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Cattle Slaughter
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many heifers will be slaughtered at or near birth in 2001; and if she will make a statement. [21853]
Margaret Beckett [holding answer 10 December 2001]: It is likely that few, if any, heifers will be slaughtered at or near birth. Heifer calves are usually retained as replacement animals in dairy or suckler cow herds, or raised and fattened for slaughter at 18 months or more of age.
Fish Stocks
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what initiatives she plans to protect global fish stocks from the effects of overfishing. [22450]
Mr. Morley: The UK argues that EU decisions on the management and technical conservation of fish stocks should be in accordance with sound science. We have supported recovery plans for stocks where the science indicates this to be necessary and will continue to do so.
More globally, the UK plays a prominent role in various Regional Fisheries Organisations (RFOs), supports efforts to increase RFOs' effectiveness and to create new ones, and supports full implementation of the UN Fisheries Agreement through RFOs.
In relation to EU Fisheries Agreements with third countries, the UK has played a leading role in pressing for improved EU arrangements for negotiating and managing the Agreements and monitoring their effect. One of the aspects in need of improvement is the assessment of stocks and of the effect on them of fishing under the Agreements. We are pressing for there to be a comprehensive debate on the approach to these Agreements within the framework of the forthcoming review of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment was made of the implications for (a) fish stocks and (b) the local fishing economy before the EU reached its recent agreement with the Government of Mauritania on allowing EU registered trawlers to fish off that country's coastline. [22453]
Mr. Morley: Such assessments are the responsibility of the European Commission, who wrote an evaluation report on the previous EU-Mauritania Agreement which ran from 1996 to 2001, as they do on all third country fisheries agreements that come up for renegotiation.
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The Government have no independent insight into the workings of the EU-Mauritania Agreement but have repeatedly advanced the view on behalf of the UK that the EU's general approach to negotiating, managing and monitoring such agreements needs substantial improvement. In particular, improvement is needed in the areas of scientific assessment, impact monitoring, evaluation of effect and general coherence with overseas development policy. We shall continue to press for a proper debate on the EU's approach which we hope can be achieved in the context of the forthcoming review of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Agrimonetary Compensation
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in the Buckingham constituency have received agrimonetary compensation since 1997; and what is the total amount that has been paid out. [22640]
Mr. Morley: Unfortunately, we cannot except at disproportionate cost calculate either the number of farmers who have received agrimonetary compensation, or figures restricted to the constituency of Buckingham. However, since 1997 a total amount of £6.3 million has been paid in agrimonetary compensation in the county of Buckinghamshire.
Combined Heat and Power
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by the Government in 2001 on encouraging CHP schemes. [22595]
Mr. Meacher: The Government introduced a number of measures in April 2001 to help encourage CHP schemes, including:
- the exemption of good quality CHP used on site or sold to known end users from the climate change levy,
eligibility of good quality CHP for enhanced capital allowances on investment in energy saving technologies, and
exemption from business rates of the electricity generating plant and machinery in CHP schemes.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Government have made towards reaching its CHP target of 10,000 MW by 2010. [22618]
Mr. Meacher: By the end of the year 2000 there were 1,556 CHP schemes in the UK with a combined good quality CHP capacity of 4,632 MW, producing 6 per cent. of the UK's electricity requirements and delivering an estimated 3.9 MtC of carbon savings annually. The UK's current good quality CHP capacity is estimated to be around 4,700 MW.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations the Government have received from industries on employment levels in the CHP sector. [22592]
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Mr. Meacher: The Combined Heat and Power Association, and one of their members, recently came in to talk to me about the state of the CHP industry, including job losses and threats to jobs. In addition, a number of representations were made to me by senior members of the industry when I attended the recent CHPA annual conference. I am also aware that the Minister for Industry and Energy has received similar representations from the industry.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for each year since the introduction of NETA, by what percentage the export of power from CHP has changed compared with the preceding year. [22617]
Mr. Meacher: The new electricity trading arrangements, which are a matter for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Ofgem, were introduced on 27 March last year, and it is therefore too early to put a figure on the percentage of power from CHP compared with the preceding year. However, the recent report by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, "Report to DTI on the Review of the Initial Impact of NETA on Smaller Generators", issued in August of this year, indicates that the export of power from CHP has reduced by around 60 per cent.
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on the viability of CHP of reducing the level of the climate change levy on CHP. [22596]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I have been asked to reply.
The viability of combined heat and power is dependent on many factors—the relative prices of gas and electricity being the most important of those factors. However, as announced in the pre-Budget report, subject to legal and other constraints, the Government will consider the environmental case for providing more favourable treatment for CHP within the climate change levy.
Protection of Animals Act
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will propose amendments to the Protection of Animals Act 1911 to allow earlier intervention by enforcement authorities. [22903]
Mr. Morley: The creation of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has brought together most animal welfare laws under one roof. This provides a unique opportunity for revising these laws, including the Protection of Animals Act 1911. I have begun the review process and I hope to shortly ask those involved with animals, including welfare and commercial interests, how they would like to improve the law.
Broiler Chickens
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what type of (a) therapeutic and (b) non-therapeutic drugs were regularly given to chickens to prevent the spread of infection in the broiler chicken industry between 1995 and 2001. [22928]
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Mr. Morley: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate does not hold data on the usage of veterinary medicinal products.
Supermarkets
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about the Competition Commission's recommendation for a code of practice to be introduced governing the relationship between supermarkets and their suppliers; and when she expects the code to be introduced. [23060]
Mr. Morley: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about the code of practice, but we have been kept informed of progress on its development.
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced on 18 December that she had accepted undertakings from the UK's major supermarkets to abide by the code and that it will come into effect from 17 March 2002.
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