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Ministerial Cars

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Secretaries in the last 20 years have been provided with a Jaguar. [148195]

Dr. Reid: The answer is four.

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 498W

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how much it cost to buy and adapt the Jaguar for the right hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; [148193]

(2) how much it cost to buy and adapt the official car for the right hon. Member for Redcar (Marjorie Mowlam) as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [148194]

Dr. Reid: This information cannot be provided on the grounds of security.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what use is made of the official car which was used by the right hon. Member for Redcar (Marjorie Mowlam), when she was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [148191]

Dr. Reid: This information cannot be provided on the grounds of security.

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 499W

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many former Northern Ireland Secretaries have chauffeur-driven Jaguars provided for their current use. [148192]

Dr. Reid: One. My right hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) has retained a relief Jaguar for security reasons.

RUC

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many RUC officers were absent on the grounds of illness on average in each month since 1 April 1998 to the latest date for which figures are available. [150296]

Mr. Ingram: The following table provides the information requested.

Average number of RUC and RUCR absent through illnessApril 1998-2001

Month	Number
1998
April	824
May	733
June	730
July	681
August	807
September	903
October	931
November	945
December	926
1999
January	1,021
February	1,040
March	1,000
April	929
May	878
June	872
July	831
August	979
September	1,053
October	1,188
November	1,147
December	1,141
2000
January	1,158
February	1,070
March	1,001
April	965
May	956
June	956
July	917
August	1,052
September	1,128
October	1,176
November	1,217
December	1,197
2001
January	1,244

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the actual strength of the RUC/RUCR in each month since 1 April 1998. [150295]

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 500W

Mr. Ingram: The table provides the information requested.

Actual strength of RUC Regulars and Reserve, April 1998 to February 2001

	Regulars	FTR	PTR	Total
1989-99
April	8,484	2,963	1,290	12,727
May	8,464	2,990	1,282	12,736
June	8,509	2,950	1,277	12,736
July	8,491	2,938	1,269	12,698
August	8,467	2,929	1,268	12,664
September	8,446	2,980	1,255	12,681
October	8,485	2,949	1,245	12,679
November	8,470	2,944	1,244	12,658
December	8,456	2,936	1,238	12,630
January	8,531	2,884	1,230	12,645
February	8,520	2,874	1,226	12,620
March	8,496	2,862	1,217	12,575
1999-2000
April	8,471	2,858	1,212	12,541
May	8,455	2,850	1,209	12,514
June	8,490	2,823	1,204	12,517
July	8,479	2,813	1,200	12,492
August	8,514	2,775	1,194	12,483
September	8,501	2,762	1,188	12,451
October	8,488	2,753	1,181	12,422
November	8,455	2,727	1,176	12,358
December	8,445	2,719	1,174	12,338
January	8,423	2,708	1,169	12,300
February	8,413	2,698	1,157	12,268
March	8,393	2,688	1,152	12,233
2000-01
April	8,415	2,668	1,145	12,228
May	8,393	2,654	1,140	12,187
June	8,374	2,643	1,137	12,154
July	8,352	2,623	1,131	12,106
August	8,337	2,606	1,121	12,084
September	8,318	2,593	1,118	12,029
October	8,303	2,579	1,112	11,994
November	8,245	2,567	1,106	11,918
December	8,268	2,555	1,097	11,920
January	8,038	2,530	1,089	11,657
February	7,896	2,521	1,089	11,506
March	--	--	--	--

Policy and Strategy Units

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when his economic policy unit was established; which of its reports are placed in the public domain; how many departmental or non-departmental Special Advisers participate in its work; how many regular (a) non- departmental and (b) departmental staff participate in its work; and how many of these work for the unit on a full-time basis. [150375]

Dr. Reid: Economic policy has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and an Economic Policy Unit has been set up within the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. It is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 501W

Serco Contracts

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the contracts that exist between SERCO and the Department, its executive agencies and associated public bodies; and if he will list those which have existed in the last three years. [151350]

Dr. Reid: None.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Hill Farmers

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much public subsidy there was for a typical hill farmer in England for the most recent year for which figures are available. [148400]

Ms Quin: The average total direct subsidy payment to full-time LFA cattle and sheep farm businesses in England in 1999-2000 is estimated as £24,400 per farm. This figure excludes the additional support farmers receive from the consumer, through the maintenance of EU agricultural prices above world levels by the CAP.

Sheep

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what (a) assessments of and (b) representations he has made concerning the recent reduction in payments of the sheep annual premium scheme by the European Commission. [148872]

Ms Quin: The rate recently determined for Sheep Annual Premium for the 2000 marketing year is 17.477 euro/ewe (£10.73). This is the lowest level set for a number of years.

There are two reasons for this low premium. First, it is the difference between a Community-set basic price and average prices on the EU market. High sheep prices across the Community have reduced the premium. Secondly, the £/euro exchange rate reduces the sterling value to British farmers of the euro rate.

Nevertheless we are satisfied that all the rules for calculating the premium have been applied correctly.

BSE

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cows were detected with BSE (a) over and (b) under the age of 30 months in each month of (i) 1999 and (ii) 2000. [148877]

Ms Quin [holding answer 5 February 2001]: No cases of cows with BSE under the age of 30 months were detected in the period referred to. The number of cases confirmed in 1999 and 2000 in Great Britain by month of restriction aged over 30 months is as follows:

Month	1999	2000
January	250	140
February	244	147
March	280	145
April	198	104
May	185	131
June	190	93
July	156	81
August	156	94
September	159	91
October	129	113
November	167	105
December	140	(71)62
Total	2,254	1,306

⁽⁷¹⁾ There are three cases pending from 1999.

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 502W

The figures do not include animals tested under the active surveillance programme, which numbered 20 in 1999 and 32 in 2000, as at 9 February 2001 (these figures also include private submissions).

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what communications with the Agriculture departments of other EU member states his Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have to pass on the UK's environmental experience and good practice of large-scale culling and incineration of cattle liable to be infected with BSE. [150011]

Ms Quin: The Intervention Board has had considerable contact on these matters with representatives from other member states. In particular, in mid January the Intervention Board hosted a two day seminar on the Over Thirty Month Scheme at which representatives from Spain, Portugal, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the European Commission were present.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes he plans to make in the UK standards for the disposal of animal carcases suspected of harbouring the BSE agent as a result of recent large-scale slaughter of possible BSE infected cattle in other EU member states. [150012]

Ms Quin: None. All cattle slaughtered as BSE suspects in the United Kingdom are incinerated.

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