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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 9 May 2002
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Correspondence
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average response time was for responding to departmental correspondence; what percentage of letters took longer than one month for a response; and what percentage took longer than three months for a response in each of the last five years. [37442]
Mr. Morley: Our Minister's correspondence database does not record details of response times and percentages of response times for the last five years. We can only provide this information for letters answered for the period since the formation of DEFRA on 8 June 2001 to 31 March 2002.
The DEFRA service target is 15 working days.
- Letters answered from 8 June 2001 to 31 March 2002
- Mean response time was 48.14 working days
- Percentage of letters that took longer than one month for a response: 64.58
- Percentage of letters that took longer than three months for a response: 24.18.
The Department suffered severe disruption last year due to allocating top priority to defeating the foot and mouth epidemic. Furthermore the sheer volume of correspondence received following the creation of DEFRA had a major impact on the Department's performance, resulting in a large backlog of letters. We have devoted more resources to clearing the backlog and we are making progress in improving response times.
Rio Earth Summit (Implementation)
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which members of (a) her Department and (b) the Government are planning to attend the Rio+10 Summit in Johannesburg in 2002; and on what dates these individuals are expected to be in attendance. [44358]
Mr. Meacher: The final decision on the make-up of the delegation to the summit will rest with the Prime Minister nearer the time. However, both the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will attend the summit. We are keen to ensure that all three pillars of sustainable development are represented in the ministerial element of the delegation.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by the Government since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to (a) set goals on environmental protection and (b) improve eco-efficiency and resource productivity relating to mountain issues; and what these (i) goals and (ii) improvements have been. [44343]
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Mr. Meacher: The majority of the montane area in the UK occurs in Scotland. Although montane habitats are very scarce in England there are 33 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) with an estimated 26,000 ha of land above 600 m. Several of these are also Natura 2000 sites designated in accordance with the EC wild birds and habitats directives.
In addition to protection measures afforded by notification as special sites (SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas), actions in hand include the establishment of six upland habitat action plans under the UK biodiversity action plan.
In England the hill farm allowance (HFA) was introduced in 2001 to provide support to beef and sheep producers in the less favoured areas in recognition of the difficulties they face and the vital role they play in maintaining the landscape and rural communities of the hills. Similar schemes operate in the devolved Administrations. HFA is linked to sustainable farming practices, forms part of the wider rural development programme and is WTO compatible.
Sellafield
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much technetium has been discharged from Sellafield in each year since 1992. [53650]
Margaret Beckett: Annual discharges of technetium- 99 to sea from BNFL Sellafield since 1992 were as follows:
| Year | Discharge in terabecquerels (TBq) |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 3.2 |
| 1993 | 6.1 |
| 1994 | 75 |
| 1995 | 190 |
| 1996 | 150 |
| 1997 | 84 |
| 1998 | 53 |
| 1999 | 69 |
| 2000 | 44 |
| 2001 | 79 |
Meat Imports
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of meat imports were subject to random checks in the last 12 months. [53702]
Mr. Morley: All commercial consignments of meat from third countries are required to be presented to border inspection posts where they undergo 100 per cent. documentary and identity checks. Physical checks are undertaken on a minimum of 50 per cent. of consignments of poultry and game meat, with a minimum level of 20 per cent. on other meats.
In addition HM Customs and Excise have also participated with local and port health authorities in targeted exercises on air passengers and deal with meat found in baggage in contravention of our imports rules as part of their normal controls. In cargo, meat found in
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Customs examinations which was not declared in freight would be drawn to the attention of the local and port health authorities.
Chernobyl
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research projects are continuing on the environmental impact of Chernobyl on the United Kingdom. [54171]
Mr. Meacher: There are no current research projects on the environmental impact of Chernobyl on the United Kingdom. A great deal of work has been done in the past to understand and ameliorate the effects of radiocaesium on the environment and the food chain. The Food Standards Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs continue to monitor the effects of the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl in sheep and fresh water fish. Details of the latest monitoring results can be obtained from the Food Standards Agency's annual report "Radioactivity in Food and the Environment".
Egg Labelling Directive
Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from small producers on the implementation of the European Directive on the Compulsory Labelling of Eggs. [54161]
Mr. Morley: Comments were received from the main representative bodies and two producers during the negotiations on the proposal to amend Council Regulation (EEC) No 1274/91.
Rural Awareness
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when her Department will have rural proofing embedded in policy-making procedures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report, Rural Proofing in 2001–02; [54429]
- (2) when her Department will implement proofing and checklist measures as part of overall rural proofing measures set out in the Countryside Agency's report, Rural Proofing in 2001–02. [54434]
Alun Michael: The Government have made a firm commitment to rural proof all relevant policies and for performance to be monitored independently by the Countryside Agency. This innovative approach—described as "courageous" by the agency's chairman Ewen Cameron, when his first report was published on 11 April this year—applies across Government and to agencies and other Government bodies.
The first report concludes that a great deal has been achieved since this approach was proposed in the Rural White Paper in November 2000, but that much more needs to be done to make rural proofing fully effective. The report sets out details of the checklist devised by the Countryside Agency as an appendix.
Following the decision to implement the strong rural agenda set out in the White Paper, a number of other changes have taken place. In June 2001, the new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs came into being. For the first time, there is a Minister of
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State for Rural Affairs and a director general within DEFRA backed by a team with a clear focus on rural social and economic issues and on implementation of the Rural White Paper. A Cabinet sub-committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has a specific focus on rural affairs. The Minister of State for Rural Affairs has met Ministerial colleagues across Government to discuss the challenges of delivering services in rural areas.
The implementation of rural proofing is a process across Government. Responsibility lies with each individual Department but DEFRA and the Countryside Agency are working together to develop rural-proofing strategies and to rural proof individual policies.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department will introduce measures to raise rural awareness through staff (a) training, (b) development and (c) secondments as part of overall rural proofing measures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report, Rural Proofing in 2001–02. [54417]
Alun Michael: The Government have made a firm commitment to rural proof all relevant policies and for performance to be monitored independently by the Countryside Agency. This innovative approach—described as "courageous" by the agency's chairman, Ewen Cameron when his first report was published on 11 April this year—applies across Government and to agencies and other Government bodies.
The first report concludes that a great deal has been achieved since this approach was proposed in the Rural White Paper in November 2000, but that much more needs to be done to make rural proofing fully effective. The report sets out details of the checklist devised by the Countryside Agency as an appendix.
Following the decision to implement the strong rural agenda set out in the White Paper, a number of other changes have taken place. In June 2001, the new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs came into being. For the first time, there is a Minister of State for Rural Affairs and a director general within DEFRA backed by a team with a clear focus on rural social and economic issues and on implementation of the Rural White Paper. A Cabinet sub-committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has a specific focus on rural affairs. The Minister of State for Rural Affairs has met ministerial colleagues across Government to discuss the challenges of delivering services in rural areas.
Each Government Department has put in place arrangements to respond to the requirements of rural proofing and the Treasury, for instance, has a secondee from the Countryside Agency working with their officials on rural proofing work. Rural proofing is also one of the forms of policy assessment that the Centre for Management and Policy Studies in the Cabinet Office introduces as appropriate during its training for civil servants on policy making.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department will establish rural targets and monitoring as
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part of overall rural proofing measures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report "Rural Proofing in 2001–02". [54424]
Alun Michael: The Government have made a firm commitment to rural proof all relevant policies and for performance to be monitored independently by the Countryside Agency. This innovative approach—described as "courageous" by the agency's chairman, Ewen Cameron, when his first report was published on 11 April this year—applies across Government and to agencies and other Government bodies.
The first report concludes that a great deal has been achieved since this approach was proposed in the Rural White Paper in November 2000, but that much more needs to be done to make rural proofing fully effective. The report sets out details of the checklist devised by the Countryside Agency as an appendix.
Following the decision to implement the strong rural agenda set out in the White Paper, a number of other changes have taken place. In June 2001, the new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs came into being. For the first time there is a Minister of State for Rural Affairs and a Director General within DEFRA backed by a team with a clear focus on rural social and economic issues and on implementation of the Rural White Paper. A Cabinet Sub-Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has a specific focus on rural affairs. The Minister of Stare for Rural Affairs has met Ministerial colleagues across Government to discuss the challenges of delivering services in rural areas.
The Rural Services Standard, as set out in the Rural White Paper (Our Countryside: the future (Cm4909)) sets targets for the individual services delivered by Government. It is monitored for DEFRA by the Countryside Agency, and its content is currently being reviewed. Some individual Departments also have their own rural targets within their public service or service delivery agreements. Proposed public service agreement targets for 2003–04 and beyond are under discussion as part of the current Spending Review.
As the agency's annual report recommends, the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Renewal will review progress in the autumn, and take a close and continuing interest in the subject generally. The Countryside Agency will report again next year on progress with rural proofing, so there is a regular external monitoring and evaluation process.
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