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Parliament Square: Works
Lord Trefgarne asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the nature of the work at present in progress in the centre of Parliament Square, especially the work taking place next to the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, and when they expect this work to be finished.
Baroness Hayman: The site next to the statue of Sir Winston Churchill involves a shaft used for work in connection with construction of the Jubilee Line extension. This section of work is now complete and the area is being reinstated. I understand that, nearby, Thames Water have also been using the centre of the square to gain access to a sewer for repairs. I believe that this work too is now finished and the area is being reinstated.
Freshwater Fish and Shellfish Water Quality: Regulations
Lord Gregson asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will make regulations formally to transpose into UK legislation the EC Directives concerning the quality required of shellfish waters and the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life.
Baroness Hayman: Regulations concerned with the quality of waters for fresh water fish and for shellfish in England and Wales were laid in Parliament today. Together with directions issued to the Environment Agency, they will replace the non-legislative mechanisms by which the requirements of the Freshwater Fish Directive and the Shellfish Waters Directive have been implemented since the early 1980s. The Directives prescribe certain mandatory minimum water quality requirements.
The new instruments follow consultations with interested parties in October 1995 and January 1997. The existing arrangements for protection of waters will continue in place. However, the Regulations are the first step in a process to initiate a review of implementation policy. The department will consult further on aspects of implementation including the designation of relevant waters.
Army Personnel: Deployment
Lord Carver asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish in the Official Report a table, broken down between men and women, setting out the current strength of the regular Army, excluding Gurkhas and part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment and showing (a) total numbers; (b) trained manpower; (c) numbers in Northern Ireland; and (d) numbers in Bosnia.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert): (a) Total numbers broken down by gender, excluding Gurkhas and part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment, part-time personnel at 1 April 1997 are:
| Male | Female | Total |
| 104,640 | 6,932 | 111,572 |
(b) Trained Manpower broken down by gender, excluding Gurkhas and part time members of the Royal Irish Regiment.
| Male | Female | Total |
| 94,864 | 5,655 | 100,519 |
(c) Personnel serving in Northern Ireland broken down by gender, excluding Gurkhas and part time members of the Royal Irish Regiment.
| Male | Female | Total |
| 12,610 | 754 | 13,364 |
(d) Personnel serving in Bosnia broken down by gender, excluding Gurkhas and part time members of the Royal Irish Regiment. 1
(1) Figures for personnel serving in Bosnia include 890 males and 99 female TA personnel who are categorised as Regular soldiers when they are called upon to serve on operational deployment.
Lord Gladwin of Clee asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Gilbert: As the strategic defence review will be conducted during 1997, it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Defence to publish this year a forward-looking statement of policy in the form of the Statement on the Defence Estimates (SDE). Factual material on the activities of the department and the Armed Forces in the last year, which is usually contained in the SDE, will appear in an expanded MoD performance report which the department plans to publish in the Autumn.
Baroness Sharples asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue): All quarantine kennels must be licensed under Article 9 of the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974. Such a licence is granted only where the Minister is satisfied that the conditions of the licence are capable of being met, and that the provisions of the order are capable of being complied with. The
The Earl of Bradford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The information is given in the following table:
(2)Confirmed cases are included during the quarter when the restriction notice was served (i.e. when the disease was suspected rather than when the laboratory tests were completed). The figures for the first quarter of 1997 are incomplete.
The Earl of Bradford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The number of cases of BSE (recorded by date of issue of a restriction notice) is given in the following table:
(3) Information for the first quarter of 1997 is not complete.
The Earl of Bradford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The percentages requested are provided in the following table:
(4) The figures for the first quarter of 1997 are incomplete.
(a) In Northern Ireland, BSE cases on dairy and mixed enterprises are recorded in a single category.
(b) In Great Britain the type of enterprise where some BSE cases have occurred is not recorded.
Further information on these cases could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.
The Earl of Bradford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The following table gives the number of confirmed BSE cases in cattle in other Member States of the European Union during the last two years:
(5)As reported to the Commission under Council Directive 82/894/EEC (as amended).
Male Female Total
4,338 484 4,822
When they intend to publish the 1997 White Paper on Defence.
Under which parts of what legislation they are able to inspect quarantine kennels.
What are the most recent quarterly figures for the incidence of BSE, and to what extent the incidence of BSE has declined in the last two years.
Number of cases(2) Change since previous quarter
1995
Q1 4,579
Q2 3,368 -26%
Q3 3,275 -3%
Q4 3,249 -1%
1996
Q1 3,083 -5%
Q2 1,749 -43%
Q3 1,739 -1%
Q4 1,482 -15%
1997
Q1 959 -35%
What are the quarterly figures, broken down on a regional and United Kingdom basis, for the number of recorded cases of BSE in the last two years.
1995 1996 1997
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 (3)Q1
Eastern Region 378 291 301 288 268 170 182 132 109
Midlands and West 992 749 743 734 694 396 373 295 169
Northern Region 566 429 415 420 402 235 215 228 122
South East 509 335 372 340 313 191 199 161 107
South West 1,439 1,090 957 957 980 571 565 473 326
England Total 3,884 2,894 2,788 2,739 2,657 1,563 1,534 1,289 833
Wales 420 297 299 306 265 123 129 117 76
Scotland 217 141 155 158 125 56 59 61 40
Northern Ireland 58 36 33 46 36 7 17 15 10
UK Total 4,579 3,368 3,275 3,249 3,083 1,749 1,739 1,482 959
What are the quarterly figures for the percentage of outbreaks of BSE occurring in (a) pure beef,
3 Jun 1997 : Column WA34(b) mixed and (c) pure milk herds for the last two years.
1995 1996 1997
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1(4)
Beef herds 15% 13% 15% 17% 12% 11% 12% 15% 11%
Dairy herds 78% 80% 78% 75% 78% 79% 79% 75% 78%
Mixed herds 5% 5% 5% 5% 6% 6% 5% 5% 5%
Dairy/mixed herds (a) 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% <1% 1% 1% <1%
Unknown (b) 1% 1% 1% 2% 3% 3% 3% 4% 6%
How many outbreaks of BSE in other countries of the European Union they are aware of in the last two years.
Number of cases(5)
Member state 1995 1996 1997 (to 13 May)
France 3 12 2
Germany 1
Republic of Ireland 16 73 29
Netherlands 2
Portugal 14 29 8
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