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Baroness Northover: My Lords, does the Minister remember that on 28th September 2001, the Government said in their Response to the Report of the BSE Inquiry:
- XExperience in dealing with public health concerns has demonstrated the value of an open and consultative approach to risk management"?
- XOpenness was seen as essential to regaining public trust"?
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My Lords, the noble Baroness talks about suppression. I have already informed the House that the survey to which she referred has been published today, alongside a much fuller comprehensive survey. On the process, surely the process that we have followed is satisfactory. It involved an initial sample survey identifying problems and the giving of advice to the NHS. That was followed by a comprehensive survey and further advice. Actions plans were required and then action was taken. That process has ensured that the NHS has moved from a position in which a good many of its decontamination services were unsatisfactory to the current position, in which all such services are up to a satisfactory level.
Baroness Masham of Ilton: My Lords, bearing in mind the increase in hospital infections and their resistance to antibiotics, does the Minister agree that infection control, which includes sterilisation of instruments, has become much more important? Is it not important to push hospital trusts to come forward with reports, because some of them did not produce reports as they were told to do?
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Yes, my Lords. I pay tribute to the Select Committee of your Lordships' House, chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Soulsby, which has drawn to the attention of the Government and the NHS the problems of antibiotic use. Since its report was published, we have seen a reduction in the use of antibiotics. Your Lordships' Select Committee also reported on the issue of hospital-acquired infections, which is very much linked to that problem. As a result, we have introduced into the NHS a controls assurance scheme, which requires all NHS trusts to take a serious interest in hospital-acquired infection. Since 1st April 2001, all acute trusts have been required to participate in a new surveillance service and to provide data on MRSA. With robust, base-line data we can performance-manage the NHS to ensure that it improves the way in which it deals with hospital-acquired infection.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, my noble friend has been very helpful to the House. However, can he clarify one point? Why was this material not published until today?
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My Lords, I have explained to the House—
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I believe that I have done so—certainly to my satisfaction. A couple of years ago an original piece of work was undertaken to indicate the type of issue and state of preparedness of the NHS in relation to decontamination standards. That work informed the issue of what guidance should be made available to the NHS, and was followed up by a comprehensive survey. The results of that survey are published today, alongside the snapshot survey. In addition, a huge amount of extra money has been spent by the NHS on improving decontamination services. As noble Lords will see if they read the comprehensive report published today, the result is that all acute trusts in England now have satisfactory decontamination standards.
Baroness Knight of Collingtree: My Lords, perhaps I may ask—
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): My Lords, we are now into the 16th minute and a Question about cats and dogs is to follow.
Dog and Cat Fur Trade
2.53 p.m.
Baroness Gale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will follow the lead of the United States of America and introduce a ban on the import, export and trade in domestic dog and cat fur.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, the Government agree that the import, export and trade in domestic dog and cat fur is abhorrent. I can therefore tell the House that we are exploring what proportionate and enforceable steps we might take to ban any such imports. Over the coming months we shall work with the European Union to see whether there is a practical way forward on this issue. In the meantime, I shall be sending a letter to all MPs explaining what the Government propose to do about the matter.
Baroness Gale: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that very positive reply. I am sure that all animal lovers in this country and those who care about animal welfare will be greatly heartened by her response. Is she aware that one reason that the United States introduced a ban was because fur traders in America were mislabelling the product in order to disguise its true origin and that, therefore, consumers were unaware of what they were purchasing? Is she further aware that a recent XNewsnight" undercover investigation showed that fur traders in this country were quite happy to do the same?
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, I am aware of the United States ban on the import, production and use of cat and dog fur. I believe that it is clear that in the United States large quantities of cat and dog fur were mislabelled to mislead consumers. I remind my noble friend that legislation is already in place to stop consumers being misled about what they are buying. Under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 it is a criminal offence to apply to goods by any means false or misleading statements. I am also aware of the XNewsnight" investigation which was undertaken a couple of years ago. We are carrying out further investigations into the current situation in this country and I hope to be able to report further.
Lord Marsh: My Lords, does the Minister agree that there is a very strong case for a major increase in such traffic, given the very beneficial effects that it would have on the preservation of wildlife and, in particular, small song birds?
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, I hope that the noble Lord knows what he is letting himself in for in terms of the post bag that he will undoubtedly receive. I am kindly not naming the noble Lord in pointing out that in this country there is an enormous surge of public opinion about this trade. I
believe that it is right to see what, if anything, can be done to meet the substantial public opinion that exists in relation to this matter.
Baroness Sharples: My Lords, will the noble Baroness say what labels are used to describe these furs?
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, no fur in this country is labelled Xcat fur" or Xdog fur". Some fur is labelled simply as Xfur"; some as Xother fur"; and some as Xexotic fur". It is not illegal per se to import cat or dog fur and it is not illegal to label it simply as Xfur". However, it is illegal to misrepresent such fur as, for example, rabbit or wolf fur. When none of it is labelled Xcat" or Xdog" fur, it is very difficult for us to be precise even about how much is coming in to the country.
Baroness Strange: My Lords, does the Minister agree that, so far as we know, there is no Cruella De Vil in Britain, unless it is my noble friend Lord Marsh in heavy disguise?
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Strange, is a bolder lady than I am in naming her noble friend. It is important for me to say that the British Fur Trade Association has assured us that it does not deal in cat and dog fur. However, of course, some fur traders outside that organisation may be undermining the stand that the British Fur Trade Association has taken.
European Arrest Warrant
2.57 p.m.
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What decisions have been taken concerning the European arrest warrant and what further consultations will take place.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): My Lords, the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 6th December did not reach political agreement on the framework decision on the European arrest warrant. It will be considered again by the heads of state at the meeting of the European Council at Laeken at the end of this week.
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Is he aware that some of us were astonished to read the Home Secretary's protestations of outrage to his Greek opposite number, Mr George Papandreou, about the continued detention of 12 British plane spotters? Will the Minister confirm his written reply that those 12 people, if accused of espionage by the Greeks, would have been extraditable to Greece without substantive court proceedings? If the Home Secretary is serious in the expressions that he has made about the suffering of
these people in a Greek prison, is this really the time to continue to back a proposal that would allow people to be extradited without the elementary requirement of justice—the presentation of prima facie evidence against them in a court?
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