---

Waste Directive

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the average cost to farms of applying the provisions of the EU waste directive; and if she will make a statement. [18875]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 28 November 2001]: We are preparing the regulations necessary to apply the provisions of the Waste Framework Directive to those types of agricultural waste which are not excluded from control under Article 2. On completion, we will issue a draft of the regulations for consultation with the farming industry and other interested groups. A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is also being prepared. The RIA will form part of the consultation paper and will assess the average cost to farms of applying the Directive's provisions. I will ensure that a copy of the consultation paper is sent to the hon. Member when it is issued.

Departmental Strikes

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 673W

her answer of 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 1029W, (Ref 17635), on strike action, how many staff have been engaged in industrial action; and in which divisions of her Department. [20685]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 4 December 2001]: On 28 September, the last day on which PCS members in all DEFRA offices were asked to take action, 2,102 members of staff took action. Since then there has been further action but this has affected only a limited number of DEFRA offices, and thus staff, on any particular day.

Most divisions which have staff in PCS grades who are covered by the proposed pay settlement for staff formerly in MAFF have lost some staff days due to industrial action.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 30 November 2001, Official Report, column 1172W, on industrial action, if she will list the targets on service standards that are likely to be missed. [21361]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 6 December 2001]: It is recognised that the current industrial action could potentially put at risk our ability to meet all our service standard targets. However, it is not possible to predict which of those targets might be missed.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 30 November 2001, Official Report, column 1172W, on industrial action, if she will list the (a) total and (b) per capita amount of payments by category that have been delayed since the dispute began. [21360]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 6 December 2001]: All payments are currently being made within the payment periods set in the EU regulations.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is the value of payments due to farmers which have been delayed by industrial action in her Department; and what was the value on the last day of each month since May. [20665]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 4 December 2001]: Industrial action, which commenced in August, has mainly affected the Arable Area Payments Scheme. Payments under this scheme are made in a payment window running from 16 November to 31 January. In a normal year 60–70 per cent. of the aid would be paid out in the first two to three weeks. This year the figure is likely to be a little over 50 per cent.

Dioxin Emission Limits

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to apply the same dioxin emission limits to cement kilns burning waste as apply to purpose built incinerators. [18542]

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 674W

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 27 November 2001]: The Environment Agency already applies the same dioxin emission limit to that portion of gas generated by burning hazardous waste in cement kilns as for waste burned in incinerators. This is in accordance with the pro-rating rules of the Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive (91/689/EEC).

Livestock Movements

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to permit forage movements between livestock farms under force of restrictions and farms which have surplus stocks of fodder. [18030]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 26 November 2001]: This matter is currently under consideration. We are looking to allow such movements subject to appropriate safeguards.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to provide financial assistance to farms which were subject to Form D restrictions. [11735]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 1 November 2001]: Farms subject to Form D restrictions are eligible for assistance from the Farms Business Advice Service which was launched last year with a budget of £5.25 million. It provides free on-farm advice for up to three days to farmers to help them develop better business practices, diversify or decide to leave the industry. An additional £1.5 million was made available in November.

These farmers may also seek help through the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise.

Under the EU state aid rules, we are unable to offer additional financial assistance to these farmers through the Business Recovery Fund, established to help a range of businesses following the impact of FMD.

Environmental Management

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the EU eco-management and audit scheme is one of the measures of environmental management standards recognised by her Department as demonstrating a commitment to responsible environmental performance; and if she will make a statement. [20513]

Mr. Meacher: The Department acknowledges the importance and value of the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). The EMAS regulation, in its recently revised form, incorporates the international standard for environmental management systems, ISO 14001, to manage environmental risks and impacts and improve performance. Significantly, EMAS additionally requires the publication of independently validated information on environmental performance. EMAS therefore focuses on performance by providing for disclosure that helps to meet stakeholders' interests in openness and transparency.

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 675W

Refrigerators

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 993W, of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, on refrigerators, what progress has been made in publishing guidance for (a) retail outlets who previously have collected old refrigerators when supplying new refrigerators to customers and (b) small retail businesses who have previously collected old refrigerators from large retail outlets and then sold them as secondhand items. [20746]

Mr. Meacher: Retailers have been kept informed of the impacts of EC Regulation No. 2037/2000 through a series of stakeholder meetings (both general and specifically for retailers). My Department has also written to small retail businesses through a number of trade associations to outline the impacts of EC Regulation No. 2037/2000 on the management of waste fridges and freezers. My Department's website also contains information on the requirements of the regulation with regard to these issues.

Ozone Levels

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 425W, on ozone levels, (1) if she will list the number of days per site in rural areas on which pollution levels were (a) at and (b) below national air quality standards in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998, (iv) 1999 and (v) 2000; [18832]

(2) if she will provide a breakdown of (a) the different measures of pollution and (b) their levels in rural areas in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998, (iv) 1999 and (v) 2000. [18833]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 29 November 2001]: Levels of ozone are measured as part of the UK national urban and rural air pollution monitoring network. There

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 676W

are currently 120 automatic monitoring sites within this network that also measure a range of other pollutants. The number and location of monitoring sites are predominantly determined by the reporting requirements as set out in the Air Quality Framework Directive and the Air Quality Daughter Directives. The UK has been divided into air pollution monitoring areas (zone or agglomerations) for the purposes of the First Air Quality Daughter Directive.

Sixteen national monitoring sites are located in rural or remote areas. These sites measure particulates (PM10), nitrogen dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide and ozone. However, not every site measures every pollutant. Table 1 lists the pollutants currently monitored at each rural monitoring station.

The independent Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards (EPAQS) has developed recommendations on natural air quality standards. The standards are based on assessment of the health effects of each pollutant. When air pollution levels are above the standard mild effects, that are unlikely to require action, may start to be noticed by sensitive people. Table 2 lists the air quality standards.

Table 3 shows the number of days at rural sites on which levels of ozone were above the national standard of 100 g/m ³ measured as a running eight hour average mean. Ozone episodes are caused by a combination of sunlight reacting on volatile organic compounds and nitrogen dioxide. These pollutants can be transported long distances and a proportion of the ozone measured during these episodes is likely to have originated from continental sources.

Table 4 shows the number of days at rural sites on which levels of PM _{1 0} were above the national standard of 50 g/m ³ measured as a running 24 hour average mean.

Table 5 shows the number of days at rural sites on which levels of sulphur dioxide were above the national standard of 266 g/m ³ measured as a 15 minute mean.

The nitrogen dioxide standard (287 g/m ³ measured as a one hour mean) has not been exceeded at any rural site at which monitoring is undertaken.

Table 1: Automatic rural network stations—29 November 2001

Name	Location	Pollutants measured	Start date
Wicken Fen	Cambridgeshire	O 3 , NOx, SO 2	15 October 1997
Ladybower	Derbyshire	O 3 , NOx, SO 2	15 July 1988
Yarner Wood	Devon	O 3	26 June 1987
Lullington Heath	East Sussex	O 3 , NOx, SO 2 ,	4 October 1986
Rochester(43)	Rochester	O 3 , NOx, SO 2 , PM 1 0	26 January 1996
Weybourne	Norfolk	O 3	20 May 2001
High Muffles	North Yorkshire	O 3	16 July 1987
Harwell	Oxfordshire	O 3 , NOx, SO 2	22 June 1976
Somerton(43)	South Somerset	O 3	26 January 1996
Sibton	East Anglia	O 3	1 July 1973
Lough Navar	Northern Ireland	O 3 , PM 1 0	2 April 1987
Eskdalemuir	South Scotland	O 3	23 April 1986
Strath Vaich	North Scotland	O 3	18 March 1987
Bush	South Scotland	O 3	1 April 1986
Narberth(43)	Pembrokeshire	O 3 , NOx, SO 2 , PM 1 0	10 March 1997
Aston Hill	Mid-Wales	O 3	26 June 1986

⁽⁴³⁾ Affiliate site

Notes:

Ozone—O ₃

Nitrogen dioxide—NO ₂

Sulphur dioxide—SO ₂

PM _{1 0}

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 677W

Table 2: Current UK air quality standards

Pollutant	Concentration	Standard measured as
Benzene	16.25 g/m(46)	Running annual mean
1,3 butadiene	2.25 g/m(46)	Running annual mean
Carbon monoxide	11.6 g/m(46)	Running 8 hour mean
Lead	0.25 g/m(46)	Annual mean
Nitrogen dioxide	287 g/m(46)	1 hour mean
Ozone	100 g/m(46)	Running 8 hour mean
PM 1 0	50 g/m(46)	Running 24 hour mean
Sulphur dioxide	266 g/m(46)	15 minute mean

Table 3: Days on which ozone levels were above the national standard at rural sites

Site	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Aston Hill	24	24	11	22	20
Bush Estate	12	11	3	8	3
Eskdalemuir	10	17	6	17	6
Harwell	27	39	13	30	12
High Muffles	25	27	15	31	15
Ladybower	20	28	8	21	7
Lough Navar	6	5	3	6	7
Lullington Heath	40	54	27	49	28
Narberth	—	27	12	27	—
Rochester	28	42	20	38	18
Sibton	28	31	17	23	13
Somerton	40	38	23	34	26
Strath Vaich	11	12	10	26	10
Wicken Fen	—	—	11	31	10
Yarner Wood	28	21	20	34	14

Table 4: Days on which PM10 levels were above the national standard at rural sites

	Narberth	Rochester
1996	—	—
1997	0	6
1998	3	4
1999	0	1
2000	1	1

Table 5: Days on which sulphur dioxide levels were above the national standard at rural sites

Site	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Harwell	2	—	5	2	4
Ladybower	6	1	7	0	0
Lullington Heath	0	0	0	0	—
Narberth	—	0	0	—	0
Rochester	18	6	3	2	1
Wicken Fen	—	—	0	0	0

---