HC Deb 17 December 1992 vol 216 cc340-1W
Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many bee officers there were in(a) 1986, (b) 1988, (c) 1990 and (d) at the latest available date.

Mr. Curry

The information is as follows:

Number
1986 64
1988 30
1990 34
1992 37

Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the reasons for the closure of the bee-keeping department at Sparsholt agricultural college.

Mr. Boswell

I have been asked to reply.

The decision to close the bee-keeping unit at Sparsholt agricultural college with effect from 31 December 1992 was taken in June 1992 by the governors of the college because the courses had ceased to be financially viable. The decision was reached following consultation with bee-keeping associations, which failed to identify any other sources of financial support.

Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much funding has been allocated to action in relation to bee-keeping problems in the current year and each of the next three years; and if he will give a breakdown of the applications to which the amount injected into bee-keeping problems has put in the current year.

Mr. Curry

The expenditure necessary depends on the incidence of bee disease and may vary considerably from budget. We had the first recorded incident of Varroa in the United Kingdom in April 1992 and its effect has been as follows:

Budget 1992–93 £ Estimated Expenditure 1992–93 £
Central Science Laboratory 350,000 565,000
Regions (including bees officers) 510,000 610,000
HQ (including medicines and printing) 50,000 155,000
Research and Development 136,000 186,000

Expenditure in future years will depend on the level of bee disease and decisions on how directive 92/65/EEC legislating on animals not covered by specific requirements under directive 90/425/EEC will be implemented in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what expert advice is available to him on the spread of the parasitic mite Varroa Jacobsoni.

Mr. Curry

Our principal source of expert advice is the Central Science Laboratory and in particular the national bee unit at Luddington.