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Aid Package
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of the components of the aid package announced on 30 March are intended to replace services discontinued as a result of the restructuring of his Department. [121428]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: None.
Armed Services (Purchase of Supplies)
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what meetings he and his Ministers or officials have had with the Ministry of Defence to discuss the purchasing of supplies for the armed services; and if those meetings were used to encourage the purchase of British agricultural produce by the Ministry of Defence. [121431]
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Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: Ministers and officials regularly have meetings with the MOD to discuss how the proportion of UK sourced food for the armed forces can be increased.
Sheep Passports
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the introduction of sheep passports. [121417]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: There are currently no plans to introduce sheep passports.
Regional Office Closures
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the net effect on his Department's budget of the planned closure of his Department's regional offices. [121427]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: No decisions have been taken on the future of the Ministry's Regional Service Centres (RSCs) following the recent review of CAP scheme administration.
Departmental Budget
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the items in his Department's budget on which planned expenditure was reduced by over £250,000 in financial year 1999-2000 and in each of the previous three financial years. [121426]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: The information requested by the hon. Member can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Pig Farmer Demonstration
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about the presence of the demonstration by pig farmers in Parliament Square. [121438]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: I have received a number of representations about the current state of the pig industry, some of which made reference to the demonstrations by pig farmers in Parliament Square.
Agri-environment Schemes
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what estimates he has made of the effect on Government expenditure of changes in the level of payments under each of the agri-environment schemes to fall this year and the next as a result of his Department's reassessments of income forgone by participating farmers; and what the figures are; [121419]
- (2) what estimates he has made of the effect on the grants received by farmers under each of the agri- environment schemes of his Department's re-assessments of income forgone by participating farmers; [121418]
(3) what research his Department has undertaken into the effect of reductions of payments made under agri- environment schemes, with particular reference to the South Downs Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme; and what study he has made of the impact of these reductions on the take-up of such schemes; [121437]
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(4) if reductions in specific payments under the South Downs environmentally sensitive area scheme are made at the discretion of his Department. [121420]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: Rates of payment to farmers participating in the Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Countryside Stewardship Schemes are governed by EU Council Regulation 1257/1999 and Commission Regulation 1750/1999. These provisions require payment rates to be calculated on the basis of income forgone, additional costs incurred, and an incentive not exceeding 20 per cent. of the income forgone. Following the review of payment rates in 11 ESAs in 1999, it is estimated the overall effect on grants to participating farmers in those ESAs would be a reduction of 1 to 2 per cent. Of the eight rates available in the South Downs ESA two were increased, two were reduced and the remainder were unchanged. It is estimated the overall effect will be a reduction of 5 per cent. compared with payments to farmers in that ESA in 1999.
I announced to the House on 7 December 1999 that Government expenditure on agri-environment schemes would increase to more than double the current level during the seven years of the England Rural Development Plan.
Salvage Meat
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the decision not to give the Food Standards Agency responsibility for the investigation into TB and salvage meat sold by his Department into the human food chain. [121440]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 9 May 2000]: No such decision has been made. It would be for the Food Standards Agency to decide whether any assessment of risks to food safety should be carried out.
European Fisheries Regulations
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultation the European Commission have had with Her Majesty's Government on consolidation of the European regulations relating to fisheries; what steps the Government have taken to consult user and operator interests in respect of the Commission's intentions; what steps he will be taking to ensure that in such consolidation no disadvantage will accrue to United Kingdom fishing interests; and what timetable is envisaged for publication of a draft revised regulation. [121632]
Mr. Morley: There are no current proposals before the Council of Ministers to consolidate European Fisheries legislation.
In 1999 all provisions relating to Total Allowable Catches and Quotas in 2000 were, for the first time, brought together in a single regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No. 2742/1999). The industry was fully consulted on those proposals.
Currency Fluctuation (Compensation)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has
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received requesting monetary compensation to farmers as a result of the change in values of the pound and euro. [121765]
Ms Quin: We have received a number of representations requesting agrimonetary compensation to farmers.
CABINET OFFICE
Penalty Clauses
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the contracts entered into with private sector companies for the provision of goods or services since May 1997 where penalty clauses were triggered for non-performance; and if she will make a statement. [122010]
Mr. Stringer: Since May 1997 a penalty clause has been triggered on one Cabinet Office contract, as follows:
- Supplier: The Stationery Office Ltd.
- Description: Provision of Printing Services
- Reason for penalty: Late Delivery.
Computer Viruses
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office at what precise time her Department became aware of the computer virus known as the Love Bug. [122590]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The Cabinet Office became aware of this computer virus at 10:19am on Thursday 4 May 2000.
Open Government
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many applications for information she received under the Open Government: Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in the last parliamentary session; and how many were granted. [121852]
Mr. Stringer: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Official Report, columns 216-17W.
Deregulation Unit
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what system is used by the Deregulation Unit for monitoring the regulatory burden on the voluntary and charitable sectors. [122818]
Mr. Stringer: Since August 1998 this Government have insisted that Regulatory Impact Assessments are carried out whenever regulations are likely to have an impact on business, charities or the voluntary sector. Lists of Regulatory Impact Assessments that affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector are recorded in twice
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yearly Command Papers which are placed in the Libraries of the House. There is no distinction made between Regulatory Impact Assessments for business and those that are purely concerned with charities and the voluntary sector.
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