HL Deb 08 October 2001 vol 627 cc64-5WA
Lord Jopling

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In view of the current concerns about foot and mouth disease in North Yorkshire, whether they will encourage those who take decisions on opening up the countryside to defer opening public access to the deer park at Fountains Abbey via Studley Roger village, while alternative access to Fountains Abbey via the visitor centre remains open; and [HL650]

To name the authority, as well as the individual or committee concerned, which have taken the decision to re-open the public access to Fountains Abbey through the deer park via Studley Roger village; and whether they will draw to the attention of those authorities, individuals or committees the grave consequences of foot and mouth disease breaking out in the park. [HL651]

Lord Whitty

The revised Veterinary Risk Assessment No. 4 is clear that outside 3 km protection zones (PZs) around infected premises the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD) being transmitted by walkers and other path users is virtually nil and that public footpaths outside PZs can safely be opened. On that basis, Her Majesty's Government issued guidance on 23 May to local authorities in England encouraging them to re-open footpaths outside PZs as rapidly as possible. The Government have also provided £3.8 million via the Countryside Agency to assist local authorities with the additional costs of reopening paths, including erecting temporary fencing, employing temporary staff and publicity.

The public footpaths through the deer park to Fountains Abbey are in an infected area, about 10 km (6 miles) from the nearest case of the disease. DEFRA officials considered representations from the National Trust at the end of July but were not convinced that the area was a special case. The power to close and re-open paths rests generally with local authorities; and the paths concerned were re-opened by North Yorkshire County Council on 4 August in line with government guidance that it was safe to do so and following agreement from the National Trust that temporary fencing would be erected as an additional precaution to separate deer from possible contact with people using the paths.

Eradicating foot and mouth disease remains a top priority for Her Majesty's Government. However, the damage that closing the countryside has done to tourism and other rural industries cannot be ignored. The Government have therefore adopted a balanced approach, taking the concerns of the farming community into account as well as the needs of the many small rural businesses that depend on visitors to the countryside.

Estimated UK Emissions of Mercury to Air 1990–99 (tonnes)
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Combustion in energy production and transfer (tonnes) Public power 7.50 7.40 6.88 4.72 4.37 4.11 2.55 1.64 2.34 1.57
Public power (waste incin.) 0.85 0.86 1.05 1.46 2.35 0.30 0.30 1.38 0.38 0.11
Petroleum refining plants 0.06 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07
Other combustion and transport 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Combustion in commercial, institutional and residential and agriculture (tonnes) Residential plant 1.05 1.16 1.00 1.15 1.01 0.75 0.77 0.66 060 0.63
Commercial, public and agriculture combined 0.54 0.51 0.44 0.37 0.30 0.22 0.24 0.26 0.17 0.14
Combustion in industry (tonnes) Iron and steel 0.33 0.29 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.30 0.30
Non-ferrous metals 1.34 1.39 1.37 1.45 1.36 1.45 1.37 1.46 1.36 0.32
Glass production 0.15 0.15 0.14 0.13 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.06
Other combustion in industry 2.16 2.22 2.41 2.30 2.22 2.07 1.83 1.75 1.54 1.28
Production processes (tonnes) Iron and steel 0.35 0.31 0.32 0.33 0.34 0.35 0.34 0.35 0.31 0.33
Non-ferrous metals 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00
Processes in industry (Chloralkali) 8.10 8.90 7.44 3.30 3.60 4.22 2.40 1.03 1.31 1.50
Waste treatment and disposal (tonnes) Landfill 0.59 0.56 0.52 0.48 0.45 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.40 0.40
Waste incineration 5.45 5.44 5.25 4.86 3.96 1.56 1.13 0.41 0.47 0.48
Cremation 1.31 1.32 1.31 1.36 1.30 1.34 1.34 1.34 1.34 1.34
Total (tonnes) 29.83 30.62 28.53 22.31 21.77 17.27 13.17 11.16 10.69 8.53

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

NB. It should be noted that European modelling of mercury sources and distribution indicates that over 60 per cent o r mercury deposited in the UK originates from sources outside the UK.

Atmospheric mercury is most commonly found in gaseous form, although it may also be present bound to small particles. Most historical UK monitoring data relate to particulate mercury from a network of rural and urban sites between the late 1970s and early 1990s. These found concentrations in rural sites around 0.5 ng/m3, and generally below 1 ng/m3 in urban sites. Recent measurements of gaseous mercury from a rural site in central southern England found a background concentration around 1.5 ng/m3.

Measurements of particulate mercury in the vicinity of 30 industrial processes were also undertaken in 2000. The highest level of particulate mercury was measured close to ICI Chemicals and Polymers, Runcorn (0.64 ng/m3), but measured concentrations were significantly lower than previous measurements made at urban and rural sites.

Measurements of gaseous concentrations were also monitored during 2000 at five locations in the vicinity of industrial processes. At most locations