Foot and Mouth (Hansard, 18 March 2002)

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answers of 7 March 2002,Official Report, column 481W, on foot and mouth, when the record of local authority prosecutions will be made available; and if she will make a statement. [43129]

§ Mr. Morley
[holding answer 14 March 2002]: The Department makes an annual Return of Prosecutions made under the Animal Health Act 1981. This is due to be laid before Parliament by 27 March. However, the return does not specify the nature of each prosecution but provides a statistical report on the number of prosecutions taken under the Act. Prosecutions taken during the foot and mouth outbreak could have been taken under a number of different Orders (i.e. the Foot and Mouth Order 1983 or the Animal By-Products Order 1999) or under the Act. Due to difficulties encountered this year in collecting this information, the return for October 2000 to September 2001 may not be complete.
129W
The results of the exercise we are conducting with the Local Authority Co-ordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards (LACOTS) to compile a complete record of prosecutions (mentioned in my previous answer) may be presented in a future Return of Prosecutions. Alternative methods of making this information publicly available are under consideration. Given the number of local authorities from which information is required, I cannot say when this information will finally be available. We will, however, seek to complete the exercise as soon as possible.

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answers of 7 March 2002,Official Report, column 481 W, on foot and mouth, if the farm premises where obstruction of Government inspection took place was found subsequently to have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease. [43130]

§ Mr. Morley
[holding answer 14 March 2002]: The farm concerned was not confirmed as an infected premises.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost has been of the programme of laboratory testing of samples taken from animals suspected of carrying foot and mouth disease since 19 February 2001; and if she will make a statement. [42372]

§ Mr. Morley
The laboratory testing programme for Foot and Mouth Disease is estimated to have cost approximately £22 million.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she published an itemised cost list of the Epynt carcase and ash burial and incineration site in Powys opened for animals slaughtered under the foot and mouth disease control measures; how many animals have been interred at the Epynt burial site(a) in the form of carcases and (b) following incineration; and if she will make a statement. [42373]

§ Mr. Morley
We are unable to give final cost figures for Epynt mass burial site at this time. Invoices submitted by contractors for work carried out on the site are currently the subject of verification and substantiation by forensic accountants and claims surveyors retained by this Department.

(a) 18,000 carcases were originally buried at the site but all have since been exhumed and burned on the pyre site.

(b) Ash resulting from carcase burning at the Epynt pyre site has been removed for disposal in landfill.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost has been of the operation to(a) recover the carcases and ashes of animals buried at the Epynt foot and mouth disease disposal site, (b) restore the immediate environment following reclamation and (c) monitor the wider environment for pollution and contamination. [42374]

§ Mr. Morley
We are unable to give cost figures for Epynt mass burial site at this time. Invoices submitted by contractors are currently the subject of verification and substantiation by forensic accountants and claims surveyors retained by this Department.
130W

§ Mr. Evans
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was the cost incurred in Wales by the use of vets in relation to the recent foot and mouth outbreak. [41313]

§ Mr. Morley
The cost of employing Local Veterinary Inspectors and Temporary Veterinary Inspectors to deal with the foot and mouth outbreak cannot be broken down in the way requested by the hon. Member.

§ Dr. Gibson
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the mechanisms used to publicise the Make Your Views Known consultation which will be fed into the foot and mouth inquiry. [41333]

§ Mr. Morley
This is a matter for the Lessons Learned Inquiry. I understand that the Framework Document, setting out the details of this consultation, was published on the Inquiry web site on 14 December 2001 and circulated to a wide range of stakeholders. The deadline for written submissions was Friday 15 March 2002.

§ Mr. Peter Ainsworth
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inquiries are being undertaken by her Department into suspected cases of fraud in relation to the handling of the foot and mouth epidemic; and if she will make a statement. [41217]

§ Margaret Beckett
[holding answer 7 March 2002]: There are currently eight cases in England, related to the Foot-and-Mouth epidemic and involving allegations of financial irregularities in relation to claims for compensation and/or invoices for services, which are subject to criminal investigation by my Department. Additionally, three completed investigations are under consideration by lawyers to determine if prosecution is appropriate, and criminal proceedings have been initiated in one case.
Substantive allegations of fraud will be fully investigated, but it would be inappropriate for me to comment further in respect of current investigations.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's decision to issue a press release 75/02 on 26 February on the suspected case of foot and mouth at a farm near Hawnby, North Yorkshire; what information was issued by her Department to the local authorities controlling the situation at the local level concerning the Department's intentions; and if she will make a statement. [41686]

§ Mr. Morley
Press release 75/02 was issued in line with the Department's commitment to openness. It was important that we informed interested parties, via the media, that the 8 km animal movement restrictions had been imposed around the farm at Hawnby, the first time this had happened since 30 September.
I understand that the media had become aware of the incident shortly before the release was issued and were in contact with the Leeds COI press office requesting information. It is important that the Department does what it can to assist factual reporting and informing the public by issuing information in the public interest.
131W
We co-operated fully with North Yorkshire county council on the imposition of movement restrictions and the revocation of any movement licences. We did not formally discuss our intention to issue a press release with the council although council officials were aware that a press release would be issued.

§ Mr. Keith Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she and her Ministers will give evidence to the European Parliament's Committee of Inquiry on Foot and Mouth. [41359]

§ Mr. Morley
Ministers and officials are ready to meet the Temporary Committee if this would be helpful. We have not yet received formal invitations.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those studies she has undertaken to investigate the impact on agricultural ancillary industries when a case of suspected foot and mouth is under investigation by her Department; what assessment she has made of the effect on ancillary industries of the nature of media reporting of suspected cases of foot and mouth disease; and if she will make a statement. [41687]

§ Alun Michael
DEFRA commissioned a survey of 2,445 businesses in six mainly rural districts of England (Carlisle, Eden, West Devon, East Devon, North Norfolk and Mid-Suffolk) to investigate the economic impacts of foot and mouth disease (FMD). It was undertaken during September 2001. The survey investigated the economic impacts of FMD on selected rural economies in regions which have been affected to varying degrees by FMD.
The key findings of this report were included in the report of the Rural Task Force, published in October 2001 and entitled "Tackling the Impact of Foot and Mouth Disease on the Rural Economy".
The Government responded in December 2001 when I published "England's Rural Future". It is difficult to see how studies could be carried out in the way suggested by the hon. Lady.

§ Mr. Peter Ainsworth
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has(a) requested and (b) received from other public bodies regarding the handling of the foot and mouth epidemic; and if she will place copies of the reports in the Library. [40581]

§ Margaret Beckett
[holding answer 5 March 2002]: It is for the independent Lessons Learned inquiry to make recommendations as to the way in which the Government should handle any future major animal disease outbreak. However, I have received a number of reports from organisations, including Devon county council, Shropshire county council and Northumberland county council. These reports have been placed in the public domain by these organisations.