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Foot and Mouth
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many appeals were lodged each month during the foot and mouth disease outbreak against the valuation of slaughter stock, and for each figure (a) how many cases have been determined; (b) how many are proceeding; and (c) how many cases still awaiting action are more than three months old. [HL2481]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Information is not fully available in the form requested. The number of counter notices (appeals against valuation) received within the 14-day time limit is as follows:
| Received | |
| March-June 2001 | 301 |
| July | 42 |
| August | 85 |
| September | 41 |
| October | 56 |
| November | – |
| December | – |
| January 2002 | – |
| Total | 525 |
Of the 525 cases, 151 have now been resolved.
Due to the fact that there have been no cases of FMD for more than three months, all remaining 374 ongoing cases are more than three months old. However, these remaining cases are at various stages of investigation, or awaiting a response from the farmer. In seven of these cases, an arbitrator has been appointed or we have reached a joint agreement on the appointment of an arbitrator. The farmer or the department can refer the matter of the value of the disputed animal(s) to an arbitrator at any stage.
In all cases of disputed foot and mouth valuations, including those received outside the statutory deadline, we are in correspondence with the farmers concerned.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: The Government have received a number of representations in a variety of forms on this subject. These have been from a number of
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: Six thousand one hundred and twelve animals have been slaughtered since the last case of foot and mouth was diagnosed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2001. These animals were slaughtered as dangerous contacts as a result of returning sero-positive blood samples.
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: As described in the Written Answer on 31 January, apart from those animals on infected premises, dangerous contacts premises and slaughter on suspicion premises, some two and a half million animals have been slaughtered as a result of the receipt of eligible applications under the livestock welfare disposal scheme and the light lambs disposal scheme.
Young animals, which had been born before the time of slaughter, are included in the total figure of animals slaughtered for disease control purposes. No record was taken of unborn animals.
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: English Nature, the National Trust, Sefton Borough Council and others, co-ordinated by Mersey Forest, have produced a Sefton Forest Plan that is currently with the Forestry Commission for approval. The plan aims to provide sustainable management of the pinewoods and optimal conditions for the red squirrel colony.
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many requests by letter, telephone or e-mail they have received from (a) formally constituted bodies such as local authorities; (b) individuals; and (c) businesses, proposing the establishment of a statutory public inquiry into the foot and mouth disease outbreak of 2001.[HL2778]
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 31 January (WA 58), how many animals have been slaughtered since the last confirmed foot and mouth disease outbreak.[HL2707]
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 31 January (WA 58), (a) how many animals were slaughtered in total, apart from those on infected premises, dangerous contacts premises and slaughter on suspicion premises; and (b) how many animals died but were not included in the slaughter figures, such as unborn lambs or calves.[HL2708]
What steps are being taken to protect the colony of red squirrels at Formby Pinewoods on the north-west coast of England.[HL2833]
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 5 February (WA 83), when they will announce the better set of definitions for urban and rural areas; and [HL2877]
27 Feb 2002 : Column WA241
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 5 February (WA 83), whether, for the time being, Ministers will define what they mean by rural when making announcements.[HL2878]
Lord Whitty: As we have made clear previously, the term "rural" can have a variety of applications in relation to landscape or land use or socio-economic issues. It would be convenient to have a single definition, but it might well fail to reflect reality and prove inflexible. We are working towards a better definition of urban and rural areas as explained in my Answer (WA 83; 5 February). For statistical purposes we generally use the definition developed by the Countryside Agency and where any other definition is being used we will endeavour to make that clear.
British-Irish Council
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the timetable for the development of the Council of the British Isles to the stage proposed in the Belfast agreement of 1998; on what dates the council has met since 1998; and when is the next meeting. [HL2546]
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The British-Irish Council brings together representatives of the British and Irish Governments, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the authorities in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
The council has met at summit level twice since 1998; in December 1999 and November 2001. I have placed a copy of the communiqué issued after the November 2001 summit in the House Libraries. The council agreed that its next summit would be in Jersey
in April 2002. In addition, the council has met in a number of sectoral formats over the past two years.IRA: Training
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they know if any IRA training still takes place; and what steps they are taking in response. [HL2711]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: As the noble Lord will be aware, the Government do not comment on intelligence matters. However, good co-operation between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda and intelligence-led policing is continuing with the aim of frustrating any attempt to destroy the peace process.
Bus Lanes
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the consultation on camera enforcement of bus lanes outside London is expected to be completed and the necessary orders to be made. [HL2855]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): Our target is to make the regulations this autumn.
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many construction and maintenance workers have been killed or seriously injured on motorways and trunk roads in England and Wales in the last three years for which figures are available.[HL2856]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Following is the available information for England and Wales.
| Deaths | Major injuries | |||||
| Work processes | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01p | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01p |
| Road repairs/surfacing/maintenance (a) | 3 | 3 | 8 | 79 | 68 | 52 |
| Road verge maintenance | — | — | 1 | 14 | 7 | 11 |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 9 | 93 | 75 | 63 |
p—provisional.
(a)—road surfacing, road marking, road repairs, highway maintenance, sewer maintenance.
Note:
The figures relate to employees and self-employed in the period 1 April–31 March.
Source:
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): No information is collected centrally on racial attacks on refugees and asylum seekers.
Since April 2000, the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has provided support in the form of accommodation and/or subsistence to asylum seekers who are destitute on arrival in the United Kingdom. The responsibility for formally tackling harassment lies with the police and the relevant local authority. NASS's role in investigating racial harassment is to establish whether it is appropriate to provide alternative accommodation because there is a significant risk of violence occurring, if the person were to remain in their current accommodation.
The number of allegations of this type reported to the NASS investigations team for the period January 2001 to December 2001 is set out in the table below as follows:
Whether the extent of racial attacks on refugees and asylum seekers is monitored; and what are the figures for the last available period. [HL2387]
2001
January 47
February 71
March 66
April 64
May 78
June 74
July 71
August 103
September 72
October 122
November 93
December 47
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