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Parliamentary Questions
Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on making corrections in the Official Report of parliamentary answers which turn out to be inaccurate. [198677]
The Prime Minister:
I act in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Abattoirs
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) abattoirs and (b) low-throughput abattoirs (i) operated in 1997, (ii) operated in 2001 and (iii) operate now. [196683]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
The number of licensed abattoirs in the United Kingdom in the years 1997, 2001 and currently is shown in the table.
| Full throughput | Low throughput | |
|---|---|---|
| Red meat abattoirs | ||
| 1997 | 473(1) | |
| 2001 | 238 | 156 |
| 2004(2) | 225 | 130 |
| Poultry meat abattoirs | ||
| 1997 | 172(1) | |
| 2001 | 97 | 54 |
| 2004(2) | 87 | 50 |
(1) No separate figures for low throughput category available.
(2) To 1 October.
Lists of the names and addresses of these abattoirs in the years requested are only partially available. The following have been placed in the Library:
1998—list of full throughput and low throughput abattoirs in England (lists for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not available).
2001—lists of full throughput and low throughput abattoirs in England and Scotland (lists for Wales and Northern Ireland are not available).
Archaeology
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many professional archaeologists are employed in her Department. [198849]
Alun Michael: There are no posts within the Department that require qualified archaeologists.
Chewing Gum
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much it cost to fund the Chewing Gum Action Group chewing gum segmentation survey. [197654]
Alun Michael:
The chewing gum segmentation study, commissioned by the Chewing Gum Action Group cost £60,170. It has provided valuable information about the
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different ways in which gum chewers dispose of gum after use and will assist by informing campaigns to change behaviour.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers she plans to give to local authorities to tackle the problem of chewing gum. [197681]
Alun Michael: Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities and police community support officers already have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to those who drop chewing gum. The current level of fixed penalty is £50. The Government are working with local authorities and with business to promote action to tackle problems arising from the dropping of chewing gum.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made, in relation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, of the effect on tiger and leopard populations of the trade in animal skins between India, Nepal, Tibet and China; if she will make representations to the authorities in those countries on the matter; and if she will make a statement. [197506]
Mr. Morley: The Government have not made a formal assessment, but we are concerned that the poaching and illegal trade in Asian big cats is a serious problem. Since the 1990s the evidence suggested that use for traditional medicine was the major factor behind much of the poaching that was taking place but more recently the demand for big cat skins has re-emerged as a key issue. The impact of this illegal trade is difficult to assess because there is so little information on the scale of the trade and the population data for some of the species concerned is scarce and unreliable.
The CITES Secretariat did some research into this illegal trade as part of their enforcement missions to Bhutan and China (including Tibet) that were carried out in the summer of 2003 with funding from the UK. The Government are aware that large seizures that have been made by the authorities in China, India and Nepal and have provided the CITES Secretariat with some £15,000 to help fund a meeting of the Tiger Enforcement Task Force to look into this trade. This is planned to take place in the spring of 2005 and aims to help the countries concerned set up appropriate mechanisms for the exchange of relevant intelligence that will enable them to work together to crack down on this illegal trade.
Deer /Bovine TB
Andrew George:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many (a) farmed and (b) park deer were slaughtered at abattoirs in the last five years; [197322]
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(2) how many (a) farmed, (b) park and (c) wild deer entered the human food chain in the UK in each of the past five years; and what percentage of the carcases were subject to inspection by the Meat Hygiene Service. [197331]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have advised that it is not possible to determine the percentage of deer carcases in the United Kingdom which have been subject to inspection by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) in Great Britain and Department for Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in Northern Ireland. This is because only meat from wild deer destined for the export market is required to be processed in licensed premises and inspected by the MHS or DARD. However, operators of licensed wild game processing facilities producing wild deer intended for the domestic market can choose to have their wild deer inspected and health-marked for commercial reasons.
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Premises which only supply wild game to the domestic market are not licensed and are under local authority control. The number of wild deer processed in unlicensed premises or supplied directly to the final consumer are not recorded centrally.
The table shows the number of deer in Great Britain that are recorded as having been slaughtered and/or processed in licensed farmed game handling facilities (the deer farm), farmed game processing facilities, red meat slaughterhouses and wild game processing facilities, and inspected by the MHS. The data for wild deer comprises carcases either for export, the domestic market (when requested by the producer) or exported in fur. Park deer are those living within an enclosed area under conditions of freedom similar to those enjoyed by wild deer. They are shot and handled as if they were wild.
Information on the number of deer in Northern Ireland processed in licensed premises and inspected by DARD is not currently collected centrally.
(3) Covers 1 January 2004 to 30 September 2004
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk posed to human health by the consumption of deer in relation to bovine TB; and what discussions she has had with the Food Standards Agency on this issue. [197332]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
The Food Standards Agency has advised that bacteria are killed by proper cooking and there are no recorded instances of humans catching bovine TB from the consumption of meat.
Domestic Water Bills
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average percentage increase in domestic water bills has been since May 1997; and if she will make a statement. [194646]
Mr. Morley: The average increase in domestic water bills in England and Wales since 1997–98 has been 11 per cent. for water and 8 per cent. for sewerage (a reduction of 7 per cent. for water and 9 per cent. for sewerage in real terms). A company by company breakdown of the average domestic water and sewerage bills for each company in England and Wales for each financial year since 1996–97 is set out in the following tables in both cash and real terms.
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(4) Provisional bill
(5) Forecast bill
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