HC Deb 02 December 1996 vol 286 cc524-5W
Ms Churchs

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 7 November,Official Report, column 660, what were the proposed annual savings for the information technology projects in the phases which fall into (a) the £1 million to £10 million and (b) more than £10 million categories undertaken since 1992; and what have been the realised annual savings. [6699]

Mr. Boswell

[holding answer 28 November 1996]The proposed and realised annual savings for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's information technology projects for the cost bands of(a) up to £1 million, and (b) greater than £1 million, are as follows:

£ million
Project costs 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 Total
Proposed savings
Up to 10 3.23 5.07 4.80 13.36
More than 10 1.77 6.73 3.50 17.84
Total 5.0 11.8 8.3 31.2 56.3
Realised savings
Up to 10 4.10 2.90 7.90 17.60
More than 10 0.42 7.20 13.43 24.70
Total 4.5 10.1 21.3 42.3 78.2

Currently only proposed savings figures are available for 1996–97 — "Up to £10 million" £22.02 million and "More than £10 million" £31.77 million.

Mr. Hinchcliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to restrict the availability for human consumption of dried, canned or frozen beef from cattle aged over 30 months of age and slaughtered before 29 March. [827]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 6 November 1996]Regulation 3 of the Fresh Meat (Beef Control) Regulations 1996 prohibits, subject to limited exceptions, the sale for human consumption of meat from cattle over 30 months old slaughtered on or after 29 March 1996. There is no restriction on the sale of meat or meat products derived from animals slaughtered before this date. The Government's independent adviser on spongiform encephalopathies, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, did not consider this necessary. We therefore have no proposals to restrict the availability for human consumption of these products.

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