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22 Oct 2002 : Column 168W—continued

Tram Schemes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the tram schemes (a) under construction, (b) being developed and (c) being considered for funding from his Department. [76470]

Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is listed below:

(a) Systems Under Construction

Nottingham Express Transit-Nottingham-Hucknall, 14km. Due to open in November 2003.

(b) Systems Being Developed

Manchester Metrolink Phase III: three new lines to Oldham/Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Manchester Airport. Bids are under consideration.

Leeds Supertram—a 3 line 28km network linking the city centre to Headingley and Lawnswood; Seacroft and Whinmoor, and Tingley and Stourton Park and Ride. Detailed bids from the two short-listed consortia are due in October 2002.

South Hampshire Rapid Transit, linking Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham. Detailed bids from three qualifying consortia to design, build, maintain, and operate the scheme are expected at the end of 2002.

Bristol and South Gloucestershire, linking Bristol and Almondsbury. Economic appraisal provisionally approved subject to confirmation of details of proposals. The promoters are now reviewing these.

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(c) Systems Being Considered for Funding—Less Advanced Proposals

There are proposals for a new tram system in Merseyside (economic appraisal under consideration), an upgrade of the Blackpool Tramway (economic appraisal under consideration) and extensions to it. There are also longer-term plans for further extensions to the Midland Metro, Tyne and Wear Metro, Manchester Metrolink, South Yorkshire Supertram and Nottingham Express Transit and proposals in outline for new tram systems in Hull and Medway.

Lighthouse Depots

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the Lighthouse Board over the possible closure of the Stromness Lighthouse Depot; and if he will make a statement. [75722]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department discussed strategies for support depots with the lighthouse authorities in July. The future of the Stromness depot was among the issues covered at my Department's annual bilateral meeting with the Northern Lighthouse Board on 18 October. The NLB is consulting widely on the possible closure of the depot, and the Commissioners are expected to consider their conclusions in December.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the Department will publish the advice it gave the lighthouse authorities regarding maintenance of their depots. [75721]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department has discussed the overall requirements for aids to navigation support facilities with the lighthouse authorities. The Department has not given the authorities any specific advice on depot maintenance.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date (a) his Department and (b) the Marine Coastguard Agency were first contacted over the proposed closure of the Stromness Lighthouse Depot. [75723]

Mr. Jamieson: The Northern Lighthouse Board informed my Department in July of its intention to review the future of the Stromness depot. I understand from the Board that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was included in its Consultation Exercise that began on 30 August.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Correspondence

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 27 November 2001 from the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell, regarding Cornwall's integrated waste system; and if she will make a statement. [30758]

Mr. Morley: A reply was sent on 15 July following a meeting the hon. Member had with my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment.

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Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 22 May on the effect of nuclear processing. [72598]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 23 July 2002]: I am sorry, but we have no record of these letters in the Department.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 17 June about access to inland waters for water-based sports. [71272]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 25 July 2002]: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 14 July 2002.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 13 May, from the hon. Member for the Vale of York, on behalf of a constituent, Joan Cambage, regarding SI843. [71241]

Mr. Morley: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 2 July 2002.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 12 March, from the hon. Member for the Vale of York, of a constituent County Councillor John Savage, regarding BSE in sheep. [71242]

Mr. Morley: The hon. Member's letter was transferred to the Food Standards Agency who take the lead on the issue raised. I understand that a Department of Health Minister will be replying shortly.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much expenditure her Department has incurred in each year since 1997 on employing external consultants to deal with the press or public relations of her Department. [59674]

Mr. Morley: As DEFRA was set up in June 2001, retrospective information on expenditure before this date does not exist for the Department.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 23 July 2002, Official Report, column 916W.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which livestock markets are identified as receiving animals infected with foot and mouth disease in 2001; how many other farms became infected as a result of the movement of (a) infected animals, (b) contaminated people and (c) contaminated vehicles from each of these markets; what the results were of the laboratory tests conducted on animals from such farms for each of the three possible sources of infection listed; and on how many such farms no laboratory tests were conducted. [62256]

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Mr. Morley: This information is not available in the form requested. The following table shows the livestock markets which are believed to have received FMD infected animals in February 2001, and the answer to (a)—the number of farms directly infected by the movement of infected animals and the results of laboratory tests on animals from these farms. These farms seeded further spread in a number of locations.

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Information on (b) and (c) has not been collated and is not available, but, for example, approximately 28 Infected Premises were directly connected with Longtown Market.

Market	Movement of infected animals to:
	Market	Abattoir	Farm (includes dealers)	Total Infected Premises	Sampled—positive result returned	Sampled—negative result returned
Hexham	1	0	2	3	2 Farms
Longtown	0	2	9	11	7 Farms	2 Farms
Hereford***	0	0	0	0
Ross	0	0	1	1		1 Farm
Northampton	0	0	2	2	2 Farms
Welshpool	0	1	2	3	2 Farms

Notes:

*** Believed to have received infected animals

This information is based on data available in October 2001. Figures may change if further collation of field data is undertaken. It is unlikely that the markets identified as infected will change.

Dairy Industry

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage the stability of dairy farms and businesses. [69014]

Mr. Morley: Lord Whitty recently met senior representatives of the dairy industry—as part of DEFRA Ministers' wider follow-up to Don Curry's recent report—to discuss a range of supply chain issues. The Government will continue to promote a sustainable dairy sector through further engagement with the industry on the challenges it faces.

During forthcoming discussions on CAP reform, we will also be seeking an early and definite end date for milk quotas. This will enable businesses to plan ahead with certainty.

Illegally Logged Hardwood

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps she has taken to prevent the importation of illegally logged hardwood timber. [71674]

Mr. Morley: Customs can seize illegally logged timber only if the species concerned is covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). New EU-wide legislation is needed to empower customs authorities to prevent entry of illegally logged non-CITES timber. The UK is working within the EU to identify what legislation is needed and how it can be introduced. The UK Government has also committed its own central departments and their agencies to procure timber from legal and sustainable sources.

In the meantime we are lobbying hard to ensure that the proposal to increase the protection afforded to big-leaf mahogany by uplisting it to Appendix II of CITES is approved at the Conference of CITES Parties in Santiago, Chile, in November. We will also work hard in the margins of the meeting to encourage more tropical timber producing countries to list more of their trees on Appendix III of CITES, which would bring these species under monitoring control.

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