§ Dr. Gavin Strang (Edinburgh, East)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Last Thursday, in reply to an oral question, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food advised the House that measures associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy would cost around £1.5 billion over the next three years. I assumed that he made an error in reading his brief as previous written answers and the Minister's own eradication plan had put the figure at around £2.5 billion.
Last night, however, in her reply to the debate the Parliamentary Secretary told the House that
the cost over the next three years was quoted as being £1.5 billion."—[Official Report, 25 June 1996; Vol. 280, c. 250.]She said that Ministers had looked at the consequences of all the schemes and that she could now tell the House that the cost would be around £2.5 billion. She then asked whether the House would accept that "updated figure".The Parliamentary Secretary was seeking to give the House two messages: that the Minister was merely quoted as underestimating the amount and that she had a new, updated figure to give us.
I assume that the £2.5 billion does not include the cost of the selective slaughter programme agreed by the Prime Minister in Florence. I fully appreciate that the Minister is away and that the Parliamentary Secretary is not available, but I hope that in due course the Minister will give us a clear statement on those costs. They are large sums of money and it is only right that the House should be properly informed.
§ Madam SpeakerI noticed the updated figure that was given yesterday by the Parliamentary Secretary. The comments of the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Dr. Strang) will have been noted. Perhaps he will wish to take the further opportunities to put questions and to press the matter.