Questions and Answers

Recess dates

THE COMMONS will rise for the summer recess on 27 July and return on 19 October, said Margaret Beckett, Leader of the Commons.

British pork

THE GOVERNMENT will put pressure on prisons, health authorities and councils to buy pork from British producers, said Nick Brown, Minister of Agriculture. He added that he would be writing to the authorities pointing out the quality and animal welfare standards of pork produced in the UK.

Swift justice

FAST-TRACK procedures to bring criminal cases to court should be used in November, John Morris, the Attorney General, announced. They have been tried at six sites and "initial indications are that the pilots have worked well", he said.