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Railways (Investment)

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to increase the level of investment in the railways; and if he will make a statement. [128133]

Mr. Hill: Our plans for future investment in the railways are subject to the outcome of the Spending Review 2000, and will be detailed in our forthcoming Ten Year Plan for Transport. We will set out in our Ten Year Plan for Transport a programme of measures for delivering at least a 75 per cent. increase in rail freight movements and a 50 per cent. increase in rail passenger journeys.

Heathrow

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with BAA concerning the effect of a fifth terminal at Heathrow on his carbon dioxide emission reduction target. [127897]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 28 June 2000]: None. It would not be appropriate to hold such discussions because the planning application for a fifth terminal was the subject of a Public Inquiry and the Secretary of State awaits the Inspector's report. Carbon dioxide issues were considered during the Inquiry and he will take these into account as part of the decision making process.

29 Jun 2000 : Column: 607W

Global Warming

Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effects of global warming in the next 50 years on the (a) area of agricultural land that may be lost and (b) number of people displaced by loss of land in the United Kingdom. [127655]

Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.

The land below high tide level is already vulnerable to flooding and depends on flood and coastal defences. These low lying areas form around 5 per cent. of the land area of England, including a similar proportion of the developed urban land, and over 50 per cent. of the highest grade agricultural land.

This land could be at increased risk through climate change. We need to respond to the challenge primarily by ensuring that, where necessary and appropriate, existing defences are replaced and upgraded. Since 1989, MAFF has issued flood and coastal defence operating authorities with allowances for sea level rise for them to take into account when designing new or upgraded schemes; these allowances reflect both climate change and long term geological land movement.

However, the response to climate change cannot be automatically to surround Britain in concrete by building ever higher sea defences. Sustainability is a key criterion and we cannot commit future generations to unsustainable defence options. In assessing defence options the operating authorities need to consider alternative approaches including "managed realignment" of defences to reduce such pressure on the inter-tidal area, compensate for habitat losses and provide more sustainable long term lines of coastal defence. Decisions on such matters will need to be made by the operating authorities over the coming years.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Staff Secondments

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Mr. Willis), of 8 February 2000, Official Report, column 132W, on secondments, if he will give the names, grades and job titles of the staff seconded into his Department from each organisation mentioned, stating in each case the name of the section they were seconded to and a summary of the work that they were involved with. [128251]

Mr. Lock: Secondments and attachments are part of the Interchange Initiative, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. Before an Interchange can occur, all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises.

The secondment to the Law Commission was of a solicitor to work on a company law reform project; and the secondee from ICL provided an external perspective on information systems/information technology strategy work in the LCD and on the development of the Department's Year 2000 programme.

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WALES

Post Offices

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards post offices and its impact on Wales. [128580]

Mr. Paul Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry yesterday announced the publication of the Performance and Innovation Unit's report commissioned by the Prime Minister, "Counter Revolution: Modernising the Post Office Network", and the Government's response to this (Vol. 352, columns 907-11). The Government fully accept the PIU's 24 recommendations and will work in partnership with the Post Office and the devolved Administrations to build a bright future for a modernised network, including more than 1,500 post offices in Wales.

My right hon. Friend outlined today how the Government will act to protect a nationwide network of post offices:

We are requiring the Post Office to maintain the rural network and to prevent any avoidable closures of post offices;

We have made the budgetary provision to back up this commitment where necessary, on the basis of powers taken in the Postal Services Bill to give subsidies;

We will provide funding to improve post offices in deprived urban areas and sustain post offices and retail facilities in deprived urban areas. The National Assembly for Wales will receive a share of new funding available in England and will be responsible for deciding whether it wishes to implement similar proposals in the urban post offices in Wales;

We will work with the Post Office and the devolved Administrations on pilot schemes to use post offices as sites for information on Government services and internet access learning points;

We want the Post Office to set up a Universal bank to help address the problems of financial exclusion. This will be the vehicle for delivering our pledge that people will still be able to get their benefits in cash at the Post Office after the switch to Automated Credit Transfer;

£480 million has already been invested in HORIZON, a project to automate the entire Post Office network by next spring.

The Government want the Post Office to work creatively to seize new lines of business suggested in the PIU report, such as the Universal bank, one-stop shops for Government information and transactions and the opportunities offered by e-commerce, so the network is not dependent on subsidy. However, Government funding will be available to support our proposals as necessary and we have identified funding in the current spending review. Precise figures will be announced in July as part of the Spending Review.

Most of these proposals are for the UK Government to take forward with the Post Office, although some will be for the Assembly to decide on. In areas which fall within the Assembly's policy remit, Wales will receive a share of any new funding and it will be for the Assembly to decide how it uses that money. I am in close contact with the First Secretary on this matter and the Assembly will no doubt wish to make its own announcement in due course.

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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Farmers Markets

6. Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to encourage farmers markets. [127036]

13. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to promote and encourage the development of farmers markets. [127042]

Ms Quin: My right hon. Friend the Minister attended the launch of the National Association of Farmers Markets as well as a number of individual farmers markets. He also wrote to the leaders of all local authorities drawing their attention to the new association and the benefits which farmers markets can bring. The National Association of Farmers Markets was offered a grant under the first round of the agricultural development scheme. For the future, we are considering bids under the 2nd round of the ADS and farmers markets will be potentially eligible for financial support under the provisions of the England rural development plan.

23. Mr. Plaskitt: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met with the National Association of Farmers Markets to discuss the farmers market movement. [127054]

Ms Quin: My right hon. Friend the Minister met the National Association of Farmers Markets at their launch on 25 May.

26. Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of farmers markets in the UK. [127057]

Ms Quin: The National Association of Farmers Markets has recently estimated that there are now over 200 farmers markets in regular operation across the country.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

14. Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the Staffordshire Moorlands and Staffordshire Peak District area has benefited from the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. [127043]

Mr. Morley: In my hon. Friend's constituency the majority of agri-environment expenditure is channelled through the Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme rather than the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. There are over 700 ESA agreements in the South West Peak covering 23,700 hectares. In Staffordshire as a whole there are 230 agreements under the Countryside Stewardship and Arable Stewardship, and a further 81 applications this year which are awaiting processing.

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