§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has held with Professor Bourne since the publication of the latest statistics on TB breakdowns. [66081]
§ Mr. RookerThe latest TB breakdown statistics to be published are those which I sent the hon. Member on 29 July 1998. Since then my right hon. Friend the Minister and I have met Professor Bourne together on one occasion, and separately on one occasion each.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by county the numbers of herd breakdowns to tuberculosis in each quarter of each of the last three years. [66082]
389W
§ Mr. RookerFigures for the numbers of new confirmed herd breakdowns by county are not available on a quarterly basis. The data are not recorded in a manner which would permit quarterly figures to be constructed. Annual figures are retained on a county basis from 1997 and I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 2 July 1998,official report, column 318, and my subsequent letter of 29 July 1998, which also listed provisional figures for the first six months of 1998.