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WALES
Disaster Areas
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to review the definition of a designated disaster area. [139590]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
There is no formal definition of a "disaster area".
The common working definition of a disaster is any event (happening with or without warning) causing or threatening death or injury, damage to property or to the environment or disruption to the community, which because of the scale of its effects cannot be dealt with by the emergency services and local authorities as part of their day-to-day activities.
There are no plans to review this definition.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Terrorist Organisations
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of links between the 32 County Sovereignty Committee and the Real IRA. [139173]
Mr. Ingram: With regard to the relationship between the 32 County Sovereignty Committee and the Real IRA, the Government believe that they are two sides of the same coin. The 32 County Sovereignty Committee is RIRA's political wing, and as such the two are inextricably linked.
Policing Board
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that the last day for applications for appointment as independent members of the proposed Northern Ireland Policing Board is after the date that the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill has passed both Houses. [135773]
Mr. Ingram: The closing date for applications was 09.00 on Wednesday 22 November.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Hunt Kennels
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what examination his Department has undertaken of the extent to which traces of BSE are present in animals resident in hunt kennels. [137249]
Ms Quin [holding answer 7 November 2000]: In 1992 the Government concluded a random survey of the brains of 444 hunting hounds to investigate the risk of BSE transmission. The results were unsatisfactory partly because of difficulties in ensuring that the brains did not start to deteriorate between the death of the hound and its examination. Although various pathological changes were seen in the central nervous tissues of some of the hounds, the results did not provide firm proof of a TSE. The results were subsequently considered by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee who did not suggest transmission studies. Hounds were initially studied because they were perceived as a "high risk" population exposed to large quantities of potentially infective bovine tissues. Since then, a range of other species had been identified with TSEs. However, TSEs have not been found in dogs and the further study of hounds was therefore considered less critical.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the value to the farming industry of the removal of dead stock by hunt kennels. [137250]
Ms Quin [holding answer 7 November 2000]: Hunt kennels provide a valued service to the farming industry by removing casualty and fallen stock, although information quantifying the financial value of this service is not held by the Department.
EU Sugar Regime
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact on West Midland sugar beet factories of the implementation of the proposed new EU sugar regime. [137587]
Ms Quin: The future of sugar beet factories in the West Midlands is a commercial matter for British Sugar plc. In their comments on the impact of the current EU reform proposal, British Sugar have not suggested that there would be a particular impact on West Midlands factories.
BSE
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the extent to which BSE at low levels is endemic in cattle. [137576]
Ms Quin: The BSE epidemic, currently in steady decline, would mask low level endemic infection. When the epidemic is over, surveillance for endemic disease will enable an assessment of possible endemic disease at low levels.
Organophosphates
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research studies since 1970 at CBD Porton Down relating to effects of long-term low
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level exposure to organophosphates were sponsored by his Department; what results were obtained; and if he will make a statement. [138050]
Ms Quin [holding answer 15 November 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 November 2000, Official Report, columns 62-63W.
Apart from the research project on the dose effect profiles for organophosphate sheep dips on brain electrical activity and cognitive performance in non-human primates, the Department has sponsored no study on the effects of long-term low level exposure to organophosphates at CBD Porton Down.
Fisheries Council
Mr. Hood: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the outcome was of the Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 17 November; and if he will make a statement. [139733]
Mr. Morley: The Fisheries Council met in Brussels on 17 November. I led the UK delegation, accompanied by Rhona Brankin, Deputy Minister for Rural Development in the Scottish Executive.
The Council discussed the future policy for management of fleet capacity, building on the Commission's mid-term review of the operation of the current Multi-Annual Guidance Programme (MAGP IV). I argued the need for maintaining and strengthening a range of controls in order to bring fishing effort into better balance with fish stocks. I also argued that, given the current over capacity in the fleet, grants for constructing vessels are inappropriate. The Commission will include fleet management among the issues in its Green Paper next spring on the revision of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The Commission reported recent scientific advice that key cod, whiting and hake stocks were close to collapse. With other member states I stressed the seriousness of this situation and supported the Commission's approach that urgent action was needed to ensure effective recovery plans were introduced for 2001. I welcomed the Commission's intention of looking at a mix of measures to aid recovery and the fact that the fishing industry was already being involved in developing these measures.
The Council discussed the impact of fuel price rises on the fishing sector. I strongly supported the Commission in opposing unilateral national operating subsidies and welcomed the Commission's statement that measures taken by member states had to comply with state aid rules, and that they were taking action as appropriate to this end.
The Council discussed a Commission proposal for a three-year continuation of Community financial support for fisheries enforcement. Final decisions on the proposal will be made in December. The Council agreed to a two-year rollover of existing arrangements for control and enforcement action under NEAFC in the North East Atlantic, and to a proposal the Community financial assistance for an observer scheme on tuna boats in the Gulf of Guinea. I argued that while we could accept these proposals, the Community should take a larger role in carrying out control in international waters under the responsibility of regional fisheries organisations. We pressed for decisions to be taken on this and other control
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measures by June 2001. We also pressed the Commission to seek effective controls on over-fishing of Rockall haddock at the NEAFC annual meeting this week.
The Council welcomed the Commission's report on the operation of the Common Fisheries Policy in 1997-98, and received a report from the Commission on the latest contacts with Morocco to renegotiate a fisheries agreement. I strongly supported the Commission who pressed certain other member states to ratify the UN Agreement on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. I joined other member states in pressing for Community action against the Galapagos Agreement, which does not respect the UN Law of the Sea and discriminates against the Community fleet.
SCOTLAND
Departmental Employees (New Deal)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff his Department employs under the New Deal for Young People. [137950]
Dr. Reid: I refer to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, on 13 November 2000, Official Report, columns 551-52W. There is one New Dealer who works in my Department.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Departmental Policies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Manchester, Gorton constituency, of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [136175]
Mr. Rooker: The Department's policies and initiatives have made a significant contribution to our overall objectives of:
- Eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10;
- Promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need; and,
- Combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
We are spending an additional £7 billion a year on support for families and children. This includes significant increases in child benefit, which is now worth £15 a week for the eldest child and £10 a week for other children: nationally about 7 million families receive child benefit, and in Gorton 10,000 families benefit.
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We have launched the New Deals to help lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, the over 50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. In the period since August 1998 the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance nationally has reduced from 1,323,600 to 1,067,300; in Manchester, Gorton, the number has reduced from 4,100 to 3,000. The number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased over the same period from 955,000 to 910,100 nationally and in Manchester, Gorton from 3,100 to 2,900.
Next year we will be spending £4.5 billion a year extra in real terms on pensioners as a result of our policies. The Winter Fuel Payment has continued to tackle fuel poverty. Last winter, around 10 million pensioners, of whom 10,300 were in Manchester, Gorton, benefited from the payment. We have now extended the scheme to include eligible people from age 60 so that even more older people will benefit. This winter, households that qualify will receive an increased payment of £200. The Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) targets the poorest 1.6 million pensioner families, 4,400 of whom live in Manchester, Gorton. These pensioners will benefit from our alignment of all MIG rates from April 2001, giving single pensioners at least £92.15 each week--a real increase of £12.45 for the poorest pensioners.
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