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Hazardous Waste

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on disposal routes of the reclassification of waste as hazardous. [69748]

Mr. Meacher: Reclassification of waste as hazardous will restrict its disposal via landfill to those sites classified as landfill sites for hazardous waste by the Environment Agency. Landfill site operators should have submitted site conditioning plans (required by 16 July) detailing what classification they are seeking for their site. It is still too early to assess what hazardous waste capacity will be available after 16 July but the waste management industry have informed us that they do not foresee a shortfall.

Energy Crops

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans there are to introduce a processing plant for energy crops in Scotland; when it will come into force; how much it will cost; and if she will make a statement on where responsibility for this project lies. [70095]

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Mr. Morley: Responsibility for this is with the Scottish Executive. I understand the Executive has no knowledge of a project being developed to utilise energy crops.

Pet Travel

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which ports allow animals into the UK through the PETS scheme; and if she plans to extend the number of ports in this scheme. [70268]

Mr. Morley: At present there are five sea ports where animals that meet the rules of the Pet Travel Scheme can enter England. These are Dover, Portsmouth, Harwich, Poole and Plymouth. Pets can also enter England under the scheme through Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Under the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme, any transport company wishing to transport animals to England under the scheme must seek written approval to do so from the Government. My Department has written in the past to all ferry and airline companies operating passenger routes into England to invite expressions of interest for approval to join the scheme. Whether companies choose to seek approval is a commercial and operational decision for them.

Aujeszky's Disease

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will announce the results of the tests for Aujeszky's disease taken this month on a number of premises in Lancashire, Cheshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, West Sussex and Lincolnshire. [70267]

Mr. Morley: The final results of these tests were received on Monday 15 July, and I am pleased to say they were all negative.

A press release was issued on the same day announcing that no trace of disease has been found following the investigations.

Bush Meat

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received about the issue of the unsustainable bush meat trade and its inclusion in the World Summit on Sustainable Development. [70302]

Mr. Meacher: The Secretary of State has received the following recent representations about this issue:

Two letters from my hon. Friend himself, dated 16 April and 24 May.


A letter from the director of International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW UK), Ms Campbell-McRae, dated 27 May.

The Secretary of State has replied to each correspondence.

UK Government officials, including a DEFRA representative, attended the UK Bushmeat Campaign meeting on 28 May. The aim of the workshop was to draw attention to the bush meat crisis and to call for it to be raised at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD).

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement about her Department's intention to include

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the issue of the unsustainable bushmeat trade in her preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. [70300]

Mr. Meacher: The Government's work to tackle unsustainable bushmeat trade is ongoing, predominantly through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). We have funded research to analyse knowledge on the bushmeat trade, highlight gaps in data and understanding, and recommend further action. The Government supports a number of initiatives with links to bushmeat, such as the UK Bushmeat Working Group.

Our priorities for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) include poverty eradication and sustainable livelihoods, with a focus on implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, linked with the need for good domestic, regional and international governance and institutional capacity building. Action in these areas will address the diverse underlying causes of bushmeat trade. The draft Programme of Action (PoA) for WSSD recognises that the Conventions on Biodiversity (CBD) and International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) are the key routes for achieving the conservation and sustainable sue of biological diversity and thereby tackling trade in bushmeat. The draft PoA calls for all countries to implement the CBD's programme of work on forest biological diversity. As you know, the work programme specifically calls for the establishment of a group to develop a work plan to bring harvesting of non-timber forest products, with particular focus on bushmeat, to sustainable levels.

Energy Saving Trust

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the (a) Create and (b) Lightswitch grant regimes administered by the Energy Saving Trust were discontinued; and what will replace them with respect to schools. [70227]

Mr. Meacher: The school sector is an area where we now expect the Carbon Trust to have a lead role as part of their work on the promotion of energy efficiency in the public sector. We have asked the Carbon Trust to work with the Energy Saving Trust to develop a new approach for the schools sector, and they intend to draw on the previous experience of the EST as well as other key players such as CREATE.

In addition, as part of their work to promote energy efficiency in business and the public sector, the Carbon Trust is currently considering how the promotion of energy efficient lighting, including in schools, can be improved and will shortly be consulting with all key players, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in developing and expanding their approach.

In the meantime, the EST will be discussing with the Carbon Trust how to handle certain programmes and initiatives that they had previously managed, such as Lightswitch and SchoolEnergy. The EST is also expected to continue to have an important and proactive role in energy efficiency education and in energy services for schools. I understand that these considerations will form part of the proposal from the Trusts on a future strategy for schools.

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Egg Industry

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to make compensation available to egg producers in respect of the capital cost of converting from egg production in cage systems to egg production in non-cage systems. [70334]

Mr. Morley: The EC CAP regime for this sector is a light one and no grants are currently available as these would contravene existing rules on state aids. Any compensation would need to be laid down by measures that apply fairly across the EU. The long implementation times for the regulations mean that the industry has a lengthy period over which to write off the required capital investment.

Doha Development Agenda

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the EU in respect of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations to prevent goods entering the UK that are produced by standards of hygiene and animal welfare lower than in the UK. [70338]

Mr. Morley: While we strongly support the removal of protectionist barriers to agricultural trade, we have made clear that liberalisation must not compromise EU standards of hygiene and animal welfare. Our concerns are fully reflected in the negotiating proposals that the European Commission has submitted in the Doha Development Agenda.

EU Committees (Scottish Representation)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [70570]

Mr. Morley: The next meeting of the EU Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry is scheduled for September. The committee consists of representatives of the member states. UK representation depends upon the agenda for each meeting and can include members of the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations where they consider that there are items of sufficient interest.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [70581]

Mr. Morley: Meetings of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics usually coincide with Working Party meetings and the next will take place in November 2002 if necessary. Consultation with devolved Administrations always takes place beforehand. UK representation varies according to the agenda for each

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meeting and may include members of the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations where there are items of sufficient interest.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for Community protection of plant variety rights is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [70573]

Mr. Morley: No meeting of the EU Committee for Community protection of plant variety rights has been scheduled. The Committee consists of representatives of the member states. UK representation depends upon the agenda for each meeting and can include members of the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations where they consider that there are items of sufficient interest.

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