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Flood Defence
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the compatibility of the surface water drainage in Shrewsbury with proposed flood defence schemes; and if he will make a statement. [144098]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 January 2001]: Local surface water drainage is considered as part of the detailed development of any flood defence scheme and, as such, will be assessed by the Environment Agency as flood defence proposals are developed for Shrewsbury.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made to establish the level of funding paid by the Regional Flood Defence Committee for a new flood defence scheme in Shrewsbury; and if he will make a statement. [144100]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 January 2001]: The level of funding provided to any flood defence scheme is a matter for the Regional Flood Defence Committee. However, as part of the initiative to accelerate the river flood defence capital programme, the Ministry has announced that from April 2001 that all fluvial rates of grant will be increased by 20 per cent. Grant eligible river
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defence works in the Severn Trent Regional Flood Defence Committee area will therefore attract an enhanced rate of grant of 35 per cent. Any further grant rate increase would be dependent on the scale of the Committee's grant eligible capital programme.
Fish Stocks
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent assessment he has made of the impact of industrial fishing on (a) fish stocks which feed from sand eels and pelagic stock targeted by those engaged in industrial fishing and (b) the UK fishing industry. [144272]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 January 2001]: Sand eel stocks fluctuate considerably due to natural causes. ICES advised in October 2000 that the North Sea sand eel stock is currently within safe biological limits, and that it can sustain the present sand eel fishery. MAFF is currently funding a three-year scientific investigation by CEFAS that will include an assessment of whether the sand eel fishery affects fish stocks that feed on sand eels. Results will not be available until 2002.
Juvenile herring are caught in the sprat fishery in the North Sea. This is taken into account in the North Sea herring assessment, and in the management options for herring recommended by ICES. In the western Channel, mackerel are taken as a by-catch in the horse mackerel fishery. (Horse mackerel is sold for the table on the Continent). The ICES assessment for the Western mackerel stock takes into account the mackerel catches declared by countries participating in the horse mackerel fishery.
The industrial by-catch in the principal demersal whitefish fisheries in the North Sea is evaluated internationally by ICES. In 1999, total landings from the Danish and Norwegian small meshed fisheries were recorded as 1.1 million tonnes, of which 11,532 tonnes were demersal whitefish, comprising 4,000 tonnes of haddock, 5,000 tonnes of whiting, 2,000 tonnes of saithe, and 532 tonnes of cod. This was taken into account when calculating haddock and whiting stock sizes and TACs for 2001.
In bilateral discussions with Denmark at the December 2000 Fisheries Council we agreed to have joint discussions in early 2001 on the North Sea sand eel fishery. These will cover possible reactions in the size of the TAC and adjustments to the by-catch arrangements which would reduce the allowance for by-catches of fish for human consumption.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will list the species of fish and their related areas of catchment that have been the subject of quota banking and borrowing for the year 2001; [144435]
- (2) what quantity of the United Kingdom fish quota, by species, has been banked by the producer organisations; and what quantity of the United Kingdom fish quota, by species, has been managed by his Department on behalf of the non-sector and under 10m sector for 2001; [144434]
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(3) what quantities of each fish species have been banked and approved by the European Commission for each EU member state for 2001. [144436]
Mr. Morley: The fish stocks for which up to 10 per cent. of a member state's quota allocation may be banked or borrowed vary from year to year.
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Under Council Regulation (EC) No. 2742/1999 of 17 December 1999, quota for 20 stocks may be carried over from 2000 to 2001 and quota for 63 stocks may be brought forward from 2001 to 2000. The United Kingdom has not borrowed any quota from 2001 but has applied to carry over quota from 2000 for a number of stocks on behalf of producer organisations, the non sector and under 10 metre fleet as follows:
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| Amount carried forward on behalf of:(9) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | Total amount carried forward to 2001(9) | Producer organisations | Non sector | Under 10 metre fleet |
| VIIa sole | 24 | 20.7 | 0.5 | 2.8 |
| VIId sole | 79 | 43.8 | 4.2 | 31 |
| VIIfg sole | 32.5 | 29.5 | 0.3 | 2.7 |
| VIIa plaice | 88.5 | 81.1 | 3 | 4.4 |
| VII megrim | 257 | 251 | 1 | 5 |
| VII anglerfish | 414 | 383 | 9 | 22 |
| North Sea sole | 94.5 | 94.5 | -- | -- |
| Western horse mackerel | 2,285 | 2,259 | 26 | -- |
| North Sea blue whiting | 107 | 64 | 43 | -- |
| Western blue whiting | 2,350 | 2,350 | -- | -- |
(9) Tonnes
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These amounts will be added to the quota allocations to be made to producer organisations, the non sector and the under 10 metre fleet which have still to be calculated but which are due to be notified to the groups concerned before the end of March.
Details of the amount of quota to be carried over to 2001 by other member states have yet to be released by the Commission and are unlikely to be approved before the spring. We are not aware that any member state has borrowed quota from 2001.
Farming
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many area officers are employed by his Department to deal with farming matters; and if he will make a statement. [143948]
Ms Quin [holding answer 8 January 2001]: The job title of area officer does not exist in my Department. However, within my Department there are well over 100 offices (excluding HQ offices) where the staff deal directly or indirectly with farming matters. A breakdown of staff numbers is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Core MAFF | 4,541 |
| Pesticides Safety Directorate | 196 |
| Veterinary Medicines Directorate | 113 |
| Veterinary Laboratories Agency | 1,223 |
| Farming and Rural Conservation Agency | 831 |
| Central Science Laboratory | 627 |
| Total | 7,531 |
HEALTH
Hospital Beds (Leicestershire)
12. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the current state of hospital bed provision in Leicestershire. [142907]
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Yvette Cooper: The Government gave the Health and Social Care community in the county an additional £2.7 million this year specifically to help ease winter pressures. Compared to last winter, Leicestershire now has 21 more general and acute beds, 21 more intermediate care beds and three extra critical care beds.
Fibromyalgia
14. Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis of fibromyalgia in children. [142909]
Yvette Cooper: Fibromyalgia can cause considerable pain and disability. It can be difficult to diagnose in children. It is recognised by paediatricians and managed, often in conjunction with orthopaedic colleagues and therapists, as part of local hospital services.
NHS Resources
15. Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS has sufficient resources available to invest in new treatments. [142910]
Mr. Denham: The 8.5 per cent. average increase in health authority revenue allocations in 2001-02 takes account of the resources required to invest in new treatments.
Hernias
16. Mr. Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hernia operations have been performed in the NHS in the last 12 months. [142911]
Mr. Denham: There were 82,139 inguinal hernia operations carried out in National Health Service hospitals in 1998-99.
Community Health Councils
17. Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received about accountability within the NHS. [142912]
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19. Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the abolition of community health councils; and if he will make a statement. [142914]
30. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about effective patient advocacy in the NHS and the future of community health councils. [142925]
Ms Stuart: Chapter 10 of the NHS Plan proposed that Community Health Councils be abolished and that new structures be set in place to strengthen patient and citizen empowerment across all sectors of the Health Service. A number of representations have been received about the future of CHCs and the new structures that were detailed in the NHS Plan. The Health and Social Care Bill, which is now before Parliament, provides the legislative support for the new structures.
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