§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of private veterinary surgeons have received training for each notifiable disease from her Department and its predecessors in the last five years. [54224]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 7 May 2002]: Private Veterinarians are appointed as Local Veterinary Inspectors (LVIs) by the Department in order to carry out specific functions.
Part of the appointment process involves departmental training in those areas to which the appointment relates. The objectives of such training are to improve the ability and performance of the LVI in carrying out work for the Department and to provide motivation to achieve and maintain satisfactory standards.
Following a successful assessment of the trainee's suitability a temporary appointment of six months will be established. During this period an assessment of the officers' competence will be made. Satisfactory assessment leads to a full appointment.
163WIt is the responsibility of the Department to maintain a level of training suitable for the LVI to perform his or her functions. Training is complemented with written instructions, newsletters and practice liaison meetings during which new issues and instructions are discussed. The department's official journal of the SVS—State Veterinary Journal—is published and distributed to LVI practices bi-annually. These publications have included a series of articles on notifiable diseases. All LVI's have access to a departmental veterinary officer 24 hours a day 365 days a year.