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Student Support

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on student support for 2003–04. [76491]

Margaret Hodge: We have no plans to make widespread changes to the financial support arrangements for students entering or continuing in higher education in 2003.

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Targeted Maintenance

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to introduce targeted maintenance support for less wealthy students. [77749]

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will reintroduce targeted maintenance support for those students from the poorest backgrounds. [77780]

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to introduce targeted maintenance support for students from low-income families. [77907]

Margaret Hodge : We have announced our intention to publish a strategy document setting out our vision for the development and reform of higher education, including the outcome of the review of student support. The document will be out shortly; it would not be right to pre-empt it here by saying what is or is not planned.

Top-up Fees

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to allow universities to charge students top-up fees; [77909]

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if it is his policy to permit universities to charge top-up fees to students; [77752]

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government plan to allow universities to charge students top-up fees; [77779]

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on the introduction of top-up fees for tuition at English universities; and if he will make a statement. [77493]

Margaret Hodge: We have announced our intention to publish a strategy document setting out our vision for the development and reform of higher education, including the outcome of the review of student support. The document will be out shortly; it would not be right to pre-empt it here by saying what is or is not planned.

Departmental Expenditure

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what underspend his Department has identified in the current year's capital programme. [75910]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for Education and Skills does not publish outturn expenditure forecasts at this stage of the year. Estimated outturn figures for 2002–03 will be published in the Budget Report 2003.

Universities

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) his ministers have had with UK universities between 1 September 2001 and 17 October 2002. [76785]

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Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend and I regularly meet representatives of UK universities in the course of normal business.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle pregnancies and lactations were generated by (a) artificial insemination and (b) hire bulls in the last 12 months. [76513]

Mr Morley: At present there is no information collected or held on a central basis of how many cattle pregnancies and lactations were generated by artificial inseminations and hire bulls. This could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost that would be an unjustifiable use of public resources.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many successful prosecutions have been brought under the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988. [74055]

Mr. Denham: I have been asked to reply.

Offences connected with cruel tethering cannot be distinguished from other offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in the statistics collected centrally.

Biofuel Crops

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to promote the planting of biofuel crops on set aside land; and if she will make a statement. [75948]

Mr. Meacher: This Department has allocated #29 million under the Energy Crops Scheme, part of the England Rural Development Programme, for the establishment of short rotation coppice and miscanthus for energy purposes. These crops can be planted on set-aside land and receive payments under the Arable Area Payments Scheme. The Government are providing #70 million of funding through a package of measures which will develop markets for biomass, including energy crops grown on set-aside land, in heat, combined heat and power and electricity generation.

The European Commission has published initial proposals for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to take effect from 2004. Under these proposals, no crops would be grown on set-aside land. A new carbon credit of Euro45 per hectare is proposed for energy crops, to be paid to producers entering into a contract with a processor. The proposal includes a maximum guaranteed area of 1.5 million hectares eligible for this additional payment.

Biotechnology

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which body is responsible for the regulation of genetic biotechnology on farm animals. [75175]

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Mr. Meacher [holding answer 21 October 2002]: There are a number of bodies that have responsibility for regulating the use of genetic biotechnology on farm animals.

Defra are responsible for the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 2002 which governs the release and marketing of all genetically modified organisms in the European Union. This would cover any proposal to release a genetically modified farm animal into the environment; either for experimental or commercial use.

The Health and Safety Executive are responsible for the Genetically Modified (Contained Use) Regulations 2000 which governs the risks to human health from GMOs (including any farm animals) in contained use.

The Home Office are responsible for the implementation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This legislation regulates the use of live animals, including farm animal species, for experimental or other scientific purposes where the use of the animals may cause pain, distress or lasting harm.

Defra are also responsible for the general animal welfare legislation which equally applies to animals produced by biotechnology, once they have been released.

Canoeists

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase the access to waterways for canoeists; and if she will make a statement. [76964]

Alun Michael: Copies of our research report, XWater-Based Sport and Recreation: the facts" were placed in the Libraries of both Houses in December 2001.

While none of the access issues identified in the report are new or straight forward to resolve I can assure the hon. Member of my commitment to finding solutions wherever possible.

As a first step I have asked the Countryside Agency (in partnership with other Government agencies) to pilot some access demonstration projects to develop best practice for access agreements on key stretches of water.

Climate Change

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 19 September 2002, Official Report, column 283W, on climate change, what costs are associated with the UK climate change scenarios; when the results will be published; if she will list the other projects that the UK Government is working on in other countries and the associated costs incurred; and if she will make a statement. [75215]

Mr. Meacher: In April 2002, the Department published the 2002 UK Climate Change Scenarios. The total direct cost of producing these scenarios was #153,500, covering climate modelling, interpretation of model outputs, and publication and dissemination of research findings.

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The Department is also funding bilateral programmes in India and China. These projects use the outputs of the Hadley Centre's regional climate model, to investigate the possible impacts of climate change. The India programme is investigating the possible impact of climate change on water resources, forestry, infrastructure, health, agriculture and the coastal zone, at a total cost of #650,000 over three years. The China programme is investigating the possible impact of climate change on agriculture, at a total cost of approximately #400,000 over 2 years.

Correspondence

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will answer the letters of 15 March and 21 August from the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border, on Mr. D Armstrong of Mill Hill Road, Wigton, Cumbria and Mr. W K Graham of Sillan, Cumbria. [77550]

Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State responded on 15 October.

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