HC Deb 24 February 2004 vol 418 cc349-50W
Mr. Paterson

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the(a) operational and (b) safety impact of including steaming time in the days at sea allowance. [150324]

Mr. Bradshaw

For vessels using demersal trawls of over 100 mm mesh, the total allocation of days per month is 15, the same as last year, though the total last year included a separately identified element for steaming days. There need, therefore, be no differential impact this year. We do not, however, propose to require vessels to include time lost in life-threatening circumstances at sea (such as going to the aid of another vessel in distress) as part of their allocation.

fieldwork and other costs for the last five years for which figures are available; and what the actual spending was in each year. [155083]

Mr. Bradshaw

Historical information on the budgets originally set for various elements of the bovine TB programme is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, a breakdown of the actual spend for the last five financial years is shown in the following table:

Mr. Paterson

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the economic impact on the UK retail market of the UK fishing fleet producing a surplus of haddock in the absence of adequate cod supplies. [152368]

Mr. Bradshaw

Because of the global nature of the markets for the main whitefish species, the impact of such changes is difficult to quantify, since there is no simple relationship between local catch levels and market prices.