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Coalbed Methane Gas

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on (a) air quality and (b) greenhouse gas emission targets of the venting of coalbed methane gas released by drilling and fracturing of the coalseam to the atmosphere; and if she will make a statement. [53793]

Mr. Meacher: Methane vented from working coal mines is included in the UK National Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. For 2000, methane emissions from working coal mines was 5.04 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, less than one per cent. of the UK's total Greenhouse Gas Emissions. At current atmospheric levels methane does not have adverse air quality impacts.

Deliberate drilling of undisturbed seams, fracturing the coal and pumping can be used to produce methane. Using this gas would be similar to using natural gas, though not absolutely identical because the composition differs slightly. The emissions consequences of natural gas burning are well-understood.

Nitrate

Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will (a) make a statement on the mg/litre threshold for permissible nitrate levels contained in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Directive and (b) publish the Environment Agency's data on nitrate levels in rivers located in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency. [54041]

Mr. Meacher: The information is as follows:

a) The Nitrates Directive requires identification and protection of surface waters that contain, or could contain if action is not taken, 50mg/litre of nitrate. This threshold is based on standards laid down in the Drinking Water Directive (75/440/EEC).

b) The Environment Agency's monitoring data on nitrate concentrations in rivers located in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency has been made available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the Environment Agency's data on nitrate levels in rivers located in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency; what comparison she has made of these data with the 50mg/litre threshold contained in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Directive; for what reason farmland located in the Macclesfield constituency is included in a nitrate vulnerable zone; and if she will make a statement. [54042]

Mr. Meacher: There are currently no existing nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency.

7 May 2002 : Column 55W

The Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) requires action programmes for reduction of agricultural nitrate pollution to waters to be applied either throughout the whole territory (Option 1 in our recent consultation for England) or within specific NVZs (Option 2).

Under Option 1, farmers throughout the whole of Macclesfield parliamentary constituency would need to apply Action Programme measures.

Under Option 2, an indicative map showing the location of possible new NVZ areas, as identified in an initial assessment, was published in the consultation document "How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive", in December 2001. Parts of the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency were included in these areas because they were parts of river catchments which contained one or more monitoring points where nitrate levels have been shown, through statistical analysis of the data, to have exceeded the levels specified in the Nitrates Directive.

We are refining our assessment of these failing monitoring points to take account of data anomalies and long-term nitrate concentration trends. We are also carrying out more accurate mapping work to identify precisely which parts of each catchment would require designation as NVZs. As was explained in the consultation document, such refinements are expected to alter some of the possible NVZ boundaries illustrated in the consultation document.

A decision on how the Government intends to implement the Nitrate Directive will be announced in due course.

GM Crops

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the grid references are of locations in which T-25 genetically modified maize (a) has been and (b) is the subject of field crop trials; and if she will make a statement. [53815]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 2 May 2002]: Listed are the grid references of the locations in which T-25 maize (a) has been grown in the Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE) trials in 1999 (the pilot year of the trials), 2000 and 2001 and (b) is proposed for the FSE trials this year. This and further background information on the FSE trials is on our website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/fse/ location/index.

1999

SK 979 911

SU 672 628

TG 090 179

TL 101 999

2000

SE 442 409

SJ 356 692

SJ 570 384

SJ 619 473

SK 971 586

SK 979 907

SO 566 475

ST 587 164

TA 263 382

7 May 2002 : Column 56W

TL 118 130

TM 051 224

TM 100 879

2001

SE 450 412

SJ 362 678

SJ 570 384

SJ 603 210

SJ 619 473

SJ 680 265

SJ 697 862

SK 959 902

SO 566 478

SO 915 564

SU 377 977

SU 748 692

SY 653 849

SY 675 847

SY 680 822

SY 681 836

TA 018 008

TA 224 374

TG 031 134

TG 089 169

TG 092 175

TM 051 221

TM 056 221

TM 068 897

TM 106 873

2002

NZ 206 363

SE 448 422

SJ 573 381

SJ 602 214

SJ 619 473

SJ 683 254

SJ 714 870

SK 963 898

SO 556 486

SO 561 479

SO 915 565

SP 154 403

ST 587 164

ST 785 091

ST 813 082

SU 362 990

SU 748 692

SY 667 857

SY 669 864

SY 680 822

SY 681 836

SY 764 938

TA 020 010

7 May 2002 : Column 57W

TA 225 374

TF 040 173

TF 195 974

TF 934 241

TG 090 173

TM 051 221

TM 068 897

TM 106 873

TM 168 215

TQ 985 243.

Marine Stewardship

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the Marine Stewardship Report. [54868]

Mr. Meacher: The first Marine Stewardship Report—Safeguarding Our Seas: A Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of our Marine Environment—was published on 1 May. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Aggregates Levy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she (a) has made and (b) plans to make of the impact of the aggregates levy on (i) the development and use of alternative materials and (ii) efficiency in the use of virgin aggregate; and if she will make a statement. [53723]

Mr. Boateng: I have been asked to reply.

The higher price of aggregates will provide an incentive to develop and use alternative materials and make more efficient use of primary aggregate.

The levy will be subject to environmental evaluation in due course. Given that the levy was only introduced on 1 April 2002 it is currently too early to assess its impact.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Equipment Leasing

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last four years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case. [39087]

Jane Kennedy: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Television Sets

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) analogue and (b) integrated digital television sets his Department has purchased in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement. [38175]

Jane Kennedy: As the information requested is not held centrally, I could provide an answer only at disproportionate cost.

7 May 2002 : Column 58W

All officials in the Northern Ireland Office are aware that they are expected to find the most cost-effective solution to meet the desired needs in regards to the purchase of television sets as with all other procurements.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement. [39738]

Jane Kennedy: The Northern Ireland Office has a special leave policy that allows for paid leave for voluntary work. We do not record centrally the numbers of staff on this kind of leave, as it is a matter dealt with by local management.

All staff in the Northern Ireland Office are encouraged to undertake voluntary work, training and learning opportunities as part of their personal and career development.

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