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Livestock Movements

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will relax the regulations which prevent farmers moving livestock on the hoof in the area surrounding their farms. [15532]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 19 November 2001]: The provisions of a "sole occupancy" licence on animal movements do permit 'on the hoof' movements up to 500 m as long as they are made in accordance with the regulations. All the licensing provisions on animal movement are kept under review in the light of the developing disease situation. I will continue to announce changes as they are introduced.

Elvaston Landfill Site, Derbyshire

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints have been received by the Environment Agency concerning smells from the Elvaston Landfill site in Derbyshire since October 2000; and if she will make a statement. [17305]

Mr. Morley: Since October 2000, the agency has received 189 complaints in respect of smells from the Elvaston Landfill site.

I am aware that the site was affected by the serious flooding across the country that occurred on 7 November 2000. The Environment Agency is working with the licence holder to ensure that human health and the environment are protected. As a result of the odour problems, a notice was served on the site operator on 19 November 2001 under section 42(5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requiring the operator to provide the agency with a plan for controlling leachate from the site. The operator complied with notice by the deadline set by the agency, who are in the process of reviewing the proposed plan.

Fishing (Scotland)

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions Scottish Ministers have spoken formally at the Council of Ministers on Scotland's fishing interests. [18179]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 26 November 2001]: I lead for the United Kingdom at the Council of Fisheries Ministers and speak to an agreed line on matters affecting all parts of the UK. Following the long-standing tradition of Scottish ministerial participation in Fisheries Councils, the Scottish Minister attends as part of the United Kingdom delegation and speaks in support of the agreed UK line—usually on issues of particular concern to Scotland. No record is kept of the occasions on which Scottish Ministers speak.

5 Dec 2001 : Column: 399W

Sea Fishing

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the need for (a) consolidation and (b) updating of the legislation and regulations under which Sea Fisheries Committees operate. [19276]

Mr. Morley: The primary legislation was consolidated in the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966. Subsequently, section 102 of the Environment Act 1995 has added to the 1966 Act provisions to allow each Committee to act for marine environmental purposes. In addition the Sea Fisheries (Wildlife Conservation) Act 1992 requires appropriate Ministers and relevant bodies (including the Sea Fisheries Committees) to have regard to the conservation of flora and fauna in the discharge of their functions under the sea fisheries Acts.

It would be sensible to wait for consolidation and/or updating of the legislation and regulations under which Sea Fisheries Committees operate until the EU review of the Common Fisheries Policy has been completed at the end of 2002.

Timber

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that all timber imports into the UK come from sustainable sources. [19605]

Mr. Morley: The Government are working with the timber trade, environmental pressure groups and other stakeholders to encourage a greater demand for sustainable timber across all sectors of the economy. The Government are also working with many stakeholders in different producer countries to promote sustainable forest management as well as tackling illegal logging. The Forest Law Enforcement Conference held in Bali in September, which the Under-Secretary of State for International Development attended on behalf of the Government, has added a new dynamism to efforts to curb illegal logging through effective measures at a national, bilateral and international level.

For their own operational activities the Government are committed to actively seek to purchase the timber and timber products they need from legal and sustainable sources. To this end Government buyers have been instructed to implement this policy and to report annually on their purchases. An interdepartmental working group is monitoring progress and will provide further guidance and advice to buyers. The Government's approach should help to transform the market into supplying more timber and timber products from sustainably managed sources. More information is given in the Third Annual Report on Greening Government, published on 27 November 2001 and available on the internet (http://www.sustainable- development.gov.uk).

These steps are a tangible measure of the Government's commitment to implement the G8 Action on Forests agreed at its 1998 Birmingham summit.

Fridges

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to enable local authorities to collect and dispose of old fridges and freezers free of charge. [19539]

5 Dec 2001 : Column: 400W

Mr. Meacher: Waste disposal authorities have a statutory duty to provide reasonably accessible sites where householders can dispose of their waste free of charge but they may restrict the availability of particular sites to specified descriptions of waste. Waste collection authorities have a statutory duty to arrange for the collection of household waste. However, they are entitled to impose a collection cost charge for certain wastes, including items over 25 kg.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for facilities to recycle foam from fridges. [19538]

Mr. Meacher: In order to speed up investment in domestic treatment facilities my Department has finalised guidance on standards to be applied to treatment facilities. Decisions on investment in plant are for individual companies to take.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government will be able to comply immediately with the EC regulation on the disposal of fridges. [19541]

Mr. Meacher: As from 1 January 2002, there will be an obligation to recover ozone depleting substances (ODS) (including CFCs and HCFCs) from insulation foam in refrigeration equipment before such appliances are scrapped. Stakeholders are aware of the requirements of the regulation and measures have been put in place to facilitate the storage of waste refrigeration units pending treatment facilities becoming available.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has to part-fund the costs incurred by local authorities storing end-of-life refrigerators prior to recycling; [19955]

(2) what plans she has to launch a local government funding initiative to part-fund the costs incurred by local authorities storing end-of-life refrigerators prior to recycling. [19954]

Margaret Beckett: I announced on 4 December an extra £6 million in the local government finance settlement to help local authorities with the extra costs of dealing with fridges to the end of this financial year. We are urgently assessing the impacts of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulation (EC Regulation No 2037/2000) and will determine what further action will be necessary beyond that.

Flood Prevention

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what impact she anticipates (a) flood clean-up expenditure and (b) flood prevention expenditure will have on the level of council tax in English local authorities in the next financial year; and if she will make a statement. [19750]

Mr. Morley: Through the Bellwin arrangements, Government expect to contribute some £26 million to the costs incurred by local authorities affected by flooding in 2000. Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs) for flood defence for English local authorities were announced on 4 December. Government provide grant which covers some three quarters of SSA with the remainder assumed to be raised from the standard level of council tax.

5 Dec 2001 : Column: 401W

The Government's expenditure under Bellwin, coupled with their meeting a major proportion of the SSA, will substantially mitigate the effect on council tax bills arising from flooding, though the actual effect will depend on each local authority's spending decisions across all its functions.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much new public money (a) has been spent in 2001 and (b) will be spent in 2002 on improving flood defences in (i) Bewdley, (ii) Hertfordshire, (iii) Shrewsbury, (iv) Malton, Yorkshire, (v) Norton, Yorkshire and (vi) East Anglia. [19540]

Mr. Morley: This Department provides grants for flood and coastal defence capital works, and associated studies, which meet essential technical, economic and environmental criteria and achieve an appropriate priority score. Further to increases in spending plans in the last two spending reviews, additional funding of £51 million over the four years from 2000–01 was announced in November 2000 following the severe flooding last year. An increased priority was given to urban flood defence and the grant rates for all river flood defences was increased by 20 per cent.

Operational responsibility for flood management measures rests with the local operating authorities, normally the Environment Agency, internal drainage boards and local councils, who decide which projects to promote and their timing. The operational authorities are invited to submit applications for DEFRA funding, and we do not differentiate between "old" and "new" money. The information given relates to flood defence improvement works to be undertaken by the Environment Agency (information on the same basis, from internal drainage boards and local councils, is not readily available).

	£000
Bewdley
Spent in 2001–02	750
Planned expenditure in 2002–03	2,500
Hertfordshire
Spent in 2001–02	480
Planned expenditure in 2002–03	3,230
Shrewsbury
Spent in 2001–02	750
Planned expenditure in 2002–03	2,500
Malton/Norton
Spent in 2001–02	800
Planned expenditure in 2002–03	5,000
East Anglia
Spent in 2001–02	24,600
Planned expenditure in 2002–03	28,800

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