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Subsidies

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effects of subsidies in the past 30 years on agricultural innovation, competitiveness and diversity; and if he will make a statement. [126321]

Ms Quin [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Agricultural innovation, competitiveness and diversity have undoubtedly been affected by the levels of subsidy, support and protection offered by the Common Agricultural Policy. The Government are therefore continuing to press for production-related subsidies to be reduced and to seek reforms which will bring about a more market-orientated Common Agricultural Policy, as well as promoting the Rural Development Regulation as a more effective way of promoting competitive agriculture.

Dairy Farmers (East Sussex)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to help dairy farmers in East Sussex. [126296]

Ms Quin [holding answer 20 June 2000]: Following the Prime Minister's Action Plan for Farming, dairy farmers in East Sussex will share in the £22.1 million in agrimonetary compensation being paid to UK dairy farmers in the autumn. Dairy hygiene inspection charges, worth almost £1 million for English dairy farmers, were abolished in the spring. Last autumn's deferral of cattle passport charges was worth some £12 million to dairy farmers.

The Government also facilitated the generic milk promotion campaign. The abolition of the OTMS weight limit also is a significant benefit to dairy farmers.

Organic Farming

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount of money paid under the Common Agricultural Policy to farmers in the UK in the last financial year; and what percentage of this money was paid to organic farmers. [127018]

Ms Quin [holding answer 20 June 2000]: Forecast UK and EU expenditure under the CAP and on national grants and subsidies for 1999-2000 was £3,172 million. Most but not all of this sum will be transferred to the farming industry. The farming industry also benefits from higher food prices as a result of the CAP, which are paid for by consumers.

£11.35 million was spent under the Organic Aid Scheme in 1999-2000. However, organic farmers may also benefit from other aid under the CAP, including the following direct aid premium schemes:

Suckler Cow Premium;

Beef Special Premium;

Sheep Annual Premium;

Extensification Premium;

Arable Area Payments.

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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Best Value

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what representations have been made to his Department on the compliance costs associated with the implementation of Best Value by local authorities; and what account he will take of such representations in deciding funding allocations for local authorities; [126757]

(2) what annual incremental costs he estimates will be incurred over the next five years by local authorities (a) on average and (b) in total in ensuring compliance with the Best Value programme. [126756]

Ms Armstrong: A minority of local authorities, mostly smaller District councils, have made direct representations about the estimated costs of implementing best value. In any particular case, the actual costs will depend on the existing performance of an authority and the arrangements that are already in place to secure year-on-year improvements. Such costs are being considered as part of the current Spending Review, as are the potential benefits arising from the fundamental reviews of performance which best value requires.

For 2000-01, the Government provided an additional £40 million to cover the costs of audit and inspection, £24.25 million of which was provided through Revenue Support Grant (RSG) and £15.75 million in grant to the Audit Commission. In setting their fees for 2000-01, the Audit Commission were asked by the Government to use grant to equalise the impact on different classes of authority, taking into account average predicted levels of RSG, and the Commission consulted on this basis.

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate his Department has made of the average start-up costs for a local authority of implementing Best Value. [126758]

Ms Armstrong: The start-up costs of best value will depend on local circumstances, including current levels of performance, as well as on authorities' own judgments about the management arrangements needed to support it. The Government will commission a programme of independent research later this year designed to measure the full impact of the new policy, including the subsequent savings on service provision and the improvements to service quality.

West Coast Main Line

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what recent representations he has received with regard to fare increases on West Coast mainline services between Liverpool Lime Street and Euston Station; [127204]

(2) what discussions he had with the Rail Regulator with regard to fare increases on West Coast mainline services between Liverpool Lime Street and Euston Station. [127202]

Mr. Hill: The Franchising Director, not the Rail Regulator, is responsible for fares regulation. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Franchising Director about fare increases on West Coast

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Main Line services between Liverpool Lime Street and Euston station, nor has he received any representations about fare increases on these services. On InterCity routes the Franchising Director regulates the Saver fare which between Liverpool and London has fallen from £48.30 in September 1999 to £45 from May 2000. All other fares between these two points are unregulated.

Regional Development Agencies

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the total cost to his Department of the setting up of the Regional Development Agencies. [127432]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) spent £5.138 million in the four months before they were established on 1 April 1999. Some additional set-up costs may have arisen, but these are not separately identified in RDA's administration budgets.

NATS

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with (a) Lockheed Martin and (b) the New Zealand air traffic control system, Airways Corporation, on the future of air-traffic control; and if he will make a statement. [127213]

Mr. Mullin: The Department has held discussions with a number of companies in connection with the NATS PPP on the future of air traffic control. In accordance with our agreements with those companies, their identities cannot be revealed. Furthermore, in order to maintain a competitive and level playing field, the Department does not intend to release the identities of bidding companies and consortia in future stages of the PPP process.

School Travel Resource Packs

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department has spent on the school travel resource packs launched in May; and what budget is allocated for this publication. [127593]

Mr. Hill: The Department spent £13,500 researching the content of the resource pack and has so far spent £46,500 on production and distribution. The budget allocated for the publication (excluding research) is £110,000.

Transport Plan

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the level of funding necessary to meet the requirements of the 10-year transport plan. [127594]

Mr. Hill: The Ten Year Plan, including the levels of funding, will be published after the Spending Review.

Written Questions

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many written parliamentary questions were tabled to his

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Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000; and how many have not received substantive answers, citing disproportionate cost as the reason. [127433]

Ms Beverley Hughes: For the period in question, there have been 36 occasions where my Department has cited disproportionate cost as the reason for not providing substantive answers out of a total of 2,865 parliamentary questions.

British Airways

Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the reasons which caused him to overturn the CAA's Decision 4/99 of 23 December 1999 in favour of British Airways. [127366]

Mr. Mullin: The Secretary of State's reasons were set out in full in my Department's Decision Letter issued on 5 April this year, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the occasions, since 1 May 1997, on which he has upheld an appeal by British Airways against a CAA route licence decision, setting out, in each case, the route involved and the original CAA decision. [127365]

Mr. Mullin: The only occasion on which the Secretary of State has upheld an appeal by British Airways against a CAA route licensing decision since 1 May 1997 was in respect of CAA Decision 4/99 of 23 December 1999 on the appointment of scarce bilateral capacity between the UK and South Africa. The CAA originally decided in favour of Virgin Atlantic Airways, but the Secretary of State overturned its decision on appeal and directed it to award the available capacity to British Airways.

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