§ 22. Mr. Willeyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what compensation was paid in respect of slaughter of birds on account of fowl pest in each of the years 1955 to 1959, inclusive.
§ Mr. John HareAs the reply includes a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. WilleyAs all these figures add up to a considerable sum. may I ask what the right hon. Gentleman is doing to encourage more research and inquiry into other ways of reducing the effect of fowl pest?
§ Following is the information:
§ COMPENSATION PAID FOR BIRDS SLAUGHTERED AS A RESULT OF OUTBREAKS OF FOWL PEST IN GREAT BRITAIN
| Year | Amount £ | |||
| 1955 | … | … | … | 490,826 |
| 1956 | … | … | … | 1,371,710 |
| 1957 | … | … | … | 1,115,598 |
| 1958 | … | … | … | 1,161,414 |
| 1959 | … | … | … | 3,443,798 |
| (Provisional) |
§ 24. Sir R. Nugentasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of the present disquieting trends of 914 the disease, he will arrange for an independent inquiry into the methods of dealing with fowl pest in this country.
§ Mr. John HareThe Secretary of State for Scotland and I have been studying this question for some time and we have come to the conclusion that we should appoint a Committee of Inquiry with the following terms of reference:
"To review the policy and arrangements for dealing with fowl pest in Great Britain, and to advise whether any changes should be made in the light of the growth of the poultry industry, present scientific knowledge and technical and administrative experience gained in recent years in this and other countries."
I will inform the House in due course of the membership of the Committee.
§ Sir R. NugentIs my right hon. Friend aware that his decision to set up this committee will be very well received inside the farming community, in which there has been anxiety about both the sharp increase in the incidence of the disease and generally about the heavy cost to the taxpayer in compensation? Would my right hon. Friend say whether this Committee of Inquiry will have the same facilities to visit foreign countries in order to investigate the latest methods of dealing with the disease that the Gowers Committee had when dealing with foot-and-mouth disease?
§ Mr. HareYes, I have said that I want the experience gained in recent years in this and other countries to be taken into consideration, and I should like this committee to have very much the same sort of powers as had Sir Ernest Gowers's Committee.
§ Mr. HiltonWhile welcoming the decision to set up the Committee about fowl pest, may I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman will also consider having consultations with the United States of America's authorities about imports of poultry to United States of America bases in this country which, it is claimed, carry this virus of fowl pest, in view of a recent report that the United States authorities would welcome such an inquiry?
§ Mr. HareThat is, of course, an entirely different question—[HON. MEMBERS: "But very important."]—and the 915 hon. Member has mentioned the subject before. As he knows, we have no evidence to substantiate certain allegations which have been made that the disease has been spread from these American air bases. We have no evidence at all to support that, but this and other matters will come within the purview of this inquiry.