| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Fishing Industry
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will provide aid for the English fishing industry in similar terms to that operated in Scotland. [12811]
Mr. Morley: Grant aid is available in England for similar schemes to those available in Scotland, under the terms of the EU Structural Fund for fisheries including grant for decommissioning fishing vessels.
Countryside Stewardship Schemes
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase the area of farmed land subject to Countryside Stewardship schemes. [12810]
Mr. Morley: Our plans for a major expansion of the Countryside Stewardship budget are well known. As part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), expenditure on agri-environment schemes is scheduled to increase from £119 million this year to £197 million in 2006–07. From the total ERDP budget of £1.6 billion, £500 million has been allocated to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme over the period. As a result, each year we will be accepting roughly double the number of applications compared to 1999 and we expect to add over half a million hectares of land to that already covered by the scheme (currently about a quarter of a million hectares) over the last 10 years.
BSE and Scrapie
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to publish scientific advice to Ministers relating to BSE and scrapie. [12798]
Mr. Morley: In all matters relating to BSE and scrapie, the Government have been open and transparent. We will continue to put scientific advice to Government in the public domain, encouraging a culture of openness, trusting the public and stimulating informed public debate. To this end the Government's advisory committee on BSE matters
9 Nov 2001 : Column: 449W
(the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC)) publishes summaries of all its meetings. These aim to explain the reasoning behind SEAC advice.
Southern Water Supplies
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will conduct an inquiry into Southern Water Services Ltd. supplies to Fulston Manor and Higham grammar schools since November 1999. [12423]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 5 November 2001]: Any customer who has a complaint against a water undertaker should refer it to the Ofwat Customer Services Committee for the appropriate region, although I understand that the problems at Fulston Manor and Higham grammar schools relate not to the supply of water to the premises by Southern Water, but to pipes within the premises, which are the responsibility of the customer.
Domestic Refrigerators
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to encourage environmentally friendly disposal of domestic refrigerators; and if she will make a statement. [11664]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 5 November 2001]: The disposal of domestic refrigerators is subject to waste management controls, under Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which are designed to prevent harm to human health and the environment. From 1 January 2002, the EC Regulation on Ozone Depletion Substances will require "controlled substances" (including CFCs) in coolants and in insulating foam to be removed before recycling or reclamation of domestic refrigerator units. The Department will finalise shortly guidance on CFC extraction plant and guidance on the storage of waste refrigeration equipment, prior to CFC extraction.
Livestock Movements
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial assistance she makes available for livestock movements; and if she will make a statement. [12350]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 5 November 2001]: The current foot and mouth disease movement controls require that all animals to be moved are inspected by a local veterinary inspector (LVI). These veterinary inspections are carried out at DEFRA's expense.
Movement Licences
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what investigation she has made into the operation of the single occupancy movement licences scheme; and if she will make a statement. [12347]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 5 November 2001]: Sole occupancy movement licences were introduced on 8 October to provide for the regular movement of livestock between premises in the same ownership and occupation within a maximum diameter of 20.0 kms. Licences are issued under the authority of the divisional veterinary manager only after an assessment by a local veterinary inspector. These arrangements were welcomed
9 Nov 2001 : Column: 450W
by the industry and demand for licences was high in the first month of operation. After some initial delays applications are being processed within four to five days and often more quickly.
Flooding
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money was spent on flood (a) defences and (b) prevention measures in the last 12 months, brokendown by (i) county, (ii) local authority and (iii) in London. [12886]
Mr. Morley: Information is not collected in the format requested and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money has been spent on flood warning systems in the last 12 months. [12887]
Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency is responsible for flood forecasting and dissemination of warnings in England. I understand the Agency spent £23.4 million on this during the last 12 months.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the Environment Agency regarding flood (a) prevention and (b) defences. [12884]
Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency has asked the Government to recognise and commit to meeting the need for a significant further increase in funding on a planned basis to (a) improve flood warnings and (b) maintain and improve the overall standard and extent of flood defence. This will be considered alongside other evidence through the Spending Review 2002 process. Current plans are for this Department's spending on flood and coastal defences for all operating authorities to increase from last year's outturn of £66 million to £114 million in 2003–04.
The Agency has also asked the Government to consider alternative institutional arrangements for delivering the flood and coastal defence service. We are already doing so as part of the present review of funding arrangements.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much private money was spent in the last four years on flood defences and flood prevention. [13021]
Mr. Morley: The Government do not collect information on the work undertaken by private individuals to protect their properties against flooding. In some cases beneficiaries of flood defence works undertaken by the operating authorities will make a contribution to those works. Comprehensive information on such contributions is not available in respect of works undertaken by local authorities or internal drainage boards but contributions to the Environment Agency in England were as follows:
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0.2 |
| 1998–99 | 0.3 |
| 1999–2000 | 0.5 |
| 2001–01 | 0.3 |
9 Nov 2001 : Column: 451W
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public funds were spent, broken down by local authorities, agencies and other relevant organisations on flood defences and flood prevention in the last four years; how much public spending on flood defences/prevention is planned for the next two years; and how much additional money she promised in 2001 for flood defences and flood prevention on top of that pledged in the last spending review. [13102]
Mr. Morley: Flood defence is provided by the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards. The following table shows expenditure, from all sources, by the different operation authorities.
| Year | Environment Agency | Local authorities | Internal drainage boards(3) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 255.2 | 13,0 | 40.0 | 308.2 |
| 1998–99 | 247.2 | 15.0 | 40.3 | 302.5 |
| 1999–2000 | 260.3 | 15.4 | 40.7 | 316.4 |
| 2000–01 | 270.4 | (4)20.1 | 41.0 | (4)331.5 |
(3) Estimated
(4) Provisional
The great majority of this expenditure is provided by Government in the form of DEFRA grant (for approved capital and other works) and by DTLR through revenue support grant (which is used by local authorities to fund levies to the Environment Agency, special levies to internal drainage boards and to finance their own spend on flood and coastal defence).The Spending Review 2000 provided for an increase in DEFRA grant of £10 million in 2002–03 and £20 million in 2003–04. It also provided for local authority Standard Spending Assessments for flood and coastal defence to increase by some 4.4 per cent. annually over the period.
A further £51 million of DEFRA support was announced by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 4 November 2000. This was allocated as follows: £2 million in 2000–01; £17 million in 2001–02; £17 million in 2002–03 and £15 million in 2003–04. A further £6.6 million to assist the Environment Agency to meet its emergency costs was announced in January 2001 and allocated in 2001–02.
The following table sets out total Government funding of flood and coastal defence for the last four years and forecast expenditure for the current and next two years:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 312.4 |
| 1998–99 | 315.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 326.3 |
| 2000–01 | 331.7 |
| 2001–02 | 376.9 |
| 2002–03 | 393.5 |
| 2003–04 | 414.2 |
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has taken to streamline the agencies that have a responsibility for flooding matters, with particular
9 Nov 2001 : Column: 452W
reference to (a) the Environment Agency, (b) the internal drainage boards, (c) local authorities, (d) British Waterways and (e) other boards. [13415]
Mr. Morley: The Government are considering this issue as part of the current review of funding arrangements for flood and coastal defence.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to ensure that flood prevention is not paid for exclusively from council tax. [13385]
Mr. Morley: It is already the case that the great majority of expenditure on flood and coastal defence is currently met out of general taxation.
In the current year DEFRA expects to provide direct funding of some £92 million to the operating authorities while some £264 million is provided to local authorities through DTLR's standard spending assessments which are largely supported by central grant and non-domestic rate income. Local authorities use this to fund levies to the Environment Agency, special levies to internal drainage boards and their own spend on flood and coastal defence.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |