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5 Nov 2002 : Column 227W—continued

Bushmeat

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost is per unit of X-ray equipment capable of the detection of bushmeat in aircraft passenger luggage. [75928]

Mr. Morley: The cost of X-ray machines varies with size and specification. Trained operators and associated personnel are also required, all of which add to the costs. Defra is investigating the potential for using X-ray machines to detect illegal imports of meat, meat products and bushmeat in passenger baggage and commercial freight entering the UK. Until these investigations are complete, we cannot calculate costings.

CAP Reform

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with EU entrant countries on CAP reform. [77305]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 28 October 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend Lord Whitty met Ministers from Poland, Estonia, Romania and Turkey in July. CAP reform was among the topics discussed. In addition my noble Friend Lord Whitty visited Hungary, the Czech Republic and Estonia in September and CAP reform featured in his discussions with agriculture Ministers there.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts over reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. [77941]

Mr. Morley: Apart from regular contacts in the Agricultural Council my colleagues and I meet frequently to discuss this on a bilateral basis. Most recently I met with my German opposite number on 24 October and plan to meet my Spanish counterpart on 7 November.

Civil Service Secondments

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individuals have been seconded to senior civil servant positions in her Department, in each case listing (a) from which organisation, (b) the duration to date and planned duration of secondment and (c) the source of current salary in secondment post. [78981]

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Alun Michael: There has been one individual seconded to a senior civil servant position in this Department since its creation in June 2001. The details are as follows:

From	Duration	Source of current salary
Warwick University	March 2002 to March 2007	Warwick University

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many senior civil servants are seconded from her Department, in each case listing (a) location, (b) duration to date and planned duration of secondment and (c) source of current salary in secondment post. [78982]

Alun Michael: There are three senior civil servants seconded from this Department. Details are given in the table.

Organisation and Location	Duration	Source of current salary
The Carbon Trust—(London	January 2001 to April 2007	Defra
Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR)—London	February 2001 to February 2003	OSPAR
United Nations Environmental Protection (UNEP)—Nairobi, Kenya	August 2000 to July 2003	UNEP

Collection Bins

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce amnesty collection bins for food products at UK air and seaports. [77540]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 28 October 2002]: We are currently consulting the Home Office, the Department for Transport, HM Customs and Excise, and the relevant ports and airports, on the issues surrounding the provision of amnesty bins or equivalent measures to encourage the surrender of unintended illegal personal imports.

Common Agricultural Policy

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under the Common Agricultural Policy dairy regime, what overall annual level of payments has been made to dairy processing and exporting companies in the UK over the last 10 years, broken down by type of (a) subsidy, (b) company and (c) product. [76614]

Mr. Morley: The table details expenditure on a calendar year for each of the dairy processing schemes and the dairy product based export refund schemes administered by the Rural Payments Agency (and previously the Intervention Board) from 1993 to 2002 inclusive. These schemes are prescribed by European Community regulation, but participation in them by the

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industry is entirely discretionary. Beneficiaries under these schemes include:

Creameries and traders (suppliers to the industry).

Manufacturers of pastries, cakes, biscuits, ice-cream, casein/caseinates and concentrated butter for direct consumption.

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Suppliers of butter to non-profit making organisations.

Manufacturers of certain animal feedstuffs.

Manufacturers, suppliers (wholesale and retail) and victuallers who export dairy products to non-member countries.

The figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Rural payments agency annual payments made to dairy processing and exporting companies in the UK over the last 10 years

Scheme	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	Total
Butter for direct consumption	160	2,932	1,594	1,191	1,748	1,819	1,046	1,109	1,026	740	13,365
butter for manufacture	0	0	0	0	0	23,100	36,271	31,700	29,520	20,851	141,442
Butter for non-profit making organisations	5,613	4,471	4,349	2,303	2,893	2,405	1,586	1,008	1,115	746	26,489
Butter for manufacture	51,808	48,897	57,234	36,307	49,009	20,539	86	0	0	0	263,880
Intervention Butter purchases	0	0	0	6,987	36,612	18,586	16,677	15,467	4,646	18,986	117,961
Control of casein in cheese	0	0	0	-1	18	0	-13	0	0	0	4
Liquid skimmed milk for stockfeed	677	365	341	87	167	146	53	15	0	0	1,851
PSB-Private storage of butter	989	1,595	668	353	441	590	626	1,027	837	571	7,697
Casein and Caseinates	78	0	30	0	0	0	3,777	7,420	420	0	11,725
Skimmed milk powder for animal feed	6,789	5,613	5,603	2,865	3,530	2,431	2,584	2,043	941	853	33,252
Intervention Purchases	313	10,355	0	40,003	34,736	40,424	25,429	994	0	18,755	171,009
Skimmed milk Powder
Skimmed milk for Russia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	859	0	0	859
Skimmed milk powder-Export Refund	8,946	7,403	8,741	3,812	15,440	6,322	8,528	10,161	462	1,871	71,686
Whole Milk powder-Export Refunds	39,776	51,935	48,789	49,315	70,343	57,177	50,595	48,352	725	4,322	421,329
Condensed Milk-Export Refunds	47	20	18	14	11	9	7	7	3,551	476	4,160
Butter and butter Oil-Export Refunds	9,366	11,247	7,873	1,544	5,800	1,114	1,428	1,531	1,429	465	41,797
Cheese-Export Refunds	33,549	26,565	15,104	15,286	3,430	4,336	5,558	3,986	22,631	2	130,447
Other Dairy products-Export Refunds	20,244	20,055	18,932	12,478	7,778	5,281	2,805	1,134	6	28,228	116,941
Total	178,355	191,453	169,276	172,544	231,956	184,279	157,043	126,813	67,309	96,866	1,575,894

Correspondence

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will reply to the correspondence from the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed dated 24 January referring to correspondence dated 23 October 2001 which was referred to her by the Paymaster General relating to constituents who let holiday cottages in an area subject to foot and mouth restrictions. [52099]

Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend the Paymaster General responded to the right hon. Member on 12 June. His original correspondence was sent to this Department inadvertently and was consequently transferred to HM Treasury.

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will send a full response to the letter dated 18 April from the hon. Member for Leominster on behalf of Mr. A. T. F. Brodie, a constituent. [77025]

Mr. Morley: A response was sent to the hon. Member on 1 November.

Egg Packers

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has, in line with the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food's recommendations, to undertake a formal review of the Supermarkets' Code of Practice in order to increase the certainty and security for egg producers by altering the Code in relation to contractual arrangements between egg packers and supermarkets. [77776]

Mr. Morley: We are in discussion with the Office of Fair Trading and the Department of Trade and Industry, which is responsible for policy on competition issues, over the Policy Commission's recommendations with regard to the code. Our response to these recommendations will be published in the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy later this year.

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