§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of badger control methods conducted in Eire. [36430]
§ Mr. RookerWe have carefully studied the published work relating to badger control in Ireland, and continue to liaise closely with colleagues there.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of the proposed badger culling experiment, broken down to show each constituent element for(a) 1998 and (b) each subsequent year of the proposed experiment. [36431]
§ Mr. RookerThe Government have indicated that we are disposed to accept the recommendations of the Krebs Report, subject to further consideration of public expenditure, legal and practical implications. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation exercise on the implementation of the recommendations and are awaiting the advice of the Expert Group on the design of the culling experiment. I am not able to estimate costs until we have decided how to proceed.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what records are maintained of the number of non-target species caught in snares set for badgers under his Department's tuberculosis control scheme. [36429]
§ Mr. RookerNo animals from non-target species have been caught in snares set for badgers by the Department under the bovine tuberculosis control scheme.