§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, for each of the last 10 years, the percentage of live births delivered by caesarean section within each health authority in Scotland. [67671]
§ Mr. GalbraithThe information requested is as follows:
3,668 specific approvals on 1 January 1999. The age profile of these approvals was:
- Less than one year: 1,182
- One to three years: 1,735
- Three to five years: 408
- More than five years: 343.
I have asked the Pesticides Safety Directorate to look closely at the reasons for the continuation of provisional approvals beyond three years to ensure that the highest standards of safety are being maintained.
§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment the Pesticides Safety Directorate has made of the safety of the use of pesticides in school grounds and playing fields. [66009]
RookerAll pesticides, including those for use in school grounds and playing fields, are subject to strict statutory control. In considering the approval or review of a pesticide for use on amenity turf (including school playing fields and grounds), an assessment is made of the risk to people exposed to the treated area. Only if this assessment shows that there is no unacceptable risk to children and adults from the treatment will approval be granted or allowed to continue. Detailed advice covering the use of pesticides in such areas is set out in the Code of Practice for the Use of Approved Pesticides in Amenity and Industrial Areas (the Orange Code), produced by the British Agrochemicals Association and the National 389W Association of Agricultural Contractors. This Code has my full support as a contribution to good practice and safe use.