Written Answers
Farm Animal Welfare Council: Deer Working Group
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will supply the names of the members of the sub-committee of the Farm Animal Welfare Council examining deer farming, and what their qualifications are for this purpose.
Members of the Farm Animal Welfare Council who form a working group which is reviewing all welfare aspects of deer farming are at present:Professor J. M. M. Cunningham CBE BSc (Agric) PhD FRSC FIBiol
(Chairman)—Principal of the West of Scotland Agriculture college and Professor of Agriculture at Glasgow University.
Mr. S. Burgess FBIM—Managing Director of a group of companies engaged in livestock farming, marketing, shipping and wholesale meat and game exporting.
Mr. D. L. Haxby MRCVS—Veterinary Surgeon in Nottinghamshire and current President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Mr. R. MacPherson MRCVS—Veterinary Surgeon in Ross-shire.
Mr. J. G. Thomas BSc (Agric)—Farmer in Lancashire and Honorary Lecturer in Biology at the University of Lancaster.
Mr. P. A. Walker JP—Hill farmer in Clwyd.
Many of these members, particularly Professor Cunningham, who is a former Director of the Hill Farming Research Organisation, have experience of working with deer. The working group is also drawing on the expertise of organisations and individuals with an interest in all aspects of deer farming, and has invited and taken evidence from them.
The group's findings will be considered by the full council membership, who will decide on the recommendations to be submitted to agriculture Ministers.
Venison: Imports From New Zealand
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider it acceptable that frozen venison should be imported from New Zealand, where the mainstay of the deer farming industry is the harvesting of antlers in velvet, a practice now prohibited by law in the United Kingdom on welfare grounds.
The practice of antler velveting in New Zealand is a matter for that country's Government. There were no imports of venison from New Zealand during the years 1979–1982. To date, 203 kg have been imported during 1983.
Deer: Transport And Slaughter
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of public disquiet about the possibility of deer being transported to, and slaughtered in, commercial slaughterhouses.
Her Majesty's Government are aware that this possibility is a matter of concern to some people. The Farm Animal Welfare Council are currently looking into all aspects of the welfare of farmed deer, including transport and slaughter methods, and my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is awaiting their report and conclusions with interest.
Construction Plant Directives On Noise Levels
asked Her Majesty's Government:When they anticipate the 1974 proposal for a council directive on permissible noise levels for pneumatic concrete breakers and jackhammers is to be adopted, and if he will make a Statement about the reasons for the delay in adopting this proposal.
It is not possible to predict when the proposals for directives dealing with noise from construction plant and equipment,of which this is one, are likely to be adopted. Negotiations, while technically well advanced in the case of concrete breakers and picks, are subject to determination of the arrangements relating to certification of products from third countries. This wider question is still under consideration by the Council of Ministers.
"Home Defence And The Farmer": Publication Statistics
asked Her Majesty's Government:On what date the decision was first taken to update
Home Defence and the Farmer, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1958, and how many civil servants have been working on the updated version in each year since this decision was taken.
The decision to update Home Defence and the Farmer was taken in May 1980. Most of the preparation of the text has been carried out as part of the duties of two civil servants in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who have received expert advice within the Ministry from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service and from the other departments concerned with national defence.
Coal-Firing Scheme
asked Her Majesty's Government:What amount of money they have allocated to encourage industry to convert to coal-fired boilers; and what success there has been in encouraging an additional coal-burn of over 2 million tonnes a year.
Under the coal-firing scheme £50 million grant has been allocated to encourage switching to coal-firing. The scheme is on target to achieve an additional coal-burn of at least 2 million tonnes per year once all the projects are completed.
Sites Of Special Scientific Interest On Forestry Commission Land
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list those Sites of Special Scientific Interest at present in the ownership of the Forestry Commission and whether they will state how many SSSIs or parts of SSSIs have been sold by the Forestry Commission in the last two years.
A list of those Sites of Special Scientific Interest which at present apply, in whole or in part, to land managed by the Forestry Commission has been placed in the Library of the House. Since 1st August 1981, the Forestry Commission hassold 14 areas of land covered, in whole or in part, by SSSIs.
Deer Legislation: Interpretation
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in respect of deer, the word "take" in Scottish legislation is understood to mean "take alive"; and if so, when this interpretation was decided.
Within the context of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1959, which is the primary legislation affecting deer in Scotland, "take" has been interpreted by the courts as meaning "take alive". I refer the noble Lord to the decision of the High Court of Justiciary in the case of Miln v. Maher reported in 1979 Justiciary Cases at page 58.
The Official Report: Price
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a statement on the price of the
Official Report.
Her Majesty's Stationery Office budgeted for a small increase in the price of the daily edition from 1st April 1983. This increase was not in fact implemented and the situation has further deteriorated through the loss of sales revenue as a result of the dissolution of Parliament and the long recess. In the circumstances, my honourable friend the Minister of State, Treasury, has authorised an immediate increase of 50p in the Daily Parts, with corresponding increases in the price of indexes, Standing Committee debates, Bound Volumes and subscription rates. The scale of charges for reprints of Members' speeches appearing in the Official Report will also be raised. Despite these increases, Hansard will still need a substantial subsidy