Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the PFI contracts entered into by his Department, indicating(a) their dates of commencement, (b) their value, (c) if they have been subject to refinancing and (d) if his Department has a claw-back entitlement to share in savings arising from refinancing. [129048]
§ Ms Beverley HughesThe tables set out the details requested.
§ Mr. MullinThe Environment Agency commissioned an assessment of the risk from BSE infectivity from the spreading on to agricultural land of condensate from the rendering of cattle slaughtered under the Over-30-Months Scheme (OTMS). A copy is being placed in the Library of the House. The assessment concluded that: 45W
The concentration of infectivity in condensate from rendering plants processing OTMS material is low, even when that condensate is untreated;Spreading of condensate on farmland is unlikely to represent a risk to people owing to contamination of drinking water with BSE infectivity, or to people being exposed to aerosols of the condensate as a result of the spreading activity; andCattle grazing on treated land would be extremely unlikely to be exposed to a dose large enough to result in infection with BSE.The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) reviewed this assessment and concluded that the risk to human health from the practice was negligible. However, SEAC advised that the practice of spreading rendering condensate on land should be discontinued because of the presence of detectable levels of ruminant protein in samples, which could pose a risk to animal health. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is considering how to take forward the SEAC advice and hopes to consult on proposals shortly.