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14 May 2004 : Column 640W—continued

BSE

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the time scale is for the introduction of comprehensive testing for BSE; and if she will make a statement. [170624]

Mr. Bradshaw: The UK already undertakes extensive BSE testing which includes all casualty cattle and fallen stock aged over 24 months; all healthy cattle entering the Over Thirty Months Scheme (OTMS) aged over 42 months and born after 31 July 1996; a random sample of 10,000 older healthy animals entering the OTMS; and any cattle aged over 30 months sold for human consumption (currently limited to a small number of cattle aged 30 to 42 months from herds approved under the Beef Assurance Scheme). Since January 2001, the UK has tested over a million cattle.

Health Ministers are currently considering advice from the Food Standards Agency that the Over Thirty Month rule could be replaced by testing. For practical reasons related to the need to cull cohorts of BSE cases, Rural Affairs Ministers agreed last year that cattle born before August 1996 should remain permanently excluded from the food chain for both domestic consumption and export. Any cattle aged over 30 months sold for human consumption will be tested.

Departmental Staff

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees in her Department took early retirement and at what total cost, in the last financial year. [170824]

Alun Michael: In 2003–04, 45 Defra employees took early retirement at a total cost of £6,109,000.
 
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33 of these left the Department under the provisions of the Early Departure Scheme, which falls within strand four of the Defra Change programme. Departures consisted of eight SCS, four Grade 6s and 21 Grade 7s. The total cost amounted to 5,204,000.

The remaining 11 employees who took early retirement cost a total of £905,000. They consisted of four HEOs; one SAHO; two EOs; one AO; two typists; and one SGB2.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2004, Official Report, column 861W, on fisheries, in which member states UK registered fishing vessels have (a) an entitlement and (b) an historic entitlement to fish within six to 12 miles zones. [172460]

Mr. Bradshaw: All UK registered vessels, except those in the beam trawling fleet with engine powers in excess of 221 kWs, are permitted to fish within the six to 12 mile zone.

Horse Passports

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to publish the revised Horse Passport Statutory Instrument. [171387]

Alun Michael: We hope to lay the revised Horse Passport Statutory Instrument later this month.

Parish Councils

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of parish and town clerks she estimates have achieved a relevant qualification in order to help qualify towards their council being a Quality Parish Council. [171390]

Alun Michael: Since the launch of the Certificate in Local Council Administration as the bespoke qualification for town and parish clerks, 55 clerks have qualified while another 450 clerks have requested to take the qualification in the next 12 months representing 6 per cent. of the 7,900 parish and town clerks in England. This figure is based on estimates provided by the Society of Local Council Clerks. This represents an excellent start for such a new professional qualification.

Clerks who have gained the Certificate of Higher Education in Local Policy, provided by the University of Gloucester also meet the relevant Quality Council criteria. Since this course started in 1987 the University estimate that over 450 people have gained the qualification although it is not known how many of the earlier students are still serving as clerks.

Parliamentary Questions

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of Ordinary Written Questions to her Department were answered within five sitting days of tabling, and what proportion of Questions for a Written Answer on a
 
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named day received a substantive answer on that day, in (a) the 2002–03 parliamentary session and (b) this parliamentary session, broken down by month. [171183]

Alun Michael: Records for Session 2002/03 were not maintained in such a way to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs. I can confirm that the new database does record all the information.

For this parliamentary session up to 30 April 2004 the information requested is below.
Written Questions

	Total Received	Number answered within five sitting days	Percentage answered within five sitting days
27/11/2003–27/12/2003	395	205	51.9
28/12/2003–27/01/2004	478	263	55
28/01/2004–27/02/2004	490	126	25.7
28/02/2004–28/03/2004	590	114	19.3
29/03/2004–30/04/2004	228	80	35

Named Day Questions

	Total Received	Number received a substantive answered on the given day	Percentage answered on the given day
27/11/2003–27/12/2003	69	9	13
28/12/2003–27/01/2004	73	20	27.4
28/01/2004–27/02/2004	73	13	17.8
28/02/2004–28/03/2004	108	13	12
29/03/2004–30/04/2004	45	0	0

Defra endeavours to reply to all parliamentary questions within parliamentary deadlines wherever possible. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. friend the Leader of the House to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 3 March 2004, Official Report column 907W.

Productivity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is for (a) increasing the productivity and (b) cutting the costs of (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [172181]

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mrs Ruth Kelly) on 10 May 2004, Official Report, column, 149W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to his Department has been for (a) first and (b) business class travel incurred by employees in each of the last three financial years; and which of his Department's staff are entitled to travel (a) first and (b) business class. [172114]

 
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Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 13 May 2004]: Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on First and Business class air travel by its staff during the last three financial years was:
£

Financial year	First class	Business class
2001–02	723,145	12,392,629
2002–03	675,400	11,684,958
2003–04	377,680	10,983,035

For journeys with a flying time of up to three hours only Senior Management Staff in Pay Band 2 or above may travel business class. Where flights last over three hours Senior Management Staff with Permanent Secretary rank may travel first class, others business class.

Heads of Mission not entitled to first class by grade may travel first class on the last leg of the journey on first arrival at their Post, on the first leg of the journey on final departure from their Post or on their first visit to any other country, to which they are accredited.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent from his Department's budget towards paying school fees for children of his Department's staff in each of the last three years. [172115]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 13 May 2004]: During the last three financial years Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on education fees for children of members of staff was:
£

Financial year	Amount
2001–02	13,806,197
2002–03	15,990,618
2003–04	17,761,886

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office accounts for 2003–04 have not yet been finalised and may therefore be subject to revision. The published accounts will be expressed in resource rather than cash terms.

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