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Health Care Assistants

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards setting up a registration system for health care assistants; and if he will make a statement. [151944]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 6 March 2001]: We are consulting the other Health Departments with a view to publishing the De Montfort University report on support workers shortly, and expect to follow this up with proposals for the effective regulation of support workers later this year.

Tobacco

Mr. Terry Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he intends to introduce to prevent the use of oral tobacco products from overseas sources. [152455]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 6 March 2001]: So long as oral tobacco from overseas sources does not fall within a banned category, complies with United Kingdom Customs and Excise duty regulations and carries health warnings, its use in the UK is not illegal.

However, we want to ensure that people have information about health risks. We are, therefore, seeking to develop greater awareness of the health risks associated with oral tobacco as part of our tobacco information strategy. We are working on a dedicated campaign, focused on high risk ethnic minority populations, to address the health risks of smoking and the use of oral tobacco in order to decrease demand for these products. We are also training trading standards officers in this area.

Angiographers

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the recommended level of angiographers per 1,000 head of population is; and which health authorities are (a) above and (b) below this level. [152627]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 6 March 2001]: There is no recommended level of staff performing angiographs per head of population.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency

Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency will publish its framework document. [152682]

Ms Stuart: We are pleased to announce that the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's framework document has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Regeneration Initiatives

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the criteria for assessing applications for financial support for economic and physical regeneration initiatives for funds administered by his Department; and how they take account of (a) the

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variation in the availability of previously developed land and buildings and (b) other considerations of environmental capacity. [152340]

Mr. Chris Smith: I do not administer any regeneration initiatives, although many public bodies in the culture and leisure field, including many funded by DCMS, participate in them.

Dance

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures are being taken to improve the efficiency of the funding system for dance projects which are of benefit to public health. [152533]

Mr. Alan Howarth [holding answer 6 March 2001]: My Department, the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards all recognise the clear links between dance and public health. The Arts Council funds a wide range of dance organisations, many of which have developed extensive education programmes which have a particular relevance to public health. These include organisations such as Green Candle Dance Company, the Foundation for Community Dance and The Place National Dance Agency. Support from the arts funding system also usefully functions as a lever for funding from sources such as local health authorities and health action zones. The efficiency of the funding system is kept under continuous review.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

BSE

Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if BSE prions are live in rendered material produced under the OTMS. [151809]

Ms Quin: Current rendering methods do not completely remove prion infectivity. OTMS material must therefore be incinerated regardless of whether or not it has previously been rendered.

Hill Farm Allowance

Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department notified farmers of the stocking densities affecting their eligibility for hill farm allowance. [151742]

Ms Quin: Following extensive consultation with interested parties, a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per hectare in the hills was included in the proposals which were submitted to the Commission in January 2000. This was retained in the revised proposals sent to the Commission last August, and approved in October. These were matters of public record at the time and known to NFU and farmers organisations, although farmers were not notified individually until guidance notes were distributed in December 2000. These notes included an explanation of how the stocking density would be calculated to allow farmers to work out the position on their own holdings.

Imported Meat

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received

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calling for imported pig products to match the same health and hygiene standards as the UK's domestic pig industry. [151670]

Ms Quin: Representations on this issue are received from time to time. Animal health and meat hygiene standards are established in EU legislation and apply in all member states. In addition, there are harmonised rules for the import of pigmeat and pig products from third countries approved by the EC to export into the Community.

EU Tobacco Subsidies

Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much was paid in subsidies out of the EU budget in the latest available financial year to tobacco growers within the EU. [151899]

Ms Quin: The last year for which figures are available is the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund financial year ending 15 October 2000 when 984.5 meuro (£592.1 million ¹ ) was paid in subsidies out of the EU budget to tobacco growers.

¹ £1 = 1.6631 euro

Bovine TB

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the recommendations of the Phillips report about preventing the spread of TB from badgers. [152285]

Ms Quin [holding answer 5 March 2001]: The report of the BSE inquiry (the "Phillips Report") contained no specific recommendations about preventing the spread of TB from badgers.

Farming Legislation

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many items of primary and secondary legislation relating to farming matters have been introduced since May 1997. [152306]

Ms Quin [holding answer 5 March 2001]: Out of 461 statutory instruments which the Ministry has laid since May 1997, some 330 might be said to relate to farming matters. Many of these are amendments to, or revocations of, previous instruments. In the same period the Ministry has introduced four Bills, three of which can be related to farming matters and have been enacted.

Veterinarians

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many registered veterinarians employed within his Department and its agencies are engaged in clinical diagnosis, epidemiological management and statutory control of animal disease. [151923]

Ms Quin [holding answer 5 March 2001]: 404 registered veterinarians employed by MAFF and its agencies are involved in one or more aspects of clinical diagnosis, epidemiological investigations and statutory control measures in relation to animal health and welfare.

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Foot and Mouth

Mr. Webb: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to ensure that exclusion zones are lifted as soon as a suspected case of foot and mouth disease produces a negative test and the farm in question is found to be clear of the disease. [151929]

Ms Quin [holding answer 5 March 2001]: In the event of a negative test result for foot and mouth disease, restrictions on a suspected premises will be removed as quickly as possible. This will include any associated 'Form C' area restrictions in an eight kilometre zone.

Mr. Prior: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the application of the foot and mouth disease restrictions on importers of non-EU origin meat and dairy products who process it for immediate re-export outside the EU. [152514]

Ms Quin [holding answer 6 March 2001]: Provision has been made in EU and UK legislation concerning the foot and mouth disease export restrictions for such trade to take place under tightly controlled conditions. Information has been made available to the trade about these requirements and can be found on the MAFF website at http:// maffweb/animalh/int-trde/misc/foot/fmd.htm.

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies he has (a) undertaken and (b) plans to commission to assess the effects of the large scale closure of small slaughterhouses on the geographical and chronological spread of foot and mouth disease. [151872]

Ms Quin: The reduction in the number of small abattoirs does not appear to be a factor in the spread of foot and mouth disease during the current outbreak. The main cause for the spread of the disease appears to be the movement of sheep for trade purposes. However, detailed epidemiological studies into the outbreak will continue.

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