HC Deb 17 October 2002 vol 390 c917W
Mr. Stephen O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans exist for dealing with further outbreaks of foot and mouth disease. [72361]

Mr. Morley

Contingency plans for a future outbreak of foot and mouth disease are set out in Defra's interim contingency plan, which is available on the Defra website with an electronic mailbox for comments.

Michael Fabricant

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her assessment of the reports she has received over the last four months on the foot and mouth outbreak. [72373]

Mr. Morley

I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made to the House on 22 July 2002,Official Report, column 669.

Mr. Bellingham

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she next expects to meet representatives of the livestock farming sector to discuss the lessons to he learned from the recent foot and mouth epidemic. [72374]

Mr. Morley

I and my ministerial colleagues meet livestock industry representatives on a regular basis. My noble Friend the Minister for Food and Farming chaired a meeting last month with a wide range of interested parties to discuss the Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiry reports.