§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many staff in his Department are presently concerned with the problem of rabies.
§ Mr. BishopWork on our anti-rabies measures is one of the responsibilities of the Ministry's Animal Health Group and the State Veterinary Service. Many staff are involved according to circumstances, but at all times rabies work has high priority. Currently there is a nucleus of about 25 staff employed full time at headquarters.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what liaison there is between his Department and continental countries on the control of rabies.
§ Mr. BishopI would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould) and the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 20th May—[Vol. 911, c.652–53]—and 10th June respectively.—[Vol 912, c. 770.]
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to encourage authorities controlling continental ports to warn of the danger of rabies.
§ Mr. BishopSo far as people travelling to the Continent are concerned, we already take considerable steps to warn them of the rabies risk abroad and to advise them to leave their animals at home. It is far better for them to be told by us before departure than by the continental port authorities on arrival. Through our embassies, however, we have arranged for extensive publicity at continental ports, marinas, etc., warning travellers to Britain of our import controls and advising them to leave their pets behind.
§ Sir G. de Freitasasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what 778W action he took in respect of the mouse brought into the United Kingdom by a Kettering schoolboy; what evidence there is that it came from a part of the Continent infected with rabies; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BishopOn receipt of the report of a mouse having been brought into the country illegally a Ministry veterinary officer visited the boy concerned and, in the presence of his parents, explained that under the rabies legislation the mouse would have to be destroyed unless it was put into quarantine or re-exported at the owner's expense. By mutual agreement the mouse was destroyed.
The mouse came from France. The precise origin is not known, but this is irrelevant because our import controls apply to animals coming from anywhere outside the British Isles.
I understand that no prosecution is intended.