§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of veterinary investigation centres, by county, in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. GummerIn 1979 in England and Wales veterinary investigation centres were operating in Aberystwyth (Dyfed), Bangor (Gwynedd), Bristol (Somerset), Cambridge (Cambridgeshire), Cardiff (south Glamorgan), Carmarthen (Dyfed), Chester (Cheshire), Gloucester (Gloucestershire), Leeds (West Yorkshire), Lincoln (Lincolnshire), Liverpool (Lancashire), Newcastle (Tyne and Wear, Northampton (Northamptonshire), Norwich (Norfolk), Penrith (Curnbria), Reading (Berkshire), Shrewsbury (Shropshire), Starcross (Devon), Sutton Bonington (Nottinghamshire), Thirsk (North Yorkshire), Truro (Cornwall), Weybridge (Surrey), Winchester (Hampshire), Worcester (Worcestershire) and Wye (Kent).
In 1980, the centre at Weybridge was closed and the area it covered was divided between the Reading and Wye centres. In 1985, the centre at Liverpool was relocated to Preston (Lancashire).
In 1986, the centres at Cardiff and Northampton were closed. The areas they covered were taken over by Carmarthen and by Sutton Bonington respectively. The centres at Gloucester and Leeds were closed and the areas they covered were divided respectively between Worcester and Bristol and between Thirsk and Northallerton. In 1991, the centres at Bangor and Lincoln were closed. The areas they covered were divided respectively between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth and between Sutton Bonington and Thirsk. The centre at Wye was closed and its area was taken over by Winchester.
This rationalisation of the service has allowed the centres to be continuously upgraded to meet the changing needs of the industry. Veterinary investigation centres in Scotland are attached to Scottish agricultural colleges and are not listed.