of age has not been undertaken because it would be very unlikely that brain pathology would have developed in such young animals if they were infected. In experimental conditions when calves were orally challenged with relatively high doses of BSE infected cattle brain, the first stage at which signs of BSE infection could be detected in the brains of these challenged cattle was at 32 months after dosing. No signs were seen prior to this at 26 months post challenge.

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