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Written Answers
Tuesday, 5th May 1998.
Horses: Health and Welfare
Lord Cope of Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What plans they have to safeguard the health and welfare of horses and ponies not destined for human consumption, when pharmaceutical companies find that the costs of obtaining market authorisation make it uneconomic to produce drugs specifically for equines.[HL1687]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue): Council Regulation 2377/90/EC requires the setting of maximum residue limits (MRLs) for the active ingredients of veterinary medicinal products used in food-producing species. This is a consumer protection measure. The companies concerned must provide the data needed to set an MRL and in some cases, as for example has happened for phenylbutazone, this may not be done. Under European law, the horse is classified as a food producing animal. However, we have been guided by a statement by European Commission officials that, if a horse is not destined for human consumption, maximum residue limits are not required and, in those circumstances, products like phenylbutazone can continue to be used. Products should be clearly labelled as not to be used on any horse that might be intended for human consumption.
As a further safeguard, the European Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products has developed a "minor species" policy which allows MRLs developed for major species such as cattle, sheep or pigs to be extended to horses and other species by providing relatively cheap comparative data. The objective is to ensure that a range of medicines will continue to be available for use in horses irrespective of whether or not they are intended for human consumption.
Officials of the European Commission are aware of the concerns the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe about the availability of medicines for the horse and it is expected that proposals they have made will be discussed in Brussels.
Fish in UK Exclusive Economic Zone
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What percentage of the fish at present covered by the common fisheries policy live all the year round in the United Kingdom's Exclusive Economic Zone; what percentage of that figure represents fish which cross into other Exclusive Economic Zones; and at which times of year such fish so cross.[HL1584]
Lord Donoughue: There are over 100 fish stocks for which the EC Fisheries Council sets total allowable catches (TACs). Only one of those stocks, Clyde herring, is found exclusively within the United Kingdom's fisheries limits. It accounts for well under 1 per cent. of the total fish subject to TACs under the Common Fisheries Policy. Part or all of each of the remaining stocks spend some or all of their lives outside UK fisheries limits.
Typically, adult fish migrate against the direction of the prevailing currents to spawn and their eggs and larvae drift with the currents to reach nursery grounds, which can be considerable distances away. For many temperate species the main spawning migration occurs in the winter and early spring. This is followed by a more widespread feeding movement during the rest of the year which can also take fish from one national jurisdiction to another.
Pesticides Safety Directorate: Performance Targets
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What performance targets they have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate in 1998-99. [HL1696]
Lord Donoughue: The Government have set the following targets for the Pesticides Safety Directorate in 1998-99. Quality of Service
To meet the throughput and processing time targets set out in the table.
To deliver high quality policy advice to Ministers and to represent them effectively.
To deliver scientific work of recognised high quality. Financial Performance
To recover from industry and government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its service.
To operate within MAFF's net cash allocation agreed for PSD by MAFF's Management Board.
Throughput and processing time targets:
| Application Stream | Planned completions | Processing time (weeks) |
| New Substances (Notes 1, 2) | ||
| Sift | 15 | 22 |
| Evaluation UK | 6 | 52 |
| EU | 8 | 52 |
| Reviews (Note 3) | ||
| Full | -- | -- |
| Other | 26 | -- |
| European | ||
| Non-UK rapporteur monographs | 20 | -- |
| Technical Secretariat (Notes 1, 2) | ||
| Normal | 370 | 41 |
| Fast | 400 | 17 |
| Extrapolated Experimental | 10 | 16 |
| Approval | 5 | 26 |
| Experimental Permit | 15 | 12 |
| Emergency Off Label | 40 | 34 |
| Non-emergency Off Label | 15 | 52 |
| Departmental | 550 | 4 |
| Administrative Fast | 45 | -- |
| Other | -- | -- |
| Total | 1,525 | -- |
Notes:
1. 90 per cent. of applications are covered by the processing time target except the sift, where the figure is 100 per cent.
2. Completed applications have no outstanding actions--e.g. approval issued or application refused.
3. For UK reviews, completion is when all five regulatory departments have given approval.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The Government have set the following performance targets for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) for 1998-99:
Safety and Quality
Enter Suspected Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme (SARSS) reports on to the database as follows:
Collect and analyse 95 per cent. of the samples in the national residues surveillance plan.
Provide high quality policy advice to Ministers.
Provide high quality scientific assessment work.
Standards of Service
100 per cent. compliance with timetables for centralised and decentralised authorisation procedures (including maximum residue limits).
90 per cent. of new marketing authorisations to be determined or referred to the VPC within 120 clock days.
100 per cent. of new marketing authorisations to be determined within 210 clock days.
100 per cent. of valid applications to have first assessment by 75 clock days and to be determined by 150 clock days.
100 per cent. of valid renewal applications to have first assessment by 90 clock days and to be determined by 180 clock days.
Achieve Investors in People accreditation by
31 March 1999.
Finance Control
Recover from industry and government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of each of its main business activities (licensing and surveillance; policy work; residue monitoring).
Operate within the net cash allocations agreed for VMD by MAFF's Management Board.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The Government have set the Veterinary Laboratories Agency the following performance targets for 1998-99:
Efficiency
Achievement of an agreed programme of rationalisation.
Service Delivery
85 per cent. of ROAME R&D milestones achieved.
Service Quality
Achievement of laboratory accreditation for Specified Pathogen Free Hatchery, the Brucella Biohazard Unit and the Protozoology Unit.
Financial Performance
Full cost recovery for all Veterinary Laboratories Agency services.
To operate within the net cash allocation as agreed by the MAFF Management Board.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: With the agreement of the Secretary of State for Wales and my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Government have set the following targets for the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA) for 1998-99.
To deliver a 3 per cent. efficiency saving compared with 1997-98.
Delivery of Services
92 per cent. of work completed to time.
98 per cent. of work completed to quality standards agreed with MAFF and WOAD customers.
Design and carry out a user and customer satisfaction survey.
Financial Performance
To recover from government departments and agencies the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services.
To operate within the net cash allocation as agreed for FRCA by the MAFF Management Board.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The Government have set the following performance targets for the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) for 1998-99:
Operational and service delivery
To take all measures necessary to ensure full compliance in licensed premises with Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997 and other related statutory instruments.
To develop a comprehensive training package for all current MHS staff and to ensure that all MHS contract and employed OVSs, meat hygiene inspectors and meat technicians complete a formal training programme in HACCP and Quality (ISO 9002) by 31 March 1999, to present a formal programme of evaluation of the results of this training.
To ensure that by the end of 1998-99 on a rolling three-month average at least 93 per cent. of licensed premises are achieving Hygiene Assessment Scores (HAS) of more than 65 and that 75 per cent. of all licensed premises are achieving HAS scores of more than 70.
To strictly implement the Clean Livestock Policy by ensuring that cattle and sheep classified into categories 3 and 4 on the clean livestock scale are only exceptionally, and subject to special precautions being taken, slaughtered for human consumption and that
no animals in category 5 are accepted for human consumption.
To ensure a strict prohibition on carcases showing any faecal contamination being health-marked for human consumption.
To publish by 31 July 1998 the report on the MHS Welfare Survey undertaken in 1997-98. To provide instructions or training to MHS staff in areas where action or recommendations are made in the welfare audit.
To charge plant operators the full economic costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant legislation and accruals accounting and industry charges guide) of providing the statutory health inspection and controls at fresh meat premises.
To recover from government departments, agencies and the Intervention Board the full economic costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant charging legislation and accruals accounting) or providing agreed services or other work undertaken on their behalf.
To operate within the net cash allocation as agreed during the year by the MAFF Management Board.
What performance targets they have set the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in 1998-99.[HL1697]
human reports: within 2 working days
Report to the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) each quarter, reviewing trends in SARSS reports and identifying areas requiring evaluation.
serious animal reports: within 2 working days
non-serious animal reports: within 10 working days.
What performance targets they have set the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in 1998-99.[HL1698]
What performance targets they have set for the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency in 1998-99.[HL1699]
What performance targets they have set the Meat Hygiene Service in 1998-99.[HL1700]
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