§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in each of the last five years his Department has notified occupiers of land that an incident involving the abuse of poisons involving birds or mammals has occurred; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. FennerWhen investigating suspected incidents of this kind, my officials are required to seek the permission of the occupier before entering on to land or removing samples. However, records of the number of notifications to occupiers are not available centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate expense.
§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will place in the Library an example, with personal details excluded, of the letters sent by his Department to occupiers of land where an incident involving the abuse of a poison has occurred.
§ Mrs. FennerI have placed an illustrative example of such a letter in the Library today.
383W
§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of the illegal use of poisons were investigated by his Department or at his request in 1979, 1980 and 1981; how many were subsequently reported to the police in each year; how many prosecutions resulted; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. FennerDetails of the total incidents investigated were given in my reply to the hon. Member on 1 April—[Vol. 21, c.210]—but records of the numbers subsequently reported to the police are not available centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate expense. I am advised that Home Office statistics on prosecutions under protection of animals and birds legislation do not distinguish separately those offences involving the deliberate misuse of poisons.
§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, pursuant to the reply of 13 July, Official Report, c. 315, he will announce decisions on measures to introduce the statutory forensic marking of alphachloralose, mevinphos and strychnine; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. FennerThe hon. Member will be aware of the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment on 30 April—[Vol. 22, c.369–370]—and the related response to a report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, that current research into the feasibility of using forensic markers is confined to strychnine. This work, including field trials, is now well advanced. That same response also drew attention to the introduction of a new formulation of mevinphos which contains a distinguishing colour dye.