8 May 2002 : Column 155W
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 8 May 2002
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department has taken since 1997 to encourage energy efficiency in (a) the domestic sector, (b) the commercial sector, (c) the industrial sector and (d) the public sector; and how much Government financial support has been made available. [50433]
Mr. Meacher: The Government have introduced a wide range of measures, including market incentives, financial assistance, legal obligations, and guidance and information, to encourage energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy. These include:
- the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) on domestic energy supplies, from 2002 to 2005;
the Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements;
the UK Emissions Trading Scheme;
the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES)
revised building regulations which require high energy efficiency standards;
the Market Transformation programme;
a wide range of measures to support combined heat and power (CHP);
the Community Energy capital grant programme;
substantial Government funding of the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust to promote and support energy efficiency in the domestic, public, industry and business sectors.
| £ million(1) | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 110.5 |
| 1998–99 | 109.0 |
| 1999–2000 | 112.0 |
| 2000–2001 | 163.5 |
| 2001–2002 | 224.0 |
(1) Includes funding for the Carbon Trust of £26.5 million from recycled Climate Change Levy receipts.
Eggs
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Lion Code of Practice and Lion Quality Mark in (a) reducing salmonella levels in egg production and (b) raising overall
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food safety standards; what reference was made to the Lion Quality Scheme in her Department's report entitled "Sustainable Food and Farming—Working Together"; and what plans she has to endorse the British Egg Industry Council's Lion Code of Practice for all eggs sold in the United Kingdom. [53201]
Mr. Morley: In the period since 1998 there has been a significant fall in human salmonellosis in Great Britain and in egg-associated salmonella outbreaks. Lion code producers can be proud of the investment they have made in the Lion Mark scheme, which includes vaccination of flocks against salmonella, good biosecurity measures, registration, and traceability and controls on storage times and temperature that go beyond statutory requirements. We warmly endorse the work they have done on this.
The Sustainable Food and Farming report did not make specific mention of any sectors. The paper indicated where DEFRA and others are taking forward recommendations made by the Policy Commission on Farming and Food, and sought views on what should be done next. I hope that the egg industry will contribute to this exercise.
Dairy Industry
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to simplify the administration of milk quotas; and if she will make a statement on the benchmarking in the dairy industry. [53209]
Mr. Morley: The implementation and administration of the milk quota system is under continuous review. The new Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations, which entered into force on 31 March 2002, will reduce the administrative burden on the industry by removing unnecessary requirements, such as certain deadlines, and liberalising the provisions for the permanent transfer of quota without land.
We support the use of benchmarking by the dairy sector as a useful tool in identifying and promulgating best practice. We have, for example, already supplied the Milk Development Council (MDC) with Farm Business Survey data for farms with dairy enterprises with a view to the MDC setting up on-line interactive data base which would allow dairy farmers to benchmark their businesses.
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to encourage greater co-operation and communication between participants in the dairy supply chain arising from her Department's response to the Milk Task Force report published on 3 January. [53210]
Mr. Morley: We shall take every opportunity to encourage all parts of the dairy industry to take up the recommendations of the Milk Task Force to improve communications between one another—for example between supermarkets and their suppliers—and to increase co-operative and collaborative activity—for example between processing and production and between dairy farmers. But it for the industry itself to make progress in these important areas.
Fruit
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made in negotiations to amend the EU marketing standard for apples and pears. [52600]
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Mr. Morley: There have been no further discussions since my written reply of 5 March.
Red Cross
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support her Department has given since 1 April 2000 to projects in the UK run by the British Red Cross in rural communities. [52968]
Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) on 30 April 2002, Official Report, columns 609–10W.
Wood Imports
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to introduce tariffs and labelling on wood imports. [53654]
Mr. Morley: At present we have no plans to introduce tariffs or labels on wood imports. Such controls have, however, been considered as part of a thorough examination of the pros and cons of a variety of courses of action designed to combat illegal logging and to promote the sustainable management of forest overseas.
In the case of tariffs, we are using the current negotiations in the World Trade Organisation under the Doha development agenda to propose a reduction or elimination of tariffs on timber and wood products from sustainably managed sources. This would provide a positive incentive for owners of forests and those in the international timber trade.
When considering mandatory labelling, we were mindful that any action would most likely contravene European Union rules on free trade. Instead we announced in July 2000 that all central Government Departments and agencies would actively seek to buy timber from sustainable and legal sources. Wood products and timber labelled under credible certification schemes will be accepted as meeting this requirement.
We have taken the lead internationally in efforts to combat illegal logging and to promote the sustainable management of forests. We are currently working with partners in the timber trade, the environmental community and with Governments in the timber producing countries. For example, on 18 April the Governments of Indonesia and UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing the two parties to a range of actions to tackle forest law enforcement and governance in Indonesia and the import by UK of illegally logged forest products from Indonesia.
At the forthcoming World Summit, we shall, of course, be aiming to secure further commitment and action on sustainable forest management.
Financial Support Schemes
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the financial support schemes sponsored by her Department and its agencies for (a) horticulture, (b) agriculture,
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(c) arboriculture, (d) fisheries, (e) pisciculture, (f) environmental projects and (g) environmental protection. [53402]
Mr. Morley: An outline of the work of the Department will be provided in the forthcoming departmental report, and information on individual schemes is available on our website. A detailed reply could be given only at disproportionate cost.
Sellafield
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether drinking water is extracted from the groundwater under Sellafield. [53651]
Margaret Beckett: The groundwater at Sellafield is not used for drinking water supplies.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department held meetings with the Irish Government to discuss the British Nuclear Fuels plant at Sellafield between 7 June and 5 October 2001; where each meeting took place; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; and which Irish Government Departments were involved in each meeting. [53358]
Margaret Beckett: Apart from the meeting of UK Government officials and officials from Ireland's Department of Public Enterprise on 5 October (referred to in the answer I gave on 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 373W), no other meetings took place between the dates specified in the question.
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