§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of dwellings in England with rat infestations were(a) not being treated and (b) had not been reported to the local authority on the most recent date for which figures are available. [105484]
§ Mr. MorleyDetails of the treatment of rat infestations are in the recent MAFF report "Rodent infestations in domestic properties in England", a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. The figures574W Street, East Shilton, Hinckley, Leicestershire and (d) 357 Station Road, South Leigh, Oxfordshire, were offered for sale; and what is the current position with regard to the disposal of each property. [104685]
§ Mr. MorleyThe information requested is set out as follows:
reflect the situation at a specific point in time and would not include cases where treatment was planned but had not yet started.
Information was not collected on the proportion of rat infestations which had not been reported to the local authority.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the findings of the(a) 1996 English House Condition Survey and (b) commensal rodent survey undertaken by his Department and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in 1993, on the number and proportion of dwellings in England affected by rat infestations. [105481]
§ Mr. MorleyThe results of the 1996 survey show that the general level of rodent infestations in England is low. The figures are lower for both rats and mice compared to the 1993 survey, although the results are not directly comparable due to different sampling methods. Full results of the 1996 survey are in the recent MAFF report "Rodent infestations in domestic properties in England", a copy of which together with the Ministry's News Release, has been placed in the Library of the House.
The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 requires local authorities to take such steps as may be necessary to keep, so far as is practicable, their district free of rodents and empowers them to require occupiers of land to take the necessary action to remove rodents from their land.