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Agricultural Tenancies
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to bring forward legislation to amend the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. [61541]
Mr. Morley: We are currently considering the recommendations made in the report prepared for DEFRA by Plymouth university evaluating the operation of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. We are also considering the recommendations on tenancy issues made by the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food. As part of this process we are currently consulting stakeholders.
We will make our initial thoughts on both reports known when we respond to the Policy Commission report in the autumn. If we conclude that legislative changes might be appropriate, we will consult further on the detail of those changes before bringing legislation forward.
Young People
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what subjects and on which dates her Department has consulted organisations representing young people; and if she will list such organisations. [52503]
Mr. Morley: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department is committed to the new core principles for the involvement of children and young people published by the Minister for Young People in
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November 2001. On 12 June, the Department published an action plan setting out how it will implement these principles and give children and young people a real say in the DEFRA policies and services that affect them.
Endangered Species
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on the timetable for the proposed review of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997; [59739]
- (2) when she plans to (a) begin and (b) complete the review of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997; and if she will make a statement; [59735]
(3) if she will start the review of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 before the summer. [59738]
Mr. Meacher: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 23 May 2002, Official Report, column 501W.
The first stage of the review—discussions within Government—is under way, and should be completed by the end of June. Pre-consultations, to gather views from interested parties on the Government's initial proposals and the scope of the review, will then take place over the summer.
How quickly the full formal public consultation exercise can begin will depend on what arises from the pre-consultation process, and whether it necessitates further discussion within Government and with other parties. It should begin before the end of the year and will last for three months.
Proposals for any changes to the existing regulations as a result of the review will then be drawn up.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which organisations she plans to consult (a) prior to and (b) during the review of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Regulations) 1997; and at what stage in the process she plans to consult them. [59736]
Mr. Meacher: Pre-consultations will take place over the summer with: interested Government Departments (including HM Customs and Excise and the territorial administrations); the Association of Chief Police Officers (and its Scotland and Northern Ireland counterparts); the Government's scientific advisers on conservation matters; the Sustained Users' Network; Wildlife Link (including WWF-UK); and the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime.
We will make every effort to ensure that everyone who is affected by or who has an interest in the review is included in the formal public consultation process later this year.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received concerning the review of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997. [59737]
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Mr. Meacher: I have so far received over 150 letters from right hon. and hon. Members, and a handful of letters direct from members of the public. WWF-UK officers have also been in regular contact with me and with my officials.
Departmental Staff (Scotland)
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of (a) civil service, (b) executive agencies and (c) non-departmental public body jobs under the remit of her Department are located in Scotland; and how many of each have been relocated to Scotland since May 1997. [56311]
Mr. Morley: The number of jobs under the remit of DEFRA that are located in Scotland is as follows:
| Number of jobs | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Core DEFRA | 93 | 1.29 |
| (b) Executive agencies | 52 | 0.92 |
| (c) NDPBs | 147.5 | 1.03 |
Six NDPB jobs have been relocated to Scotland since May 1997.
Whales
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the members of her Department's consultative forum on whaling. [57500]
Mr. Morley: The current members of the Consultative Forum on Whaling are as follows:
- Campaign Whale
Earthkind
Environmental Investigation Agency
Greenpeace
International Fund for Animal Welfare
The Mammal Society
Marine Conservation Society
RSPCA
Seawatch Foundation
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Wildlife and Countryside Link
The Wildlife Trusts
WWF International
WWF-UK
Young People's Trust for the Environment.
Departmental Communications
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 662W, on departmental communications, what the cost was of (a) preparing; (b) printing and (c) processing the consultation papers, information documents and forms. [55603]
Margaret Beckett [holding answer 10 May 2002]: The aggregated costs of preparation, printing, and processing are as follows. Obtaining figures of expenditure separated according to the categories set out in this question could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
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- (a) 38 consultation papers were issued at a cost of £126,223.00.
- (b) 418 items categorised as circulars/information literature documents were produced at a cost of £852,649.00.
- (c) 225 forms targeted at farmers and ancillary organisations at a cost of £202,965.00.
The mailing costs associated with delivering these documents was £831,049.00.
Agricultural Shows
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will exempt agricultural shows from the 20-day standstill period for animal movements. [54346]
Margaret Beckett [holding answer 7 May 2002]: The rules applicable to the movement of livestock to and from agricultural shows will be kept under review to ensure that they are proportionate to the disease risks involved. For the time being veterinary advice is that it remains appropriate for stock moving to a show either to respect any standstill on the premises of departure, and to impose a 20-day standstill on their return, or for the show animal(s) to be isolated for 20 days on their home premises before departure and after their return.
The 20-day standstill is at the centre of the interim livestock movement restrictions currently in force to guard against a future outbreak. Scientific and veterinary advice is that it aids detection of disease and slows disease spread. A number of exemptions from the standstill have been introduced, on veterinary advice, in order to help livestock farmers without causing an unacceptable increase in disease risk. These interim arrangements are currently under review, but whatever changes may be made to the interim rules this summer, the Government intend to take full account of any relevant findings from the FMD inquiries before it reaches a final view on the role that a 20-day standstill might play in the long-term controls over livestock movements.
Recycling
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives she gives to local authorities to encourage the development and introduction of recycling facilities. [59746]
Mr. Meacher: Statutory performance standards for recycling and composting have been set to drive up performance by local authorities as part of the Government's waste strategy. The Government are committed to the achievement of these targets and will intervene if necessary to ensure they are delivered.
Local public service agreements provide opportunities for authorities to commit themselves to exceeding the statutory recycling targets and to be rewarded with additional resources for doing so.
Spending Review 2000 increased both the general revenue support to local authorities on waste management services and specific, ring-fenced, funding. A new £140 million fund has been created for local authority waste minimisation and recycling projects. The fund covers two years, and bids for the first year of funding were invited by 30 April 2002. They are currently being
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assessed by DEFRA policy officials and an expert panel consisting of various waste, local authority and community sector experts.
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what Government procedures are in place to monitor the (a) levels and (b) types of recycling being undertaken by local authorities in relation to normal daily disposal of refuse from households. [59745]
Mr. Meacher: Under the Best Value Performance Indicators, local authorities in England make annual returns on the percentage of the total tonnage of household waste arisings which have been sent for recycling (BV82a) or composting (BV82b). In addition, my Department's annual Municipal Waste Management Survey collects information on different types of materials collected for recycling and composting. For example, the Municipal Waste Management Survey shows that recycling of household waste plastics increased to 13,000 tonnes in 1999–2000, compared to 8,000 tonnes for the previous year.
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