§ Mr. Archy Kirkwoodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider setting up an inquiry into the efficiency of veterinary services in Scotland, on similar lines to that recently carried out in England and Wales.
§ Mr. John MacKayA study of the veterinary investigation service in England and Wales was commissioned last year by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as part of the Government's programme of efficiency studies.
In Scotland, the veterinary investigation service forms part of the Advisory Services provided by the three Scottish agricultural colleges. The financing and management of these services, including the veterinary investigation service, are currently being reviewed in the light of the Government's decision announced in the Public Expenditure White Paper published in January 1985, to reduce the level of public funding of the advisory services in 1987–88, and any further review would not be appropriate at this stage.