Chamber and committees

Direct responsibility for the safety of food served in schools rests with the environmental health departments of each local authority. They ensure that the relevant caterers meet the standards required of all food businesses; this includes ensuring food is fit for human consumption, has been provided by a reputable supplier and has been prepared and served in a safe manner.

These costs fall to the UK Exchequer. In Scotland, as at 8 May 2001, the cost of compensation for the compulsory slaughter is currently around £170 million. Almost £150 million of this is in Dumfries and Galloway with the rest chiefly being in the Borders. At this stage it is not clear what contribution towards these costs will be forthcoming from the European Union. The costs incurred by Dumfries and Galloway and Borders Councils are being assessed by the councils concerned.

There are no plans to close Stobhill Hospital or the Victoria Infirmary. Greater Glasgow Health Board's proposal to transfer services at the Western Infirmary to modern facilities at Gartnavel General Hospital and elsewhere in the city, and subsequently to close the Western, was approved in 1996 by the Secretary of State for Scotland at that time.The modernisation of acute hospital services in Glasgow is currently under review by the health board. There is ongoing consultation on potential options, and selected options are now being appraised.

The Scottish Executive has announced record funding for the NHS. Health boards' unified budgets have increased to £4.4 billion in 2001-02 with individual board increases ranging from 5.5% to 9.8%. It is for health boards and NHS Trusts to decide how to apply these increased resources to meet the healthcare needs of the population of their areas.

Revised movement controls, effective from 1 May, permit the transfer of store and fat animals from the Scottish islands through collecting centres licensed for that purpose. Orkney Auction Mart has been granted collecting centre status and movements first occurred on Monday 14 May.

This is a matter for Greater Glasgow Health Board as employer. It is, however, a normal expectation that NHS staff work their notice period. The continued employment of the current Chief Executive until the end of September provides for an element of management continuity while the board recruits a replacement.

The vaccination contingency plan was prepared only for cattle, and only for the three areas of Dumfries, North Cumbria and Devon. It is therefore not possible to give figures for sheep or pigs. The estimated cost of setting up and delivering a vaccination programme for cattle, including the cost of vaccine, is between £8 and £10 a head.

We have taken steps to ease the cashflow problems of all farmers by paying the main livestock subsidies amounting to £146 million as early as possible in April and May. I have also announced the payment of £24 million of agrimonetary compensation to beef, sheep and dairy farmers during the same period. We are seeking the maximum flexibility possible under CAP rules to ensure that farmers do not lose out when they are unable to comply fully with scheme rules as a direct result of the foot and mouth outbreak.Farmers will be paid at market value or on the basis of a specific valuation for stock culled as part of the measures to control the outbreak and arrangements are in place to reimburse farmers for animals slaughtered for welfare reasons.We are also working with a wide range of agencies to ensure that farmers have ready access to information and advice on coping with practical, financial, business and emotional problems. To help with this process the Executive has set up a Farm Business Support Steering Group for the south of Scotland which comprises representatives from the Executive, Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway, the National Farmers' Union of Scotland and the local farming community.Our primary aims are built around stopping the spread of the disease and restoring normal trading conditions as quickly as possible. A medium-term recovery strategy is also being prepared drawing on the longer-term Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture which I had intended to launch in early March this year before the start of the foot and mouth outbreak.

These statistics appear in the regular Parliament's Reference Centre Foot and Mouth Briefing Note.

The SERAD website (under Foot and Mouth Disease (Ascertainment of Value) (Scotland) (No 3) Order 2001) provides information on average costs per animal slaughtered. Costs for all categories of sheep, pigs and cattle are listed. Restocking costs are not included.