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Waste

Mr. Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hazardous waste landfill sites will be available when co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste is banned; what volume of hazardous waste will have to be disposed of in specialist sites; and if she will make a statement. [40861]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 7 March 2002]: The EC landfill directive bans the co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste from July 2004.

The choice about whether to operate co-disposal sites as hazardous or non-hazardous sites beyond July 2004 is a commercial decision for landfill operators. We will not have a clear picture of likely capacity until operators submit site conditioning plans in July 2002 stating the classification (hazardous, non-hazardous or inert) they are seeking for the site following the end of co-disposal.

We are currently working with the waste industry and the Environment Agency to forecast how much hazardous waste will need to continue to be landfilled following the end of co-disposal. This will depend on the proportion of the total hazardous waste arising that can be recovered or recycled, the extent to which the waste can be treated to allow it to go to non-hazardous landfill sites, and the availability of alternative disposal routes such as incineration.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when she will reply to the question tabled by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough for answer on 30 November 2001, on public speeches on agriculture; [28312]

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(2) for what reason she has not provided an answer to the question tabled by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough on 28 November 2001, on public speeches on agriculture, ref. 20000. [41092]

Mr. Morley [holding answers 18 January and 7 March 2002]: I regret that the original question was overlooked. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State replied on 7 March 2002, Official Report, column 485W.

Public Appointments (Warrington, North)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people from Warrington, North she has appointed to non- departmental public bodies since 1997. [39447]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 5 March 2002]: To the best of my knowledge one person living in Warrington, North has been appointed to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) by Ministers of this Department and it predecessors since 1997.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding the specification of works under the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme; and if she will make a statement. [38305]

Mr. Meacher: HEES measures are installed to the requirements of two technical specifications: one for insulation the other for heating. The scheme uses a system of heating packs based on six property types rather than individually designed heating systems.

The pack approach has been designed to meet the heating industry's codes of practice. The design process was carried out for my Department by Advantica, Gas and Research Technology Centre (a commercial arm of British Gas). In designing the heating packs Advantica took into account statistical data from the 1996 English House Condition Survey, in particular data relating to dwellings occupied by the over-60s on low-income.

Both scheme managers have received comments on the scope of the scheme and its specifications, which we continue to keep under review.

Land Economy

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support her Department makes available to landowners to promote stewardship of (a) wetlands and (b) woodlands. [38496]

Alun Michael: This Department and its agencies offer a broad range of land management agreements, which may provide landowners with financial support to promote stewardship of wetlands, woodlands and other types of land. Examples include the Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Countryside Stewardship and Farm Woodland Premium Schemes. The Forestry Commission's Woodland Grant Scheme provides financial support for the management, and planting, of woodland. These schemes are available through the England Rural Development Programme which offers £190 million in this financial year.

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It would be well-nigh impossible to separate out the spending on wetlands or woodlands and a couple of examples may help to explain why this is the case.

The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme includes some well-known wetlands (Somerset Levels; Broads; Suffolk River Valleys; Essex Coast; North Kent Marshes; Avon and Test Valleys). Total ESA payments to farmers in these areas will amount to £10 million this year. However, this figure would be difficult to separate into categories of land. In addition, the Environment Agency, English Nature and the Countryside Agency all make contributions to individual cases through their own mechanisms in pursuance of the objectives we have agreed with them.

Taking the Somerset Levels as an example, in the raised water level area, the Environment Agency provides funds for sluices and the ESA scheme contributes towards land management and ditch maintenance. In parts, there is SSSI land on which England Nature provides grants under the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme. In the Suffolk River Valleys ESA, financial support to farmers comes from a combination of ESA funds and Countryside Stewardship support. The Environment Agency and English Nature also support some cases. Further public sector support is also available from the local authority. Some schemes are supported by private money from the RSPB and National Trust. Many of these cases would also cover land other than wetland and woodland.

This joined up approach is now producing excellent results. The ESA and Countryside Stewardship schemes cover hundreds of individual cases which include wetland and woodland areas but dissecting the national spend on wetlands and woodland from each case could be achieved only at a disproportionate cost.

Tail Docking

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she plans to introduce legislation to ban the tail docking of dogs. [41802]

Mr. Morley: The Department is currently consulting widely on the content a possible Animal Welfare Bill. The consultation includes the issue of whether tail docking should be banned. A copy of the consultation document can be found on the DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk.

Hens

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the scientific evidence upon which the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive 1999/74/EC was based. [41230]

Mr. Morley: The European Commission Scientific Veterinary Committee on Animal Welfare published a report on the Welfare of Laying Hens in October 1996. This report provided the basis for the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive 99/74/EC.

Waterways

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the accessibility of the UK's waterways to canoeists. [40706]

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Alun Michael: The research report "Water-Based Sport and Recreation: the facts", published in December 2001, found that the lengths of water for canoeing on canals, rivers with public navigation rights and rivers with formal access agreement total 5,490 km. This amounts to 27 per cent. of the major river and canal network or 6 per cent. of the major and minor river and canal network.

DEFRA officials are currently discussing the report with other Government Departments and agencies. Following those discussions, I shall consider what further work or action is needed in the light of the report's findings.

Warm Home Scheme

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government's warm home scheme was introduced; how it was advertised to possible claimants; what overlap there was between this scheme and similar ones provided by local authorities; and if she will make a statement. [40330]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 4 March 2002]: The two scheme managers, TXU and Eaga, were appointed in March 2000, this enabled them to start marketing the scheme prior to the launch date of 1 June 2000. The scheme managers adopted a number of forms of advertising.

Referral networks were set up and are maintained by the scheme managers. Referral partners come into contact on a day-to-day basis with householders who may be eligible for assistance and are ideally placed to pass details directly to the scheme managers. These can involve local authority staff, Citizen Advice Bureaux, doctors, local health workers and Energy Efficiency Advice Centres.

Leaflets were issued through targeted drops and stocks left at key local venues such as post offices, local authority reception areas, libraries and supermarkets. There was also some limited use of local advertising on the radio and posters inside buses.

The consultation paper issued before the launch of the scheme, said that there would be limited funding for measures in the properties of social landlords, including properties owned by local authorities. This was limited to a maximum of £45 million or two years from the start of the scheme. All social funds available under the scheme have now been allocated.

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