§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of "oak disease" being found in two more places in the south-west of England, what extra resources in the form of personnel and finance they have allotted to stop this disease. [HL566]
§ Lord WhittyIn response to the increasing number of findings ofPhytophthora ramorum, the Forestry Commission has redirected about 23 staff onto a 61WA woodland survey in England and Wales, to be completed by April 2004, which will help us to assess whether Phytophthora ramorum is present in the wider environment. Resource has also been redirected within the Forest Research Agency into projects that are designed to help us better understand the disease and the effect it might have.
Defra's 75 Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors (PHSI) are already employed for around 20 per cent of their time on inspection and surveillance duties related to this disease. The plant health service will require just over 20 additional staff to cover the increased rate of inspections at production nurseries, wild planting areas and ports of entry, which was announced on 4 December. This is currently estimated to cost over £650,000 to the end of 2004–05. It is proposed that, wherever possible, suitably qualified field staff are transferred from elsewhere in the department. These will be supplemented by recruitment of a small number of staff with appropriate experience and qualifications (for example ex-PHSI staff). Transfer and recruitment will start in January.
Defra is also funding a substantial increase in sample diagnoses undertaken by the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) which is estimated to cost in excess of £750,000 to the end of 2004–05. CSL is also involved in ongoing research into Phytophthora ramorum to the value of £370,000.