§ Baroness Gardner of Parkesasked Her Majesty's Government:
If they will make a statement about charges for work in connection with the enforcement of the milk and dairies regulations.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonFollowing consultations with interested parties about the recommendations on the efficiency scrutiny report published last year,1426WA my right honourable friend, with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Wales, proposes to make certain adjustments to the enforcement arrangements which will enable us to reduce the charge for work in connection with a scheduled dairy farm inspection visit. We are proposing that this should be set at £78 with effect from 1st April 1989. The existing charge is £0, but it would otherwise have had to be increased to £00105 to take account of increased costs since April 1987. We also propose to increase the concession for producers with fewer than 20 cows from £10 to £18, giving a proposed charge of £60 compared with the current charge of £80.
The scrutiny report did not identify any savings in the system for sampling and testing untreated milk and private water supplies. In order to recoup costs associated with the work, it will be necessary to increase these charges from £22 to £26 to take account of increased costs since 1987. The charge will also need to be increased by a further £5 if the efficiency scrutiny's recommendation for changes to the tests on untreated milk is implemented. These changes are still to be considered.
The overall effect of the proposed changes will be to give a worthwhile reduction for virtually all milk producers. Proposals for revised regulations reflecting these changes will be circulated shortly to interested organisations.