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End of Life Vehicle Directive

33. Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to assist local authorities with the implementation of the European end of life vehicle directive. [13097]

Mr. Meacher: Local authorities are not intended to have any direct responsibility for implementing the European end of life directive.

The directive requires producers to be responsible for all or a significant part of the costs of take-back and treatment of end of life vehicles from 2007. These arrangements should help to ease the situation for local authorities in dealing with abandoned vehicles. It has not yet been decided how take-back and treatment of end of life vehicles between 2002 and 2007 will be funded.

Foxhunting

14. Mr. Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the veterinary risk assessment report commissioned by her into the resumption of foxhunting. [13078]

Mr. Morley: The Veterinary Risk Assessment has been placed in the Library of the House and published on the DEFRA website http://www.defra.gov.uk/.

The Government issued a document this morning on proposals to replace the current blanket ban on hunting in England and Wales. The proposed new arrangements permit certain forms of hunting with dogs to recommence under a permit issued by a Divisional Veterinary Manager, in foot and mouth disease free counties. All

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forms of hunting will remain prohibited in foot and mouth disease infected areas as does the hunting of deer in the whole of England and Wales.

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to lift the suspension on fox hunting with dogs; and if she will make a statement. [14403]

Alun Michael: The Veterinary Risk Assessment has been placed in the Library of the House and published on the DEFRA website http://www.defra.gov.uk/.

The Government issued a document this morning on proposals to replace the current blanket ban on hunting in England and Wales. The proposed new arrangements permit certain forms of hunting with dogs to recommence under a permit issued by a Divisional Veterinary Manager, in foot and mouth disease free counties. All forms of hunting will remain prohibited in foot and mouth disease infected areas as does the hunting of deer in the whole of England and Wales.

Sheep Identification

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for an individual identification system for sheep. [13086]

Mr. Morley: If we are to free up movements of sheep for the spring we must put in place arrangements that will enable us to trace sheep movements in the event that there is a resurgence of foot and mouth disease. We have had initial discussions with industry representatives, which covered individual identification. We are now examining a number of points on which they expressed concern. Officials will be considering these further with them, before coming to a final decision.

I am aware that industry would prefer to move straight towards electronic identification. Electronic identification also remains the Department's objective but it would take time to implement and would not deal with immediate problems.

Bee Diseases

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will meet representatives of Bee Diseases Insurance Ltd. to discuss measures to control bee diseases. [12757]

Mr. Morley: The Department held its annual meeting with the beekeeping sector on 8 November. Bee Diseases Insurance Ltd. was among the organisations that sent representatives. The meeting discussed a range of issues affecting the sector, including measures to control bee diseases.

Fuel Poverty

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will include an aim to deal with fuel poverty within her Department's aims and objectives. [11790]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 1 November 2001]: The Department's overall aim is sustainable development, and its responsibilities are broad, encompassing the food chain and farming, environmental protection and the well-being of the economy and communities in rural areas. Reference

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to each and every specific policy area is therefore not written into the Department's general aim and objectives. I remain fully committed however, to implementation of the Government's fuel poverty strategy, the final version of which will be published shortly, and which will provide the framework for ending the blight of fuel poverty for vulnerable households by 2010. The Department's overall objectives enhance this priority.

Recycling (Refrigerators)

Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of (a) refrigerators and (b) deep-freezers local authorities will have to store in the years (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03, before they can be recycled. [12034]

Mr. Meacher: It has been estimated that up to 3 million domestic refrigeration units are disposed of in the UK each year. The number that will require storage prior to recycling depends on the construction of suitable facilities for the recovery of ozone depleting substances. Some of these could be operational as early as spring 2002. The Department estimates that up to 750,000 units will need to be stored in 2001–02. Many of these will be stored by, or on behalf of, local authorities. It is more difficult to estimate storage requirements for 2002–03, although the requirement for storage will decrease as recovery and recycling facilities become operational. It is estimated that of the 750,000 units stored, 540,000 would be fridges, 120,000 fridge-freezers and 90,000 freezers.

Wildlife

Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review her Department's guidelines to safeguard the wilflife in south-east England. [13071]

Mr. Meacher: We have recently improved protection of wildlife and their habitats across England and Wales, through provisions in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, the first major wildlife legislation for 20 years. Work continues to review and develop nature conservation policy, guidelines and legislation and we have consulted widely on a revised Code of Guidance to English Nature, which we aim to publish shortly.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by the CSA in the last 12 months to obtain an attachment of earnings order from the date of application to the courts is; what the upper decile time is; and how many orders are in the upper decile. [14357]

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

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Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 14 November 2001:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.

You have requested average times for obtaining Attachment of earnings orders from the date of application to the courts.

The Child Support Agency does not make Attachment of earnings orders. The Child Support Agency has provision to make Deduction from Earnings orders which do not require court action.

A Deduction from earnings order is a legally binding instruction to an employer to deduct child maintenance and arrears from a non resident parent's earnings and to pay it to the Child Support Agency.

Deduction from earnings orders are an effective way of ensuring payment of child support where a non-resident parent chooses to pay in this way, or where other methods have failed. In cases where a non-resident parent refuses to pay child support, a deduction from earnings order is often the best way to ensure regular and reliable maintenance is paid.

In May 2001, 141,600 non resident parents were paying child support via deduction from earnings orders.

I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by the CSA in the last 12 months to determine an absent parent's contribution to child support is; what the upper decile time is; and how many determinations are in the upper decile. [14358]

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 14 November 2001:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.

You asked what the average time is for the CSA in the last 12 months to determine a non resident parent's contribution to child support; what the upper decile time is; and how many determinations are in the upper decile.

The information you have requested is not available in the format requested. The information that is available is provided at Appendix A.

I hope this is helpful.

Appendix A:

Time taken to make child support assessments(November 2000-October 2001)

Time taken	Number of cases assessed	Percentage
Less than 20 weeks	49,165	48.5
Between 20 and 52 weeks	32,115	31.6
Over 52 weeks	20,156	19.9
Total	101,436

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by the CSA in the last 12 months to recover underpayments by absent parents is; what the upper decile time is; and how many vacancies are in the upper decile. [14359]

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

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Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Smith, dated 14 November 2001:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.

You asked what the average time is for the CSA in the last 12 months to recover underpayments by Non resident parents.

The information you have requested is not available as it is not collected in the format you have requested.

Maintenance that is due but not paid is collected as arrears. Clients are asked to pay arrears in a lump sum, or to agree to make regular payments towards arrears in addition to regular maintenance. Agreements follow negotiations which take into account the non resident parent's ability to pay and the need for maintenance to reach the parent with care as soon as possible. If no agreement can be reached between the Agency and the non resident parent the case is subject to enforcement action.

I hope this is helpful.

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