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Departmental Smoking Policy

Mr. Crausby: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to reduce smoking in his Department. [105809]

Mr. Morley: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has a Smoking at Work Policy which has been in place since 1994. Smoking is only allowed on Ministry premises in suitably equipped and ventilated rooms. In the few premises where it is not feasible to provide dedicated facilities, a total ban on smoking has been introduced. The Policy applies to all staff and visitors--it is made known to job applicants, forming part of the recruitment and advertising literature.

Support for smokers who would like to stop smoking is available for staff within the Ministry.

Farm Subsidies (Shropshire)

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a breakdown of subsidy payments to farmers in Shropshire in the last year for which data are available; and if he will make a statement. [105528]

Ms Quin: Subsidy payments to farmers in Shropshire for 1998 were as follows:

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	£
CAP Schemes
Beef Special Premium	5,756,340
Environmentally Sensitive Area	1,506,008
Arable Area	22,562,468
Suckler Cow Premium	4,712,063
Sheep Annual Premium	6,842,521
Other Payments(14)	784,446
Guidance Schemes
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance	1,416,414
Farm and Conservation Grants (1989 Scheme)	5,488
Farm and Conservation Grants (1991 Scheme)	1,997

(14) A small proportion of this total relates to non CAP schemes funded by the EU.

In some cases amounts include an element of national as well as EU funding.

Beef Special Premium Scheme

Mr. Sawford: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what was the (a) total value of payments made annually under the beef special premium scheme and (b) average payment per farmer, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [105207]

(2) how much money was received from the European Union for funding the beef special premium scheme, and how much was paid to British farmers, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [105205]

(3) how many claims were made under the beef special premium scheme, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; how many of these were rejected; and what percentage this figure represents, of the total number of claims. [105206]

Ms Quin: The information given refers to England only. All payments made were 100 per cent. funded by the EU.

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	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Annual payments (£)	81,320,242	101,908,237	112,923,171	108,482,281	101,157,691
Average payment per farmer (£)	1,888.02	2,412.43	2,693.46	2,697.29	2,654.57
Number of claims made	114,599	123,221	135,877	134,373	117,311
Number of claims rejected	2,023	1,994	2,263	2,108	1,349
Rejected claims as a percentage of the total claims made	1.77	1.62	1.67	1.57	1.15

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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Insolvency

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his position regarding the draft regulation on insolvency proceedings, indicating the ways in which the regulation differs from the 1995 Convention in terms of financial impact through cost compliance. [106387]

Dr. Howells: The draft Regulation on insolvency proceedings was considered by the Council of Ministers on 2 December 1999 and will be further considered later this year.

A Compliance Cost Assessment was prepared as part of an Explanatory Memorandum dated 10 July 1996 on the draft Convention on insolvency proceedings. A

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Regulatory Impact Assessment was also prepared as part of an Explanatory Memorandum dated 23 September 1999 on the draft EC Council Regulation on insolvency proceedings. Copies of both documents were placed in the Library of the House.

Parental Leave

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the scope of the parental leave regulations; and if he will make a statement. [106830]

Mr. Alan Johnson: The Department received over 300 responses to the consultation on the draft Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations. Since the publication of the final regulations it has received a wide range of views

25 Jan 2000 : Column: 195W

on various aspects of the legislation from both employers' and employees' representatives, individuals and other interested parties.

We are of the view that the regulations fully meet the requirements of the Parental Leave Directive and fairly balance the needs of employees and the concerns of employers.

Ice Cream Industry

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received from ice cream manufacturers on (a) competition within and (b) barriers to entry to the ice cream industry. [106140]

Dr. Howells: My Department has received a number of representations from ice cream manufacturers about the ice cream market.

MOX Fuel

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when BNFL first informed the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of a problem with MOX fuel that had been dispatched to Japan. [105723]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 20 January 2000]: I understand that the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) was first notified by BNFL on 10 September 1999 of a problem concerning the possible falsification of quality assurance data for MOX fuel manufactured at the MOX Demonstration Facility. I understand BNFL told NII they were investigating the possibility that the problem affected both fuel still in the plant and already dispatched to Japan.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department was first informed of a quality control problem at the BNFL MOX Demonstration Facility involving Japanese fuel. [105724]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 20 January 2000]: My Department was first notified by BNFL on 10 September 1999 of a problem concerning falsification of quality assurance data for MOX fuel manufactured at the MOX Demonstration Facility.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the supply of MOX fuel by BNFL to Switzerland and Japan. [105725]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 20 January 2000]: BNFL will continue to pursue Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel business in overseas markets. In Japan, in particular, the company is making major efforts to rebuild confidence.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) when BNFL first informed the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of a problem with MOX fuel that had been supplied to a Swiss utility; [105721]

(2) when his Department were first informed of a problem with MOX fuel supplied by BNFL to a Swiss utility; [105722]

(3) by what methods the damaged MOX fuel supplied by BNFL to a Swiss utility was returned to the UK for examination; when the fuel was returned; and if he will place copies of the assessments made in the Library; [105727]

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(4) what action was taken by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate regarding the problem with BNFL MOX fuel supplied to a Swiss utility. [105726]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 20 January 2000]: A batch of 12 MOX fuel assemblies each containing 179 individual fuel pins supplied by BNFL were delivered to NOK's Beznau 1 reactor in November 1995. During a routine shutdown of the reactor in September 1997, it was confirmed that fuel pins in three of these assemblies had failed. The suspect fuel pins were removed from the affected assemblies and returned to BNFL by road and sea in March 1998 using the approved nuclear materials transport flasks which are routinely used in the transport of irradiated nuclear fuel. Post irradiation examination was undertaken by BNFL and the results provided to NOK. The assessments made on the fuel pins in question contain commercially confidential data which are a matter for BNFL and NOK. The matter is referred to in the annual reports for 1997 and 1998 published by the Swiss nuclear safety regulator, HSK. I have asked the Company Secretary of BNFL to write to my hon. Friend enclosing copies of the relevant extracts from those reports. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

I understand that, as this is a matter for the Swiss nuclear safety regulator rather than the UK's nuclear safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, BNFL did not inform the NII about it.

My Department first became aware of a problem concerning MOX supplied by BNFL to the Swiss utility NOK on 14 September 1999.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make a statement on the case of BNFL staff who have been dismissed in connection with allegations of falsifying quality control data for MOX fuel; [105832]

(2) if BNFL plans further disciplinary measures against members of their staff following the falsification of MOX fuel quality control data. [105831]

Mrs. Liddell: [holding answers 20 January 2000]: These are matters for BNFL's management. To date, three workers have been dismissed, and further disciplinary actions have been taken, or are in train, against a number of individuals.

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