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Royal Ulster Constabulary
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time Reserve RUC officers there were at (i) 1 June 2001 and (ii) 22 May 1998. [3080]
Jane Kennedy: The table shows the number of full-time and part-time members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve at the specified dates:
| Date | Full-Time Reserve | Part-Time Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2001 | 2,417 | 1,063 |
| 22 May 1998 | 2,996 | 1,280 |
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many regular RUC officers there were at (a) 7 June 2001 and (b) 22 May 1998. [3078]
Jane Kennedy: The table shows the number of regular members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary at the specified dates:
| Date | Number |
|---|---|
| 7 June 2001 | 7,341 |
| 22 May 1998 | 8,471 |
Disturbances, (Ardoyne)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the cause of disturbances in Ardoyne, Belfast from 20 June; how many civilians and police were injured on each night of the disturbances; how many plastic bullets were fired; what tactics were employed by the police to defuse tensions; what public statements were made by the RUC concerning the protection of children; how many arrests have been made and what the perceived community origin and ages were of those arrested; and how many (a) alleged rioters and (b) police officers were involved in the disturbances. [1171]
Jane Kennedy: The serious public disorder in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast arose from a series of sectarian incidents that were themselves the result of the continuing sectarian tensions in this part of the city.
During the period 20–25 June 2001, 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured. Eight plastic baton rounds were fired.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary Chief Constable, the Assistant Chief Constable for Belfast, the local police commander and other officers made almost daily statements through the media with the emphasis being on the safety of the whole community including children. These sought to make absolutely clear the damage being done to the entire community, by a minority on each side, and to urge local leaders and people of influence to try to calm the disorder. Police spoke with political representatives and community activists on both sides of the community in an effort to defuse the situation and to encourage them to use whatever influence they had to resolve the differences. The Army was deployed at interface areas and the level of police patrolling was increased to (a) provide reassurance to both sections of the community and (b) to prevent clashes between both sections of the community.
Seven persons, aged between 15 and 43 years, were arrested. Although the Royal Ulster Constabulary does not collate information on the religious or political beliefs of
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arrested persons, it is thought that five may be from the Protestant community and two from the Roman Catholic community.
At the height of the rioting more than 250 police officers, along with substantial military support, were involved. It is estimated that 800 persons from both communities were involved in the rioting.
John Stokes
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the findings of the coroner's inquest into the death of John Stokes while in police custody were; how many days elapsed between death and inquest; and what actions he has taken subsequently in respect of the incident. [1090]
Jane Kennedy: Mr. Stokes died on 3 November 1997. The Coroner's inquest has not yet been completed. The latest attempt on 7 June 2001 to complete the inquest was halted due to questions being raised concerning human rights considerations. When available, due consideration will be given to the findings of the Coroner's inquest.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Green Ministers
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she chaired the first meeting of Green Ministers during the current Session of Parliament; when subsequent meetings are planned to take place; and if she will make a statement. [4001]
Mr. Meacher: In this Parliament the Green Ministers Committee has been reconstituted as the Cabinet Sub- Committee of Green Ministers, ENV(G), under my chairmanship. Dates for meetings have not, as yet, been set.
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time is for compensation payments for those holdings that (a) lost stock, (b) lost fodder and (c) bore the costs of disinfecting their premises due to foot and mouth. [1672]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 3 July 2001]: I recognise that there have been delays in the payment of compensation to farmers whose animals have been compulsorily slaughtered because of foot and mouth disease, and that when the disease was at its peak during April and May these delays could be extensive. However, the time taken to pay compensation claims has been reduced and we are now in a position to pay claims within three weeks of receiving complete documentation.
Information on average payment times for compensation for anything, including fodder, seized by the Department for the purpose of preventing the spread of foot and mouth disease, and payment times for the costs of cleansing and disinfecting affected farm premises where farmers have chosen to do this work themselves under the Department's supervision could be obtained only at disproportionate cost because of the number of payments involved and the fact that the records are not held centrally.
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David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many samples of deer have been taken for foot and mouth disease analysis; and how many have tested (a) positive and (b) negative. [3244]
Mr. Morley: As of 2 July more than 60 samples have been submitted to the Institute of Animal Health for testing from various parts of England and Scotland. All have tested negative for evidence of the foot and mouth virus, antigens or antibodies.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the national (a) flock of sheep and (b) herd of cattle has been culled as a result of the slaughter eradication policy. [2554]
Mr. Morley: The numbers of sheep and cattle that have been compulsorily slaughtered as a result of the cull on premises affected by foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Great Britain are as follows:
| Sheep | Cattle | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of animals slaughtered as a result of FMD as at 4 July 2001 | 2,794,000 | 547,000 |
| Number of animals in Great Britain as per June 2000 Agricultural Census | 39,520,000 | 9,456,000 |
| Percentage of national flock/herd slaughtered | 7 | 6 |
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many foot and mouth disease carcases are being stored pending rendering. [2756]
Mr. Morley: No carcases are stored pending rendering. Most carcases are rendered on the day that they are delivered to the plant. Sometimes for operational reasons carcases may be held overnight at plants before being rendered on the following day or held overnight at carcase collection centres before being delivered to rendering plants. However, most carcases will be rendered within 24 hours of delivery to the plant.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of (a) the tonnage of ash to be taken away from and (b) the number of locations of pyre sites in Cumbria. [2753]
Mr. Morley: Ash will only be removed from pyre sites in cases where it is not possible to bury it on site. We estimate that there are at least 45 pyre sites in Cumbria that fall into this category. Our initial estimate of the total amount of ash that will have to be removed from these sites is in the region of 10,000 tonnes.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates over the last 10 years, MAFF/DEFRA contingency plans for foot and mouth disease were submitted to the EU or DoE/DETR. [2761]
Mr. Morley: The Great Britain contingency plan for foot and mouth disease, as required by Article 5 of Council Directive 90/423, in line with the criteria set out in the Commission Decision 91/42/EEC, was submitted to the EU in 1991 and approved by Commission Decision 93/455/EEC.
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The first revision of the plan was in July 2000 and a copy was sent to the EU.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration the Government have given to varying compensatory valuations at different stages of the foot and mouth outbreak. [2546]
Mr. Morley: For compensation purposes, the Animal Health Act 1981 stipulates the value of an animal as being its value immediately before it became affected with foot and mouth disease or, if not so affected, its value immediately before it was slaughtered. Standard valuations were set out in regulations in order to speed up the slaughter process, but farmers retained the right to request an individual valuation of their stock.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her assessment is of when foot and mouth disease will be eradicated in the United Kingdom. [2551]
Mr. Morley: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him on 10 July 2001, Official Report, column 492W.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates over the last 20 years divisions or regions of MAFF/DEFRA were tested or updated on the contingency plans for foot and mouth disease. [2800]
Mr. Morley: The 23 Animal Health Divisional Offices have been required to hold one contingency planning exercise each year and to update their plans accordingly.
The 1999–2000, 25 such exercises were held and in 1998–99 there were 18 held. Prior to these dates, figures are not readily available.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the protocols and guidance notes for the disinfection of all buildings, including sheds with cobbled floor and slurry pits, following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [2766]
Mr. Morley: Guidance for farmers and contractors on health and safety issues related to cleansing and disinfection are available on the DEFRA website at the following address: http://defraweb/footandmouth/farmers/ during/safety.asp.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals were killed as part of the 3 km cull in Cumbria. [2548]
Mr. Morley: In Cumbria 504,160 animals were slaughtered in the 3 km cull.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of foot and mouth have been detected because of surveillance visits by vets from her Department. [3420]
Mr. Morley: As at 11 July, 239 infected premises in Great Britain were confirmed as a result of such surveillance visits.
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) cattle and (b) sheep, on how many farms in (i) England and
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(ii) Cumbria, have been have been slaughtered because they were contiguous to infected premises; and how many of those tested negative for foot and mouth disease. [3445]
Mr. Morley: As of 11 July, the numbers of cattle and sheep slaughtered on Contiguous Premises (CPs) and numbers of CPs are shown in the table.
| England | Cumbria | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of CPs | 2,597 | 470 |
| Cattle slaughtered | 137,800 | 22,225 |
| Sheep slaughtered | 689,342 | 124,568 |
The following table shows, of those figures above, the numbers of CPs which returned a negative laboratory test result, and the numbers of cattle and sheep slaughtered on those premises.
| England | Cumbria | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of negative CPs | 175 | 45 |
| Cattle slaughtered | 11,189 | 2,798 |
| Sheep slaughtered | 75,644 | 21,495 |
A negative test result does not necessarily mean that the premises was free from disease. For instance, positive results may not be produced from tests on blood or tissue taken when the disease is in later stages or from newly infected animals where antibodies have not yet developed.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints she has received from (a) organisations and (b) members of the public about the conduct of the military in assisting with the foot and mouth cull. [1487]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 2 July 2001]: Complaints about the conduct of the military are likely to have been addressed to a number of different points within DEFRA and also the Ministry of Defence. Although the exact number of complaints is not known, in either Department, it is not thought to be high. Indeed, the armed forces were the subject of much praise from farmers and members of the public for their extremely valuable contribution towards the fight against foot and mouth disease.
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she takes to ensure consistency in the advice her Department is offering to farmers on biosecurity relating to foot and mouth disease with the advice it is offering to county councils about the re-opening of footpaths; and if she will make a statement. [1988]
Mr. Morley: The Government's top priority has always been to eradicate the disease. Veterinary advice is that the main way the disease is being spread is by those working with or close to animals not taking appropriate biosecurity measures. At every opportunity we have emphasised the need for everyone consistently to take stringent precautions to avoid further spread.
However for those who have had no contact with animals or affected premises for at least seven days, the risk is considerably lower. The advice to walkers is consistent with the biosecurity message and includes: observe closed signs; use disinfectant troughs where provided; keep your dog on a lead where there are
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livestock; and do not leave waste food around. Footpaths within a 3 km protection zone around infected premises should normally remain closed.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what has been the cost to date of the operation to eradicate foot and mouth in the Ribble Valley. [1077]
Mr. Morley: The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For information relating to the cost of the outbreak as a whole to the Department, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him on 11 July 2001, Official Report, column 562W.
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