§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many licences have been issued for new, or extended, private slaughterhouses in local authority areas wholly or partly within a radius of 30 miles of Manchester which were not included in slaughterhouse reports submitted by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Slaughterhouses Act, 1958; and what slaughtering capacity, or increased slaughtering capacity, has been created as a result of the issue of these licences.
§ Mr. John MackieTwenty-five such licences have been issued. Of these two were for completely new enterprises, seven were for replacement slaughterhouses and two for premises transferred from a local authority. The remaining170W 14 covered material extensions to existing premises.
Minor extensions are not considered to require new licences. Many factors influence slaughtering capacity and it is not possible to assess the overall increase.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on the issue of licences for new private slaughterhouses or extensions to existing slaughterhouses in regions where existing facilities in municipal slaughterhouses are under-used.
§ Mr. John MackieUnder the Slaughterhouses Act, 1958, my right hon. Friend must approve a licence for a new slaughterhouse if he is satisfied that it is necessary in order to secure adequate facilities or is expedient for special reasons. Material extensions are dealt with as "new" premises.
We are required to consult all local authorities who appear to be affected.
Where neighbouring local authority facilities may be adversely affected, no new licence is approved unless there are special reasons, which may be, for example, improved hygiene or overall efficiency.