§ Mr. Hunterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the answer of 13 December, what arrangements have been made for local authorities to purchase and maintain stocks of food and equipment to enable them to provide emergency feeding to the local population in the interim period after a nuclear attack.
§ Mrs. FennerHome Office circular ES 1/79 to local authorities contains guidance on planning for food and agriculture controls in war. Paragraph 1(b) of appendix C of the annex to this circular envisages that as soon as possible after a nuclear attack, controllers would need to acquire local food stocks. Stocks of equipment held by the MAFF would be released to local authorities to supplement existing or improvised facilities.
§ Mr. Hunterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what way and for what reasons releasing specimens of forms referred to in paragraph 21 of the annex, "Food and Agriculture Controls in War", the Home Office circular No. ES1/1979 would prejudice their security; and what is their current security classification.
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§ Mrs. FennerTo release specimens of the forms would reveal aspects of the arrangements for their use which are currently classified as confidential and might also enable replicas to be made which could jeopardise these arrangements if they ever had to be implemented.
§ Mr. Hunterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the names and qualifications of the agricultural experts selected by his Department in implementation of paragraph 28 of the annex to Home Office circular No. ES1/1979.
§ Mrs. FennerNo. The experts referred to would be selected from staff of the agricultural development and advisory service in post in the relevant locations at the time.
§ Mr. Hunterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any appointments remain to be made of the commodity officers and other expert advisers referred to in paragraph 32 of the annex to Home Office circular No. ES1/1979.
§ Mrs. FennerYes. The experts referred to in paragraph 31 of the circular are selected from the food 227W industry. Changes in personnel and their location are frequent, but every effort is made to maintain adequate coverage.
§ Mr. Hunterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any appointments remain to be made of designated or earmarked county food officers and district food officers and other staff referred to in paragraph 34 of the annex to Home Office circular No. ES 1/1979.
§ Mrs. FennerThis is a matter for the local authorities concerned.
§ Mr. Hunterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many persons designated as county or district food officers or their assistants attended courses or studies at the Home Defence college in each of the years 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 in pursuance of the suggestion in paragraph 37 of the annex to Home Office circular No. ES 1/1979.
§ Mr. HurdI have been asked to reply.
Persons designated as county or district food officers or their assistants attended courses at the Civil Defence college — formerly the Home Defence college — as follows:
Local authority designated food officers' courses Chief Officers' courses 1979 89 16 1980 79 26 1981 86 15 1982 Nil 12 1983 68 11