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Central Science Laboratory

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the 2001–02 annual report for the Central Science Laboratory. [72958]

Mr. Morley: The 2001–02 annual report and accounts for the Central Science Laboratory were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Enriched Cages

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the public consultation on a possible ban on enriched cages in England will begin. [72959]

Mr. Morley: The public consultation will start on 24 July and last for three months.

Common Land

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to announce the outcome of the review of common land policy and legislation, following the consultation exercise that took place in 2000. [72957]

Alun Michael: We have today published a "Common Land Policy Statement" jointly with the National Assembly for Wales. This, together with the "Report on Consultation Responses", is available in the Library of the House, on the DEFRA website, and from the National Assembly for Wales.

The policy statement contains a comprehensive package of proposals relating to the registration and protection of common land and village greens. It also outlines our objectives for improving the agricultural management of common land and announces our intention to set up as soon as possible a working party of stakeholders to make recommendations on how these objectives can best be met.

In the rural White Paper, issued in November 2000, the Government gave a commitment to legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows. We hope to be able to do so in the 2004–05 session.

Veterinary Medicines Directorate

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the 2001–02 annual report for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. [72962]

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Mr. Morley: The 2001–02 annual report and accounts for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the 2001–02 annual report for the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. [72956]

Mr. Morley: The 2001–02 annual report and accounts for the Veterinary Laboratories Agency were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Water Industry

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the consultation paper on competition in the water industry will be published. [72960]

Mr. Meacher: I announced to the House on 19 March 2002, the Government's proposals for increasing competition in the water industry in England and Wales, Official Report, column 265W. I promised to publish a consultation paper with further details of our proposals later in the year.

I can now confirm that the consultation paper on competition in the water industry will be published in the next few weeks.

Public Relations Consultants

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by (a) her Department and (b) bodies for which it is responsible on external public relations consultants in each of the last four years. [27387]

Mr. Morley: As DEFRA was created in June 2001, retrospective information prior to that date does not exist for the Department. Information on such expenditure by DEFRA's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

There have been three DEFRA managed campaigns where PR consultants were employed . The costs of their services over the past financial year were as follows:

'Are you Doing your Bit?' campaign—£12,000


UK's Emissions Trading Scheme campaign—£95,000


'Your Countryside, You're Welcome' campaign—£210,000.

The delay in supplying this answer to the hon. Gentleman is regretted.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2002, Official Report, column 200, what recent discussions she has had with her French counterpart on reform of the CAP. [63532]

Mr. Morley: All member states set out their initial responses to the European Commission's proposals for the next stage of CAP reform at the EU Agriculture Council

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on 15 July. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be discussing these proposals with all of her EU agriculture colleagues over the coming months.

Ministerial Speeches

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will list the speeches which (a) she and (b) other Ministers from her Department have made to external organisations and businesses since 7 June 2001, in each case saying where the speech is publicly available; if she will place copies of speeches not available in the Library; and if she will make a statement; [56552]

(2) when she will answer the question of the hon. Member for Gordon, reference 56552, on departmental speeches. [64736]

Mr. Morley: All DEFRA Ministers make a number of speeches every week and so it would be only at disproportionate cost that a fully comprehensive list could be assembled. However, a list has been placed in the Library of the House which shows the principal keynote speeches made by DEFRA Ministers since 7 June 2001. Some of these are available on the DEFRA website (as are other, more minor speeches) and, where possible, the others are available upon request although generally not in an 'as delivered' format.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representation the Scottish Executive will have on delegations to meetings with the European Commission to discuss their proposals for reform of the CAP. [70436]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 17 July 2002]: In accordance with the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Policy Issues (Part IIB of Cm 4444) and a bilateral concordat, the role of Ministers and officials of the devolved Administrations in the CAP reform negotiations will be to support and advance the single UK negotiating line which they will have played a part in developing. How that role is best fulfilled will be a matter for discussion with the devolved Administrations, but it is expected that Scottish Executive representatives will form part of the UK delegation for appropriate EU meetings.

Mr. David: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's response is to the European Commission's proposals for the reform of the CAP, as referred to in the mid-term review. [69602]

Kali Mountford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the EU Commission's proposals to reform the CAP. [69605]

Mr. Morley: The Government welcome publication of the European Commission's proposals for reform of the CAP which will form a good basis for discussion. We believe that the general thrust of the proposals for further market reform, decoupling of direct payments from production, and reinforcement of the rural development regulation is the right one, although in a number of key areas the Government consider that the proposals do not go far enough and do not adequately respond to the challenges ahead.

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Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on what progress she expects on the reform of the common agricultural policy; and what timetable she expects will be agreed for its reform. [71723]

Mr. Morley: On 10 July the European Commission published a communication to the European Council and European Parliament on reform of the common agricultural policy. Having been discussed at the Agriculture Council on 15 July, we expect it to be discussed again at future Councils during the Danish presidency. We are still at a very early stage in these complex negotiations, and it is difficult to predict when agreement will be reached. However, it is expected that the Commission will not table legislative proposals until late October at the earliest. The Commission has proposed that any reform agreed will apply from 1 January 2004.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on the incomes of hill farmers in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) England of the proposed changes in the common agricultural policy announced by the European Commission; what representations she made to the European Commission relating to the CAP prior to their recommendations; what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Executives on reform of the common agricultural policy; and what meetings she has arranged with the European Commission to discuss their proposals for reform of the CAP. [70373]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 17 July 2002]: An assessment has yet to be made of the impact on the incomes of hill farmers in England of the changes outlined in the Commission's CAP reform communication. It would be for the devolved Administrations to make such an assessment for farmers in Scotland and Wales. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, met Commissioner Fischler before publication of the Commission's communication to discuss related issues, and she has met him again since publication to discuss the specific proposals. CAP reform has been a recurring agenda item for the regular meetings my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has with Ministers from the devolved Administrations prior to EU Agriculture Council meetings. The most recent such meeting took place in Brussels on 15 July, focusing on the Commission's communication. No further meetings have been arranged with the EU Commission at this stage.

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