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7 May 2003 : Column 711W—continued

Food Safety

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 18 March 2003, Official Report, column 644W, on food safety, whether the test techniques referred to will be the most accurate available for detecting salmonella in foodstuffs. [109372]

Mr. Morley: The test techniques referred to in the answer given on 18 March 2003, Official Report, column 644W, on food safety, do not relate to the detection of salmonella in foodstuffs. They relate to the detection of meat and bone meal and other mammalian protein in fishmeal intended for the feeding of farmed animals.

In relation to testing for detecting salmonella in foodstuffs, the choice of technique will be dependent on many factors, with accuracy, robustness, simplicity, cost and other issues all needing to be taken into account. No one technique will be suitable for all foodstuffs, and it is incumbent on those undertaking the testing to make sure that the method they use is fit for purpose.

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GM Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has conducted on using transparent polythene coverings to prevent the spread of pollen from GM crop trials; and if she will make a statement. [95902]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 6 February 2003]: The Department has not conducted research on the use of transparent polythene coverings to prevent the spread of pollen from GM crop trials.

We are not averse to polythene covering being used in GM crop trials, but if control of pollen were required, the applicant would have to demonstrate that the use of such sheeting for this purpose was effective.

Laying Hens

Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to stop the use of enriched cages to house laying hens; and on what basis this decision was made. [110917]

Mr. Morley: The Government plan to review the future of enriched cages on an EU basis, when the Agriculture Council next considers the welfare of laying hens directive in 2005. By then it is hoped we will be in a stronger position to address some of the questions on the welfare concerns of enriched cages, as research programmes are completed and for any changes to apply to all EU producers, not just those in the UK, thus avoiding the associated risk of simply displacing production.

This decision was taken after a thorough consideration of the responses to a three-month public consultation, and the available economic, scientific and veterinary evidence.

Nuclear Waste

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what savings will be made to the Government by the announcement that the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee is to be abolished; and what the reasons are for its abolition; [110454]

(2) how the watchdog functions in relation to the management of nuclear waste will be maintained following the abolition of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee; [110372]

(3) what safeguards she is putting in place to ensure that the scrutiny undertaken by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee is not compromised by its abolition. [110373]

Mr. Meacher: Sponsoring Ministers are currently considering the future of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC) in light of the establishment of the new Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), that is being set up to carry forward the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, and will announce their decision in due course. RWMAC is currently served by a secretariat of 3.5 staff and has an annual budget of the order £160,000.

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Ospar Meeting

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on matters discussed at the OSPAR officials meeting held in April; and if she will place in the Library copies of papers submitted to the meeting that refer to United Kingdom policy. [111245]

Mr. Meacher: During April there were three OSPAR meetings: the Hazardous Substances Committee, the Assessment and Monitoring Committee, and an ad hoc meeting on radioactive substances. These meetings considered a wide range of issues, and in particular undertook preparatory work for the annual meeting of the OSPAR Commission, which this year will be at Ministerial level, to be held in Germany in June.

The Commission will be reviewing progress, updating the Strategies which were adopted at the last ministerial meeting in Sintra in 1998, adopting a number of specific recommendations, and adopting a declaration which will guide future work. The Commission will also meet jointly with members of the Helsinki Commission for the Baltic Sea.

The papers considered at the April meetings—about 170 in all—were working documents, and do not yet represent the position of the Commission. When the progress reports, revised strategies, and other documents have been finalised and approved by the Commission I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House. I will also provide a statement about the outcome of the June ministerial meeting.

Part-time Workers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the Part-time Workers Directive on staff in her Department. [109280]

Alun Michael: Defra is committed to creating an environment which enables all members of staff to achieve a better work life balance. Part-time working is one of several ways in which the Department offers its staff flexibility in their working patterns. Figures for staff in post in the core Department ¹ show that 11 per cent. of staff have adopted a part-time working pattern. Defra agencies and non-departmental public bodies are encouraged to take a similar approach.

In 2002, the Department conducted a staff survey, one element of which was to compare the views of part-time workers with those of full-time staff on various aspects of working for Defra. The results of the survey will be discussed with the part-time staff network with a view to taking action where necessary. There will be follow up activity to enable us to monitor progress and identify any new issues.

Defra has produced a race equality scheme under the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. As part of this scheme we will monitor the impact on staff in a number of key employment areas. In addition to ethnicity data, the monitoring plan will allow us to assess the impact of our employment policies and procedures on other groups, such as part-time staff.

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The Department will also conduct an Equality Audit, which will examine pay on the basis of contractual hours. This will enable an assessment of pay equality between full and part-time staff.

¹ Includes staff in the Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Laboratories and Veterinary Medicines Directorate as at 1 October 2002.

Pesticides Regulations

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about the Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels in Crops, Food and Feeding Stuffs) (Amendment) Regulations. [110507]

Mr. Morley: We have received no representations about the Regulations which came into force on 31 March 2003.

Pillar 2

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has further to redirect Pillar 2, CAP funding to the Rural Development Regulation; and if she will make a statement. [111269]

Mr. Morley: Government has redirected, and match funded, a proportion of production linked subsidy payments into rural development measures since 2001. In the current negotiations on CAP reform we are pressing for both a shift in support from production-linked subsidies to environmental and rural development measures and a significant increase in the UK's share of current EU funding for rural development programmes. We are committed to increasing expenditure on the England Rural Development Programme. The detailed arrangements for delivering this commitment will depend on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations on the reform of the CAP.

Prions (Diagnostic Tests)

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to assess the new diagnostic test for prions. [109652]

Mr. Morley: Five rapid tests for the post-mortem detection of BSE have been evaluated by the EU Commission and are considered appropriate for use as screening tests for cattle. The most recent of these, one from Switzerland and one from the USA, were published by the Commission at the end of 2002. Defra is aware of these assessments and will be guided by them in BSE control programmes. I presume that the question refers to one of these methods.

Scientists at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency are also engaged in trials of modifications of these and other methods to assess their potential to differentiate between BSE and scrapie. This is being done in collaboration with European and American scientists. In addition, the development of a BSE test for use in live animals is a longstanding Defra priority. Scientific staff monitor both national and global developments and are involved in the collaborative evaluation of a range of

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tests at different stages of development. Thorough evaluation of performance is required before tests can be used for statutory purposes.

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