§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Prime Minister if, in the light of the refusal of the wildlife incident unit to perform autopsies on seabirds found dead for no apparent reason on the beaches of South Shields recently, she will make a statement on the respective responsibilities of the Ministry of Agricu4ure, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment in providing this service.
§ The Prime MinisterUnder the wildlife incident investigation scheme the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is responsible for investigating reports of casualties involving wildlife, bees and in some cases domestic animals alleged to involve agricultural chemicals. The Department of the Environment has no formal responsibilities under this scheme, but the two Departments are in touch in appropriate circumstances. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food officials have undertaken autopsies on a number of seabirds found dead at South Shields, but these examinations have not identified any unnatural cause of death.