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Salvage Meat

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if salvage meat sold by his Department into the human food chain is identified as such to members of the public likely to purchase and consume it. [121413]

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Ms Stuart: I have been asked to reply.

No. I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that all fresh meat produced in Great Britain for sale for human consumption is subject to full ante mortem and post mortem inspection by meat Hygiene Service inspectors. Only meat that has been passed as fit for human consumption is health marked and allowed to be marketed. These same general rules apply to "salvage meat" produced from tuberculosis reactor cattle and meat produced from cattle which may be infected with Mycobacterium bovis. However, the same rules require the total condemnation of all carcases with generalised TB infection, and in cases where evidence of TB infection is present (but infection is not generalised) the partial condemnation of affected organs or parts of the carcase is required. These requirements are based on harmonised European Commission rules.

Meat produced from cattle that have reacted positively to the tuberculin test, or from cattle which are found, at post mortem, to show signs indicative of being infected with bovine tuberculosis (M.bovis) is not therefore subject to any special labelling requirements when sold at either wholesale or retail level. The Department does not, in any case, sell "salvage meat" into the human food chain.

CABINET OFFICE

Advisory Bodies

Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list all the (a) task forces, (b) action teams, (c) policy reviews and (d) other temporary advisory bodies with external members currently in existence within her Department; and on what date each body (i) was set up and (ii) is expected to terminate. [131459]

Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she will publish the six-monthly update of information on task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews established since 2 May 1997. [133606]

Mr. Stringer: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House lists containing updated details about those live task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews established between 2 May 1997 and 30 April 2000. The lists also contain details about those bodies that have been wound up since 1 November 1999.

Departmental Groups

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if she will list each group that is responsible to her Department, with significant and plural membership from outside the Civil Service, and to which the Nolan rules on non-departmental public bodies do not apply and for each such group, if it (a) is a company limited by guarantee, (b) is a charity, (c) has no formal legal basis and (d) has some other legal basis, giving details; [131241]

(2) if she will list each group that is responsible to her Department, with significant and plural membership from outside the Civil Service, and to which the Nolan rules on non-departmental public bodies do not apply; and for each such group, if it (a) is a private company, (b) is a charity, (c) has no formal legal basis and (d) has some other legal basis, giving details. [131181]

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Mr. Stringer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friends the Members for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) and for Cannock Chase (Tony Wright), Official Report, column 799W. None of the groups for which my Department is responsible has a formal legal basis.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what performance targets she has set for the Government Car and Despatch Agency for 2000-01. [132832]

Mr. Ian McCartney: I have set the Government Car and Despatch Agency the following key performance targets for the year.

Financial:

1. to break even on an accruals basis;

2. to maintain expenditure and receipts within voted provision.

Efficiency:

3. to increase income per pound of direct labour cost to £2.08.

Quality of Service:

4. (a) to improve customer satisfaction by 2 per cent. against the outturn of the 1999-2000 survey.

(b) to identify and address causes of dissatisfaction.

Environmental:

5. to convert to environmentally friendly fuels 50 per cent. of the cars purchased in the year and capable of such conversion.

Devolution

Mr. Rooney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if additional guidance will be offered to show those issues for which Ministers remain responsible, following devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. [133607]

Marjorie Mowlam: I am today placing in the Library a Devolution Guidance Note (Number 11) on ministerial accountability after devolution, covering Scotland and Wales. The guidance note will also be made available on the Cabinet Office website www.cabinet-office.gov.uk. While the note does not supplant the devolution legislation, it is intended to offer a lay guide to the broad areas which remain the responsibility of UK Ministers, and for which they are accountable to the UK Parliament. The note will be expanded over the summer to include guidance on Northern Ireland.

Merchant Navy Day

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will ensure that the Red Ensign is flown from departmental buildings on Merchant Navy Day, 3 September. [132970]

Mr. Stringer: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien).

Ministerial Duty Roster (Summer)

Mr. Luff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will publish the daily Ministerial Duty Roster for her Department during the summer adjournment. [133077]

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Mr. Lansley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will publish the duty roster for her Department during the summer adjournment. [132974]

Marjorie Mowlam: It is not normal practice of Government to publish the daily Ministerial Duty Roster. This Department will ensure that it has sufficient cover through the summer recess in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

Regulations

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will estimate the cost of regulations (a) introduced and (b) repealed since May 1997 to the (i) private and (ii) public sectors. [132773]

Mr. Stringer: Since 1998, the Government have required Departments to publish a thorough assessment of the impact of any regulatory proposal likely to impose a significant cost on business, charities or the voluntary sector. These assessments do not disaggregate the costs to the other groups affected by regulation, for example consumers and the public sector, nor are the cost savings of Deregulation Orders routinely collected. This information would be available only at disproportionate cost.

For the cost of regulation on business, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 21 December 1999, Official Report, column 450W.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many sunset clauses have been included in regulations since May 1997. [132693]

Mr. Stringer: The Government always consider whether sunset clauses are appropriate when bringing forward legislation. Examples of sunset clauses that have been introduced since May 1997 include Part I of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and the Football (Disorder) Bill. In addition, many road closure orders are limited by statute. However, information about sunset clauses is not routinely collected and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Opinion Research

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her answer of 12 July 2000, Official Report, column 608-10W, on opinion research, what the reasons were for withholding from disclosure the three pieces of market and opinion research. [132007]

Mr. Stringer: A report on customers' views on the Central Office of Information was withheld under exception 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (Information supplied in confidence). Business research on the Inter Despatch Service was withheld under exception 7 (Effective management and operations of the public service).

The third report is "Communicating With Women". This is minor research into the appeal of the magazine format of the publication "Voices" and its effectiveness in reaching target audiences. It was considered of limited

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significance and was not deliberately withheld. However, it is now being placed in the Libraries of the House in response to the hon. Member's request.

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