§ 10. Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the First Secretary to discuss the outbreak of foot and mouth in Monmouthshire. [155501]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI have regular meetings with my right hon. Friend the First Secretary to discuss a wide range of issues and accompanied him, my hon. Friend for Monmouth (Mr. Edwards) and the Prime Minister to Usk yesterday, where we met representatives of the farming and tourism industries.
§ 20. Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on the impact of foot and mouth disease on the rural economy in Wales. [155511]
§ 26. Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the agriculture and tourism industries in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [155517]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI maintain close contact with my right hon. Friend the First Secretary on a variety of issues including foot and mouth disease and last Sunday we jointly visited areas of Wales affected
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Wales is a member of the UK Government rural taskforce set up to examine the effect of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease across the rural economy as a whole. Following the initial meetings of this taskforce, my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment announced on 20 March a package of UK wide measures to help businesses cope with the campaign to get the public back to areas of the countryside which they can safely visit and an immediate package of short-term practical help for rural businesses, involving the Small Business Service and the banks. These initiatives are in addition to the £156 million agrimonetary compensation announced by the Government for the sheep, beef and dairy sectors (over the £15 million compulsory agrimonetary aid) and two future years of funding for outgoers under the pig industry restructuring scheme, worth £40 million, which has been made available this year.
In addition, the National Assembly for Wales has already issued a Tourism Charter and announced a £1.5 million marketing package through the Wales Tourist Board aimed at reassuring visitors to Wales. The Assembly has also made available £12 million to local authorities to enable them to grant rate relief to businesses affected by foot and mouth disease, £1 million additional 226W funding to help the agri-food sector in Wales recover from the effects of foot and mouth disease, and £0.5 million to match pound for pound voluntary donations from the public to help relieve rural distress.
§ 24. Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Agriculture Secretary with regard to foot and mouth disease in Wales. [155515]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI have had regular discussions recently with the Welsh Agriculture Secretary with regard to the impact of foot and mouth disease in Wales and last Sunday he and I visited affected areas in Wales with the National Assembly First Secretary.
All efforts are focused on taking action to ensure the disease is contained and eradicated as quickly as possible. The action that is being taken is severe but the best way to beat the outbreak.
§ 25. Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions with regard to foot and mouth disease in Wales. [155516]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI maintain close contact with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions on a variety of issues.
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Wales is a member of the UK Government rural taskforce, chaired by the Minister for the Environment, set up to examine the effect of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease across the rural economy as a whole.
§ 27. Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Agriculture about outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Wales. [155518]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI maintain close contact with my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture in regard to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Wales.
Our strategy is still to ensure that all animals on infected farms are culled within 24 hours of report and animals on neighbouring farms culled within 48 hours. All efforts are focused on taking action to ensure the disease is contained and eradicated as quickly as possible. The action that is being taken is severe but the best way to beat the outbreak.