1 May 2002 : Column 773W
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 1 May 2002
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Waste Disposal
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will issue guidance to waste disposal authorities to advise them not to enter into long-term waste disposal contracts prior to the conclusions of the review into waste policy being undertaken by the Performance and Innovation Unit. [23187]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 17 December 2001]: This should not be necessary since such contracts should be designed so as to provide sufficient flexibility to be able to take account of and respond to changed circumstances during the lifetime of the contracts, including any future statutory performance standards or new opportunities for increasing recycling and composting.
Illegal Meat Imports
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the average fine imposed on people who imported illegal meats into the country has been in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement; [51771]
- (2) how many people have (a) been arrested and (b) received a fine for importing illegal meats into the country in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [51775]
Mr. Morley: Central records are not available for a 10-year period.
Last year, HM Customs and Excise arrested three people for offences under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) involving illegal meat imports. Of these, two were convicted as a CITES offence, both received prison sentence of four months. The third person was acquitted but convicted under a separate Animal Health charge resulting in a penalty of a conditional discharge for one year and costs of £100.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if radioactive waste material is used to produce (a) consumer goods and (b) other products within the UK; and which manufacturing sectors use radioactive waste in the production of their products. [51979]
Mr. Meacher: Radioactively contaminated metal, such as that recovered from decommissioned nuclear plant, is sometimes sold on to the scrap metal market after it has been treated to reduce its radioactivity content. In order to allow the metal to be sold, its radioactivity level must be below the 0.4 Becquerel/gram regulatory exemption
1 May 2002 : Column 774W
level set out in Schedule 1 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 and the Substances of Low Activity (SOLA) Exemption Order. The material is then no longer considered to be radioactive. Once it has been sold on to the scrap metal market, it is not possible to identify the products or manufacturing sectors in which it is used.
Recruitment
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many net additional staff her Department has recruited in each month since June 2001 at (a) executive officer level and (b) administrative level. [52424]
Mr. Morley: The number of net additional staff recruited in DEFRA between June 2001 and March 2002 is shown in the table.
| Executive officer level | Administrative level | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of staff | Headcount | FTE | Headcount | FTE |
| June 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | 0 | 0.07 | -9 | -7.29 |
| Casual | 111 | 108.95 | 131 | 129.57 |
| Total | 111 | 109.02 | 122 | 122.28 |
| July 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | 2 | 2.39 | 3 | 5.59 |
| Casual | 83 | 82.46 | 227 | 223.82 |
| Total | 85 | 84.85 | 230 | 229.41 |
| August 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | -7 | -7.00 | -8 | -5.61 |
| Casual | 27 | 26.92 | 22 | 23.03 |
| Total | 20 | 19.92 | 14 | 17.42 |
| September 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | 3 | 3.00 | 19 | 19.60 |
| Casual | 5 | 4.46 | -24 | -26.65 |
| Total | 8 | 7.46 | -5 | -7.05 |
| October 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | 5 | 4.95 | 1 | 0.97 |
| Casual | 99 | 99.00 | 66 | 65.25 |
| Total | 104 | 103.95 | 67 | 66.22 |
| November 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | 14 | 14.00 | 10 | 10.43 |
| Casual | -99 | -98.41 | 10 | 11.47 |
| Total | -85 | -84.41 | 20 | 21.90 |
| December 2001 | ||||
| Permanent | 13 | 13.00 | -7 | -5.94 |
| Casual | -76 | -75.46 | -5 | -4.22 |
| Total | -63 | -62.46 | -12 | -10.16 |
1 May 2002 : Column 775W
The high increase in the number of casual appointments between June and October 2001 is due to the additional staff required to deal with the foot and mouth disease outbreak.
The figures for June to December 2001 relate to the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food only. Information relating to the divisions of the former Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions that transferred to DEFRA could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Veterinary Laboratory (Scotland)
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will establish a dedicated veterinary laboratory for Scotland. [52953]
Mr. Morley: The State Veterinary Service in Scotland have access to a range of existing laboratory facilities throughout Great Britain in addition to those in Scotland and have no plans to establish a dedicated facility of their own.
Horticultural Research
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the breakdown is of Government-financed horticultural research, by crop. [52914]
Mr. Morley: Total Government spend on horticultural R and D by commodity is as follows:
| 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulbs | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Cross commodity | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Field vegetables | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Hardy nursery stock | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Herbs | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.05 |
| Hops | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Mushrooms | 1.0 | 1.0 | (1)0.7 |
| Outdoor flowers | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Potatoes | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5.7 |
| Protected crops | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Soft fruit | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Top fruit | 1.9 | 1.7 | (1)1.6 |
(1) Information from Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland not available.
1 May 2002 : Column 776W
DEFRA's records are kept by commodity and not by crop. To provide a breakdown by crop could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support for horticultural research the Government have provided in each year since 1990. [52912]
Mr. Morley: Government funding for horticulture R and D, including potatoes, for the last 10 years is as follows:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 7.0 |
| 1993–94 | 8.0 |
| 1994–95 | (2)18.1 |
| 1995–96 | (2)18.9 |
| 1996–97 | (2)19.3 |
| 1997–98 | 18.4 |
| 1998–99 | 17.4 |
| 1999–2000 | 17.1 |
| 2000–01 | 17.8 |
| 2001–02 | (2)18.1 |
(2) Does not include funding from Department of Agricultural and Rural Development for Northern Ireland, for which information is unavailable.
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through which organisations Government support for horticultural research is provided. [52913]
Mr. Morley: Government support for Horticulture R and D is provided by DEFRA, SEERAD and DARDNI. Government-funded horticultural research is currently provided through a range of research institutes, universities and other research providers, as listed.
- ADAS Consulting Ltd.
British Potato Council
Canterbury Christchurch College
Central Science Laboratory
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, NI
Dove Associates Ltd.
Harper Adams Agricultural College
Higgins (formerly Gordon and Innes)
Horticulture Research International
Institute of Arable Crops Research
Institute of Food Research
John Innes Centre
Macauley Land Use Research Institute
Moredun Research Institute
Rowett Research Institute
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Scottish Agricultural College
Scottish Crops Research Institute
Silsoe Research Institute
Mylnefield Research Services Ltd.
Nottingham Trent University
University College of North Wales
University of Aberdeen
University of Brighton
University of Bristol
University of Durham
University of Glasgow
1 May 2002 : Column 777W
University of Lancaster
University of Leeds
University of London (Wye College)
University of Newcastle
University of Nottingham
University of Reading
University of Wales
University of West of England
Writtle College.
Mr. Morley: The DEFRA budget for horticulture R and D for 2002–03 is £9.854 million. The horticulture R and D budget for future years will be set in the light of inter alia the outcome of spending review 2002, the recent review of horticultural R and D and the forthcoming review of DEFRA's science strategy.
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of Government financed horticultural research is initiated by her Department. [52915]
Mr. Morley: In 2000–01 (the most recent year for which details are available), DEFRA funding amounted to approximately 65 per cent. of the total Government funding for horticulture R and D.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |