§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements have been made in Northern Ireland for the payment of compensation for the slaughter of young bulls aged between 24 and 30 months. [9583]
§ Mr. AncramA scheme was introduced to allow the eligible animals to be slaughtered. Parliamentary approval for this new service will be sought in a spring supplementary estimate for the Northern Ireland agriculture, fisheries and forestry services and support vote, class 1 vote 2. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure totalling £3.25 million has been met by the way of a repayable advance from the contingency fund.