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Landbased Sector

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the level of funding provided by

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the Government for the National Training Organisation for the Landbased Sector in each of the last three years, the current year and each of the next three years. [120568]

Mr. Nick Brown: MAFF Funding for Lantra, the National Training Organisation for the landbased sector is as follows:

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Funding £000
Type of funding	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
MAFF Contract	1,021	455	356	300	300	300	(4)--
Sector Challenge	487	884	441	128	0	0	0
Agriculture Development Scheme (Benchmarking)	0	0	0	100	0	0	0
Action Plan for Farming Package	0	0	0	1,800(5)	0	0	0
Total Aid	1,508	1,339	797	2,328	300	300	0

(4) The current MAFF contract runs until 31 March 2003. No decisions have been taken on an extension beyond that date.

(5) Includes £600,000 from the support announced for hill farmers.

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Lantra also receives funding from other Government Departments including the Department for Education and Employment, and from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the devolved administrations and the European Commission.

Krebs Trials

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the delay in the implementation of the Krebs trials has resulted in a reduction in projected Government expenditure on the trials. [120602]

Mr. Nick Brown: No. The expenditure will be incurred over a longer period.

Dairy Sector

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the agrimonetary compensation in the dairy sector will be paid to the lessee where quota is leased. [120600]

Mr. Nick Brown: Yes.

Waste Directives

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost to British farmers of implementing (a) the Nitrates Directive and (b) the Waste Framework Directive. [120561]

Mr. Nick Brown: The Regulatory Appraisal, published when the Action Programme for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (England and Wales) Regulations 1998 were laid before Parliament, gave an estimated total annual cost of £4.4 million and an estimated total capital cost of £7.5 million for implementing the Action Programme measures in the existing 68 zones in England and Wales.

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has lead responsibility for the Waste Framework Directive.

Agricultural Development Scheme

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the level of funding from the

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Government Agricultural Development Scheme and its successor schemes in each of the last three years, the current year and in each of the next three years. [120564]

Mr. Nick Brown: MAFF Funding for Lantra, the National Training Organisation for the landbased sector is as follows:

					Funding £000
	Type of funding
Year	MAFF contract	Sector challenge	Agriculture development scheme (6)	Action plan for farming package	Total aid
1997-98	1,021	487	0	0	1,508
1998-99	455	884	0	0	1,339
1999-2000	356	441	0	0	797
2000-01	300	128	100	(7)1,800	2,328
2001-02	300	0	0	0	300
2002-03	300	0	0	0	300
2003-04	(8)--	0	0	0	0

(6) (Benchmarking)

(7) Includes £600,000 from the support announced for hill farmers.

(8) The current MAFF contract runs until 31 March 2003. No decisions have bene taken on an extension beyond that date.

Lantra also receives funding from other Government Departments including the Department for Education and Employment, and from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the devolved administrations and the European Commission.

BSE

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the level of UK Government expenditure on BSE eradication measures in each of the last three years, the current year and the next three years. [120570]

Mr. Nick Brown: The main measure in place in the UK to eradicate BSE is the ban on the feeding of mammalian meat and bone meal to farmed ruminants. This is enforced by a survey of feed mills and other premises which hold animal feed, and testing of the samples for the presence of mammalian protein. The cost of the tests carried out since the survey began in August

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1996 amounts to some £4 million. The cost of the collection and submission of the samples to the laboratory could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

The cost of compensation for the slaughter of BSE suspects, and the transport and disposal of their carcases and other associated costs are shown in the table.

£

	BSE Compensation	Transport and disposal and other costs
1997-98	3,084,159	1,427,787
1998-99	1,964,095	1,461,743
1999-2000(9)	1,264,153	(10)1,850,000

(9) Estimate

(10) This item incudes some expenditure on scrapie which cannot be separated from BSE expenditure.

The cost of compensation and disposal in the current and future years will depend on market prices and the numbers of BSE suspects reported.

Mrs. Fiona Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received expressing concern about the way in which the cull of BSE-offspring cattle is being conducted. [119754]

Ms Quin: During the operation of the cull, 8,241 offspring have been slaughtered with a further 178 awaiting slaughter. We have received 120 letters on the cull. The majority of these have expressed concern over the level of compensation offered, while a small number have queried the basis of the cull.

Sir Richard Body: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on making available material from beef carcases for the purpose of research into BSE. [120700]

Ms Quin: The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) holds an archive of material from BSE-infected cattle. Scientists may apply directly to the TSE Office at VLA to request samples of these tissues for use in research. Applications are approved by the TSE Research and Surveillance Unit in MAFF on the basis of the supplies available and the merit of the research. Scientists also need to show that they have the containment facilities available to perform the research and any necessary Home Office or import licences. Where sufficient supplies exist, reasonable requests will be granted and the tissues will be released once funding for the research is secured.

Farm Waste Grant Scheme

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the budget allocated to the Farm Waste Grant Scheme was taken up in each year of its operation; and what his policy is on the use of underspend. [120571]

Mr. Nick Brown: Since the Farm Waste Grant Scheme came into operation in April 1996, the proportion of the budget taken up each year has been:

	Percentage
1996-97	2
1997-98	13
1998-99	17
1999-2000	8

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Surplus funds are reallocated to other areas of expenditure in the Department according to priorities.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the level of funding for the Farm Waste Grant Scheme in each of the last three years, the current year and each of the next three years. [120562]

Mr. Nick Brown: The level of funding available for the Farm Waste Grant Scheme in each of the years concerned is as follows:

	£ million
1997-98	0.8
1998-99	0.8
1999-2000	0.8
2000-01	0.8
2001-02	4.5
2002-03	4.5
2003-04	4.5

Regional Development Agencies

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the level of regional development agencies' spending on agricultural programmes is in (a) the current financial year and (b) the next financial year. [120574]

Mr. Nick Brown: Nil.

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