Friday 7 July 2000
Written Answers to Questions

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
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Mr Paisley Jnr asked the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister to detail for the period since devolution (i) the district councils visited by each Minister; (ii) the dates of the visits; (iii) the subjects discussed.

Dr Adamson asked the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister why public information about the devolution of powers to Northern Ireland, available in English and Gaelic, has not been made available in the Ulster-Scots language and in the languages of the ethnic minorities.

(AQW 698/99)

Reply: Information about the devolution of powers to Northern Ireland was published at the time of devolution and repeated at the reinstatement of devolution to describe and explain to the public the new institutions arising directly from the agreement. The information was printed only in English and Irish, following the format used for the agreement.

Mr Paisley Jnr asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail for the period since devolution (i) the district councils she has visited; (ii) the dates of the visits; (iii) the subjects discussed.

(AQW 691/99)

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ms Rodgers): During the period in question one district council area was visited.

On 27 January 2000 I met with the chairman and members of Strabane District Council to see, at first hand, sites bordering on the River Mourne that had been affected by flooding due to the exceptional heavy rainfall during December 1999.

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if an evaluation of alternative approaches to eradicating sheep scab has been undertaken.

(AQW 706/99)

Ms Rodgers: No, but the Government are funding a major programme of research, costing £1.6 million, into alternative strategies to control sheep scab. These projects include basic studies on the biology of the scab mite and aim to identify aspects of the mite’s physiology which might be targets for alternative control methods. These might include vaccines, fungi pathogenic to the mites, means of altering the allergic response of the sheep, or means of interfering with the feeding process of the mite. My Department will be advised of the findings in due course.

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if the Department has considered an alternative strategy in the event of a major outbreak of sheep scab during the period when farmers are without organophosphates.

(AQW 707/99)

Ms Rodgers: No. The Government’s decision to suspend the marketing of OP sheep dips is a temporary measure whilst companies improve container design. Advice from the expert scientific Veterinary Products Committee is expected shortly, following which the position will be urgently reviewed. Also, there are alternative, effective treatments available for the treatment of sheep scab, including synthetic pyrethroid dips, pour-ons and injectable products.

Mrs I Robinson asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to confirm the economic cost to farmers of the withdrawal of organophosphate sheep dips.

(AQW 710/99)

Ms Rodgers: The cost of dipping sheep is estimated at 30p per animal (product cost only). To achieve the same breadth of protection using an injectable and pour-on would cost about 80p per animal. Whilst the Government recognise that this is an added cost, current OP containers present a safety hazard to users, and the Government are doing all they can to assist in the return of OP dips as soon as proposals for improved containers have been found to be acceptable.

Mr Kane asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what steps will be taken to ensure that imbalances do not occur when less-favoured areas payments are made on a land area basis.

(AQW 717/99)

Ms Rodgers: The Commission has challenged the Department’s proposed LFA compensatory allowances scheme in the way it is targeted at suckler cow and sheep producers and with the indirect link to production levels within the scheme. Both these elements served to limit the payments imbalances likely to occur in the switch from the headage-based HLCA scheme to the new area-based scheme. As negotiations with the commission proceed, I am hopeful that targeting will be accepted, though it seems clear that a headage link will not.

Since the scheme must fit within the legislative framework, it is inevitable that there will be some redistribution of funds. The extent will depend on what we can agree with the commission, and the Department will be looking for the best scheme for Northern Ireland that we can get. To ease redistribution the Department will be seeking to include some provision in the revised scheme for phasing in the new payments arrangements, possibly over the first three years.

Mr Armstrong asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to confirm that Northern Ireland will receive a share of the funding available for the United Kingdom’s pig restructuring scheme, based on its proportion of the United Kingdom sow population in June 1998, irrespective of the uptake in Northern Ireland of the outgoers element of the scheme.

(AQW 723/99)

Ms Rodgers: It is not possible to give the assurance that the Member seeks. The scheme will be operated on a UK-wide basis, and our share will ultimately be determined by the quantity and quality of Northern Ireland applications accepted for aid under it. I and my officials will endeavour to ensure that the scheme operates on a level playing field throughout the UK so that Northern Ireland pig producers receive a fair proportion of the available funding.

EU Commission approval for the introduction of the proposed scheme is still awaited. It should also be borne in mind that a 16% reduction in UK capacity will have to be achieved during the outgoers phase of the scheme to enable the ongoers element to proceed.

Mr Armstrong asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what is the current position in regard to the rejection by the European Union Commission of the plan for future less-favoured areas support; whether she will act to ensure that the redistribution of funds with the less-favoured areas is minimised; and if she will make a statement.

(AQW 724/99)

Ms Rodgers: The situation regarding the new less-favoured areas compensatory allowances scheme is that the Commission has sought clarification regarding targeting the allowances at suckler cow and sheep producers and with the link to production levels that exists within the scheme. The Commission views these as possibly incompatible with the legislation. My Department, along with the other UK Agriculture Departments, has continued to negotiate with the Commission and is now hopeful that targeting will be permitted where the need can be objectively demonstrated. It is, however, unlikely that any link to production levels will be permitted.

The degree of redistribution of funds between the old and new schemes will depend on the nature of the scheme finally agreed. I want this to be as good a scheme as we can get for Northern Ireland, but it has to fit within the regulatory framework. As it seems inevitable that there will be some redistribution of funds, we will be seeking to include some provision for phasing in the new payment arrangements, possibly over the first three years.

Mr Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what is the current position in regard to proposals for a new LEADER plan initiative (2000-06); whether there are plans to mainstream this type of rural development; and if decisions will be made locally.

(AQW 725/99)

Ms Rodgers: Work has begun on preparing the Northern Ireland proposals. A consultation document was issued by the Department on 8 March 2000, with a closing date for responses of 21 April. A total of 44 submissions have been received. I have written to all those who received a copy of the consultation document to advise them of the outcome of the consultation exercise. However, I want the consultation to be an ongoing process rather than a one-off event. Therefore on 28 June I invited prospective local action groups to submit summaries of their proposed strategies for their areas. This will allow me to consider how the aims, objectives and criteria of LEADER+ in Northern Ireland should be drafted to avoid excluding good proposals brought forward by local groups.

LEADER+ will form an integral part of the Northern Ireland rural development programme. As such, it will be mainstreamed into the Department’s work in rural areas.

All LEADER+ funding will be delivered by local action groups made up of representatives from local public-sector, private-sector and community organisations. These groups will have responsibility for drawing up and delivering development strategies in their areas. Therefore decisions on LEADER+ will be made locally by these groups.

Mr Shannon asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development if farmers not affiliated to farming unions will be consulted as part of the Government’s action plan on the designation of nitrogen vulnerable zones.

(AQW 737/99)

Ms Rodgers: The designation of three nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) in Northern Ireland took place in January 1999 following a detailed scientific survey of nitrate levels in both ground and surface waters. This is fully in accordance with the provisions of the EU Nitrate Directive. While these NVZ designations will remain, the results of that survey produced no information which would justify the designation of any further NVZs in Northern Ireland. Consequently, there are no plans to designate further NVZs in Northern Ireland, and therefore the question of further consultation does not arise.

I understand that before the Environment and Heritage Service designated the existing NVZs, all known landowners in each zone were contacted, irrespective of their affiliation to the farming unions. However, these operational questions are matters for the Department of the Environment, and any further questions in regard to this should be addressed to my ministerial colleague Sam Foster.

The Member should be aware that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has prepared an information pack for farmers in the existing NVZs and has provided them with the opportunity to receive a farm visit to help them understand what is required in practical terms. I suggest that the Member advise any of his constituents who may be concerned to approach my Department’s county agricultural development office to avail themselves of this assistance.

Mr Bradley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to describe what plans exist for an information technology training programme specifically designed for the farming community.

(AQO 388/99)

1. The Department, through Greenmount College and Enniskillen College, provides tailored IT training for farmers and growers. To date over 2,000 farmers and growers have received basic IT skills training, mainly at introductory and intermediate level, with some progressing to advanced level.

2. It is planned to expand the training programme with courses being offered at DARD’s Colleges and at various other locations throughout the province. A priority will be for more people to achieve a higher level qualification – the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL).

3. In addition, under the Agenda for Government I have secured new funding of £800,000 for an Information and Communication Technology Initiative. This will improve access to information technology equipment and skills particularly for farmers with small businesses and in the west. There will be new access points to use information technology at a range of venues, and we will support these with training and high speed links.

4. Following a pilot seminar this year, a series of ‘hands on’ E-commerce workshops for farmers and growers will commence in Autumn 2000. It is also proposed to expand the level of training and support for the adoption of ICT by the farming community under the CSF.

Mr Close asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what steps will be taken to mitigate the financial, social and environmental consequences of the Department’s current revised proposals for a new less-favoured area scheme, which could involve losses for over 10,000 marginal beef and sheep farmers.

(AQO 377/99)

Ms Rodgers: The Department is endeavouring to devise a scheme that meets the requirements of Council Regulation 1257/1999 while at the same time minimising the redistribution of funds across beneficiaries. The proposals put to the EU Commission achieved this with a good measure of success, but unfortunately the Commission had difficulty with the targeting of specific enterprises and with the link to headage levels. The Department, along with the other UK Agriculture Departments, has continued to negotiate with the Commission and is now hopeful that targeting the key enterprises will be permitted. It is, however, unlikely that any link to headage levels will be permitted.

The new LFA scheme will have more environmental conditions attached to it than its predecessor, the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances Scheme. Payment rates will take into account TSN (Targeting Social Need) considerations.

Work on the revised scheme is ongoing.

Mr Leslie asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what assessment she has made of the standard of skills teaching in colleges of agriculture in Northern Ireland.

(AQO  391/99)

1. All courses at the colleges of agriculture are accredited by national awarding organisations and, as such, are subject to their quality-assurance systems. For both full-time and part-time courses, external examiners/verifiers visit each college several times per academic year to monitor the standard of teaching and assessment and give feedback.

2. Each college has a course advisory board, which includes representatives from industry. These boards give an overall direction and assure the quality of the college courses.

3. DARD has an agreement with DHFETE whereby the education and training inspectorate, supplemented by specialist expertise from GB, carries out regular inspections at the DARD colleges.

Mr Hussey asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to detail the progress and priority status of each of the projects to alleviate flooding problems in Northern Ireland.

(AQO  369/99)

Ms Rodgers: I have seen at first hand the problem in the Member’s own constituency and understand the urgency of seeking solutions. The Rivers Agency of my Department has prioritised and is taking forward an extensive flood-alleviation programme costing some £8 million in the current financial year. As this programme covers a large number of separate locations throughout Northern Ireland too numerous to list here, I have arranged for full details to be placed in the Assembly Library. I would mention, however, that high-priority, high-investment flood-alleviation schemes protecting major urban centres are under way in Newry, Newtownards, Belfast, Ballymena and Limavady. Other substantial flood-alleviation projects, for Kells and Ballymurphy, will commence this summer.

Mr Ford asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to clarify the position in regard to the policy of the European Commission towards future arrangements for the payment of hill livestock compensatory allowances; and if she will make a statement.

(AQO  379/99)

Ms Rodgers: The Department is endeavouring to devise an area-based scheme to replace the hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme that meets the requirements of Council Regulation 1257/1999 while at the same time minimising the redistribution of funds across beneficiaries. The proposals put to the EU Commission achieved this with a good measure of success, but unfortunately the Commission had difficulty with the targeting of specific enterprises and with the link to headage levels. The Department, along with the other UK Agriculture Departments, has continued to negotiate with the Commission and is now hopeful that targeting the key enterprises will be permitted. It is, however, unlikely that any link to headage levels will be permitted as this is not consistent with the desired move to an area-based scheme. Work is ongoing.

Mr McFarland asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide information on the European Union’s intentions to review its Sheepmeat Regime.

(AQO  390/99)

Ms Rodgers: We do not know the EU Commission’s intentions in detail, but we understand that it is in the process of reviewing the sheepmeat regime. It is not clear the extent of any change which might emerge or find agreement because of the differing agendas of the various member states. If and when any firm proposals are brought forward, the views of the industry and of the Assembly’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee will be sought as appropriate.

Rev Dr Ian Paisley asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development what initiatives will be taken to attract young people into farming as a full-time career.

(AQO  371/99)

1. My Department has trained schools liaison officers who visit schools and attend careers conventions throughout the province to offer guidance to potential young entrants, thus helping young people and/or their parents to assess future prospects and identify the most suitable course for career needs.

2. The agricultural colleges provide high-quality full-time and part-time courses in agriculture, horticulture and equine studies. The courses provided are continually updated to meet industry’s evolving needs.

3. The Department, in partnership with others, also offers a multi-skilling programme which gives young people the opportunity to train in agriculture and another discipline, thus providing the necessary skills to farm part-time and also secure employment off the farm.

4. While there are no specific initiatives planned for young farmers under the next round of structural funds, I am confident that they will benefit from the proposals which are being negotiated with the European Commission.

Mr McGrady asked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to outline what discussions have taken place, or are planned, at a North/South Ministerial Council meeting concerning a permanent quota swap arrangement for cod and whiting between fishermen in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland, and if she will make a statement.

(AQO  368/99)

Ms Rodgers: I have not had, nor do I plan to have, any discussion at a North/South Ministerial Council concerning a permanent swap arrangement for cod and whiting. Issues of international quota swaps fall outwith the remit of the North/South Ministerial Council. However, I am in continual contact with colleagues in MAFF and SERAD on a wide range of fisheries issues, including the application of the Hague preference arrangements, which I know is a matter of considerable interest to local fishermen. When the TACs for 2001 are being negotiated in December I will ensure that the effects of the Hague preference on local fishermen are minimised.

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