HC Deb 06 November 1991 vol 198 c162W
Dr. David Clark

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give(a) the number of confirmed cases and (b) the number of expected cases of BSE between (i) April 1990 and March 1991 and (ii) April 1991 to date.

Dr. David Clark

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give(a) the actual amounts and (b) the estimated amounts of money paid out in compensation for BSE in (i) 1990–91 and (ii) to date in 1991–92.

Mr. Gummer

The numbers of confirmed cases of BSE by date of clinical onset is as follows:

(i) between April 1990 and March 1991 15,869 cases
(ii) in April 1991 1,708 cases

More recent information is not available for the reason given in my reply to the hon. Member on 23 May 1991 col. 559.

The amount of money paid in compensation for BSE is as follows:

  1. (i) 1990–91—£10.8 million, compared with a forecast in early April 1990 of £12.1 million.
  2. (ii) 1991–92 to the end of September 1991—£8.0 million from an expected total annual spend of £14.6 million.

It is impossible to predict accurately the number of expected cases over particular periods and forecasts are regularly revised as more data comes in. Nevertheless the number of cases is in line with the epidemiological forecast that they will continue to increase until a peak is reached some time in 1992. Thereafter a decline in the number of cases is expected leading to the eradication of the disease around the end of the decade.