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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Beef on the Bone

Ms Keeble: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the retail ban on beef-on-the-bone will be lifted on 17 December; and if he will make a statement. [103558]

Mr. Nick Brown: Consultation on the draft Regulations to lift the retail ban on bone-in-beef was completed on Wednesday 8 December and showed strong support for the proposal. A summary of consultation responses has been placed in the Library of the House. The Regulations have been laid before the House today and will come into effect on Friday 17 December.

The remaining ban on the use for manufacturing of bones from beef deboned in Great Britain will continue to be kept under review. Meanwhile, manufacturers are being reminded of the continuing importance of compliance in the interest of public health and to help maintain consumer confidence in beef products. In addition, caterers are being asked to ensure that information is readily available to consumers about whether bone-in-beef or beef bones have been used in the preparation of food for direct sale.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Mr. Patrick Hall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the projects

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on the risks to agriculture from the release of GMOs funded by his Department and completed in the last six months. [103559]

Ms Quin: Three projects on the effects associated with GMOs have been completed in the last six months. These are: an investigation of the interaction between genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMOs) living around sugar beet plants; a study of the chances of the creation of novel viruses from the release of GM virus-tolerant plants; and a desk study of the possible effects associated with the introduction of GM forage grasses and forage legumes. The results of these projects will inform policy on future releases of GMOs.

Details of all three projects are available from the MAFF Library.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will bring further areas into the badger culling trial recommended by Professor Krebs to address questions about the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle. [103366]

Ms Quin: The Government are committed to a wide-ranging research and control strategy to find a science-based solution to TB in cattle. The badger culling trial is an important element of that strategy. I am pleased to announce that the sixth set of trial areas will be located in West Cornwall and that work is progressing on identifying the remaining areas.

Veterinary Drugs (Merchants)

Mr. Patrick Hall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Agriculture and Health Ministers have determined the fees to be paid by merchants and saddlers for registration in 2000-01 with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain under the Medicines (Exemptions for Merchants in Veterinary Drugs) Order 1998. [103560]

Ms Quin: Yes. The Schedule of Fees for Registration is given in the table.

£

	Fee
Application in respect of each premises fee	Previous	New
Agricultural Merchants
1. For registration under article 5	243	197
2. For retention of registration under article 5	138	122
3. For restoration of registration under article 5	209	166
Saddlers
1. For registration under article 5	112	123
2. For retention of registration under article 5	65	73
3. For restoration of registration under article 5	97	107

Rural Development

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current level of expenditure under the Rural Development Regulations indicating the amount of funding that is received from the EU. [102783]

Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 13 December 1999]: The Rural Development Regulation does not apply in relation to Community support until 1 January 2000.

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Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amount of money that will be paid under the Rural Development Regulations in each of the seven years from 2001, indicating the amount from each contributing budget. [102784]

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Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 13 December 1999]: Proposed expenditure under the England Rural Development Plan, subject to European Commission approval, and the Government's 2000 Spending Review is as follows:

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£ million
Source of funding	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Total Planned Expenditure	173	205	236	263	279	295
EU receipts	50	50	50	50	50	50
MAFF CSR (subject to Spending Review)	91	91	91	91	91	91
Modulation receipts	22	45	50	54	62	70
Exchequer match funding	22	45	50	54	62	70
Total(12)	185	(13)232	241	249	265	281

(12) Deficits in some years can be funded by carrying over surplus modulation receipts in others

(13) Figures may differ due to roundings

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Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which bodies are responsible for the administration and oversight of the Rural Enterprise Scheme. [102788]

Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 13 December 1999]: Subject to European Commission approval of the England Rural Development Plan, the Ministry of Agriculture's regional organisation will be responsible for the administration of the Rural Enterprise Scheme. We are proposing that oversight of this Scheme, and the other project-based support schemes under the Rural Development Regulation, will be carried out by the regional partnerships which are drawing up the regional chapters of the Plan.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which organisations were provided with copies of (a) his statement on rural development and (b) the proposals contained within that statement, before he made the statement to the House on 7 December 1999, Official Report, columns 701-12. [102809]

Mr. Nick Brown: No organisations were provided with copies of my statement, or of my proposals, before I made my statement to the House on 7 December.

Ministerial Contacts (France)

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the dates since 1 August on which he (a) met and (b) spoke by telephone with the French Minister of Agriculture. [102805]

Mr. Nick Brown: I (a) personally met the French Agriculture Minister on 14 September, 2 November, 15 November and 14 December, and (b) spoke to him by telephone directly on a number of occasions. There have also been a large number of contacts between officials acting on our behalf.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at what times between 10 pm on 8 December

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and 12.30 pm on 9 December he discussed with the Prime Minister the French Government's decision to maintain their ban on the import of British beef. [102806]

Mr. Nick Brown: I am in regular contact with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Departmental Transport

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much his Department has spent on Ministerial transport in each of the last two years. [98689]

Mr. Wills: For information on spend on the Government Car Service, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 1 December 1999, Official Report, columns 255-56W. Additionally, £7,607 was spent in 1997-98 and £14,597 was spent in 1998-99 on car hire. All Ministerial travel adheres to the terms of the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Individual Learning Account

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many individual learning accounts have been allocated in the current development phase; and how many of them have been redeemed. [102408]

Mr. Wicks: By the end of September, 56,917 individual learning accounts had been opened by English TECs/CCTEs in the current development phase. To date, TECs/CCTEs have contributed £2,927,749 to these accounts.

Nursery Classes

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to change the guidance to local education authorities on pupil-staff ratios in nursery (a) classes and (b) schools; and how many in each category have a ratio above the current recommended level. [102555]

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Ms Hodge: I have no plans to change current guidance on pupil-staff ratios in nursery classes and nursery schools in the maintained sector. Data on pupil-staff ratios in these settings are available only as an aggregated value for each local education authority. This information was last collected by my Department in January 1999 and suggests that all local education authorities are operating nursery schools with pupil-staff ratios which are within current recommended levels and that approximately 99 per cent. are operating more favourable ratios. In addition, 49 per cent. of local education authorities are providing nursery classes in maintained primary schools with pupil-staff ratios that are within or better than the recommended level.

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