11 Jun 2002 : Column 1123W
Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 11 June 2002
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the number of farm businesses in receipt of compensation during the foot and mouth epidemic which have since (a) been sold and (b) ceased to trade as farms. [54341]
Margaret Beckett [holding answer 7 May 2002]: No formal assessment has been made of the number of farm businesses in receipt of compensation during the foot and mouth epidemic which have since (a) been sold and (b) ceased to trade. However, an informal survey conducted by the Department in February 2002 suggested that 6 per cent. of farmers whose animals had been infected with foot and mouth disease intend to move out of farming.
Committee Mandates
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the EU Committee for the adaptation to scientific and technical progress and implementation of the directives on waste is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; when it is next due to meet; what the UK representation on it is; whether any experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [60390]
Mr. Meacher: The Committee's mandate is determined by Articles 17 and 18 of the Waste Framework Directive, Article 9 of the Hazardous Waste Directive and Article 11 of the End-Of-Life Vehicles Directive. In summary, its mandate is to assist the European Commission to adapt aspects of those Directives in the light of scientific and technical progress.
The Committee met on 6 July 2001, 30 January 2002 and 22 May 2002. The UK's representation is determined by the agenda for each meeting but the basic representation is usually two officials.
The Scottish Executive have not nominated any experts to attend the Committee's meetings. However, my officials work closely with the Scottish Executive on waste management issues, including those dealt with by the Committee.
Waste Management
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what investigations she has made into alternative ways of disposing of unwanted (a) hazardous and (b) non- hazardous items; and if she will make a statement. [60100]
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1124W
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The EU Landfill Directive bans the landfilling of:
- Liquid waste.
Waste which in the conditions of landfill is explosive, oxidising, corrosive, flammable or highly flammable.
Chemical substances from R&D or teaching, e.g. unidentified or new laboratory residues whose effects on man or the environment are not known.
Hospital and other clinical wastes arising from medical or veterinary establishments which are infectious.
Whole used tyres from 2003 and shredded used tyres from 2006.
Any waste that does not fulfil the waste acceptance criteria.
- Pyrolysis and gasification—commissioned in some major industrial sites already.
Merchant treatment plants for organic wastes offering pre-treatment, such as air stripping or pH balancing.
Existing landfill leachate plant could treat a range of aqueous organic waste streams, further developments could provide a wider range of outlets for organic wastes.
Some water companies are encouraging greater use of their spare capacity in aerobic and anaerobic treatment systems
Solvent recovery plants have some spare capacity and are planning investment to recover useful materials from aqueous feedstock.
High temperature incineration.
The Government are also working in partnership with the tyre industry through the Used Tyre Working Group (UTWG) investigating alternative disposal, recycling and recovery options for those tyres displaced from landfill with the aim of ensuring that sufficient capacity is available to handle those tyres displaced from landfill.
Correspondence
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 11 September 2001 from the hon. Member for Torbay on behalf of Mr. Moore of Paignton. [58921]
Mr. Morley: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 12 November 2001.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 28 November 2001 from the hon. Member for Torbay on behalf of Mr. Jones of Torquay. [58924]
Mr. Morley: The hon. Member's letter was transferred to the Department for Trade and Industry as the issues it raised are the responsibility of that Department. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Industry (Mr. Wilson) replied on 12 March 2002.
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1125W
Farm Subsidies
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to rationalise the main funding schemes in the uplands to provide a simplified system of support for farmers in these areas. [59705]
Mr. Morley: The Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food recommended that the long-term aim for less favoured area support should be an integrated tiered payment scheme reflecting environmental and social benefits, actual cost of landscape, wildlife and access maintenance and the economic difficulties of traditional hill farming. The Government will take full account of this recommendation in reviewing the hill farm allowance and the current agri-environment schemes. In addition, plans are being drawn up for a small farmers scheme which will provide a simplified claims procedure for small farmers in the uplands and lowlands.
Fishing Industry
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was the
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1126W
(a) value of and (b) number of jobs in the UK inshore fishing industry in each year since 1997. [60158]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 10 June 2002]: Accurate estimates of the value of jobs in the inshore fishing industry are not available. Vessels under 10 metres in length comprise most of the UK inshore fleet, and Table 1 shows the value of landings made by these vessels for 1997 to 2001. The available data on jobs in the fishing industry cover only numbers of fishermen working on vessels. The information is given in Table 2; information for vessels under 10 metres is available only for England and Wales.
| Year | Value (£ million) |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 60.0 |
| 1998 | 69.1 |
| 1999 | 56.0 |
| 2000 | 48.2 |
| 2001 | 50.1 |
Source:
Fisheries Departments in the UK
| Year | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 10m and under | 5,129 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Over 10m | 4,300 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| All vessels | 9,429 | 8,194 | 981 | 18,604 | |
| 1998 | 10m and under | 5,045 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Over 10m | 4,066 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| All vessels | 9,111 | 7,771 | 1,007 | 17,889 | |
| 1999 | 10m and under | 4,100 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Over 10m | 3,596 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| All vessels | 7,696 | 7,330 | 935 | 15,961 | |
| 2000 | 10m and under | 4,185 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Over 10m | 3,121 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| All vessels | 7,306 | 6,092 | 686 | 14,084 |
Source:
Fisheries Departments in the UK
Regional Organisation
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regional organisation her Department has; and if she will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002. [58934]
Mr. Morley: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created in June 2001 from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and parts of the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Home Office.
In relation to MAFF in 1997 there were nine regional service centres carrying out work for the Ministry. There were also three regional areas for the State Veterinary Service, and offices in Scotland and Wales. The counties for each of these offices are laid out in the table. The unitary authorities are not included in this table due to the disproportionate cost of providing such information in the requested form.
On 1 April 2001 the regional service centres were dissolved and the Rural Development Service was established with eight regional offices to take forward the England Rural Development Programme. Since the creation of DEFRA in June 2001, the Government offices have also carried out work for my Department.
The details of the counties and unitary authorities for the regional offices of the Rural Development Service, the State Veterinary Service and the Government offices in 2002 are set out in the second table.
(1) Includes Shropshire
11 Jun 2002 : Column 1128W
| RDS/GO regions | Counties | Unitary authorities | SVS regions |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West | Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire | Plymouth, Torbay, Poole, Bournemouth, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Swindon | West |
| West Midlands | Shropshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire—see footnote 1 | Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Stoke-on-Trent—see footnote 1. The metropolitan authorities in the West Midlands | |
| East—East of England | Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire | Peterborough, Luton, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock | East |
| South East | Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, West Sussex, East Sussex | Isle of Wight, Milton Keynes, Brighton and Hove, Medway, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham | |
| London | Greater London | ||
| East Midlands | Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, | Leicester, Rutland | |
| Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire | Derby, Nottingham | North(2) | |
| North East | Northumberland, Durham | Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland. The Metropolitan authorities in Tyne and Wear | |
| North West | Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire | Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen, Warrington, Halton. The Metropolitan authorities in Merseyside and in Greater Manchester | |
| Yorkshire and Humber | North Yorkshire | York, East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston Upon Hull, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire. The Metropolitan authorities in South Yorkshire and in West Yorkshire | North |
| Wales | |||
| Scotland |
(2) Includes Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |