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Local Agenda 21

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what

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information on the work of Local Agenda 21 groups is received in her Department; and what efforts are made to consolidate their views [79635]

Mr. Meacher: The Government monitored progress on Local Agenda 21 (LA21) until the end of 2000. By then over 93 per cent. of local authorities in England and Wales had LA21 strategies in place. There had also been a number of studies into LA21 in the UK. The Local Government Act 2000 placed a duty on local authorities to prepare community strategies for promoting the economic, social and environmental well being of their communities and contributing to sustainable development in the UK. The Government's statutory guidance says that authorities should build on the experience of partnership working and community engagement gained through LA21. The Government does not require authorities to submit their community strategies. However, there is a Best Value Performance Indicator which monitors authorities' timetable for preparing community strategies whilst checking that they adhere to the key aims and components set out in the guidance.

Game Birds

Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the availability of Emtryl to the UK game bird rearers. [80254]

Mr. Morley: At the request of the holder of the marketing authorisations, the marketing authorisations for Emtryl premix for game birds, Emtryl pure for game birds and Emtryl soluble for game birds were suspended with effect from 22 October 2002. However, those products already supplied to the market may continue to be sold or administered to animals in accordance with the terms of the marketing authorisation until the expiry date of the product.

Haskins Review

Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the terms are of the recently announced inquiry to be headed by Lord Haskins relating to her Department. [78583]

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what are the objectives, terms of reference and timescale of Lord Haskin's review of her Department and its agencies. [78911]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 4 November 2002]: Lord Haskin has agreed, at my request, to review delivery arrangements and structures to Defra's countryside responsibilities. Lord Haskins will consult widely with Defra stakeholders and those who deliver rural policy. We expect the review to be completed by the summer of 2003.

Agency Budgets

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the budget is for the (a) Countryside Agency, (b) Environment Agency, (c) Central Science Laboratory, (d) Veterinary Laboratories Agency, (e) Veterinary Medicines Directorate and (f) English Nature in

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2002–03; and if she will make a statement on the future projections for the budget of each of these bodies. [79729]

Alun Michael: The requested budget figures are as follows:

#'000s	2002–03 Resource	2002–03 Capital
Countryside Agency	92,050	1,000
Environment Agency	168,000	17,000
Central Science Laboratory*	38,509	1,425
Veterinary Laboratories Agency*	75,460	28,219
Veterinary Medicines Directorate*	10,529	285
English Nature	58,506	3,325

The above amounts score within Departmental Expenditure Limits, and exclude overheads for central services provided by the core department. They are subject to in year review and adjustment.

The three Executive Agencies (*) operate on a net administration costs basis, whereby gross costs are matched by income, and have full cost recovery targets. To make their budgets more meaningful the offsetting income has been excluded from the above table.

The NDPBs—Countryside Agency, Environment Agency, and English Nature—resource and capital allocations for 2003–04 will be finalised shortly. Those for the executive agencies are still under review and will be confirmed as part of the Business Planning process.

Pigswill

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of responses received to the pigswill consultation were in favour of (a) tightening controls, (b) maintaining current levels of control and (c) relaxing controls; [78542]

(2) what steps her Department has taken to revise the published consultation response on the practice of using pigswill; [78552]

(3) how many responses she has received on the pigswill consultation from (a) operatives who provide a pigswill service and (b) owners of pig-rearing farms; [78533]

(4) what proportion of responses received to the pigswill consultation were in favour of (a) continuing current pigswill arrangements (b) altering current arrangements and regulations and (c) a ban on the use of pigswill. [78541]

Mr. Morley: The final number of responses received by the Government in reply to the public consultation letter of 27 March 2001 on the proposal to ban swill feeding reached 351. Of those a minority objected to the proposed ban. To review all those responses again for the details requested would involve my Department in disproportionate costs.

A letter was sent on 9 May 2001 to all those that were consulted to advise on the decision that had been reached and to provide advice for producers who were feeding swill at that time. The advice was re-issued 2 days later to clarify certain paragraphs and to delete some of the advice on the disposal of unprocessed swill which was incorrect.

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Milk

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1), whether the subsidy from the European Union aims to provide free school milk for children aged up to (a) seven and (b) 11; [79225]

(2) if she will make a statement on the European subsidy to provide milk for all school children up the the age of 11; and how many education authorities in the UK take advantage of the European Union subsidy to provide school milk. [79223]

Mr. Morley: The EU subsidy is intended to encourage the consumption of milk by children by reducing the cost of its provision in schools. In the UK it may be claimed by those education authorities which choose to provide children up to the age of 11 with milk. In the UK there were, in the 2000–01 school year, 208 such claimants.

Mr. Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1), what measures she has taken to encourage supermarket chains to increase the purchase of milk from dairy farmers; [79229]

(2) what recent discussions she has had with (a) dairy farmers and (b) representatives from supermarket chains regarding the price of milk; [79228]

(3) if she will make a statement on the decision by supermarket chains to increase the purchase price of milk from farmers by 2 pence a litre. [79227]

Mr. Morley: The prices charged by retailers, or those negotiated between farmers and purchasers, or between processors and retailers, are private commercial matters. Defra Ministers cannot and have not sought to get involved in price negotiations with farmers, retailers or processors, although the market situation in the diary sector is naturally an issue that does arise during discussions. Meetings of an informal dairy supply chain group, chaired by my noble friend Lord Whitty, have addressed the issue of supply volatility and its effect on farmgate milk prices and, at its last meeting in September, representatives from different parts of the supply chain reported their views on the recently announced price increases. The Governments welcomes any action that will assist the long term sustainability of the dairy sector.

Parrett Project

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, where the Chairman of the Parrett catchment project has visited overseas on official business in the last two years. [78749]

Mr. Morley: The Parrett Catchment Project is an independent body. I am advised that the Chairman visited the Ruhr Valley in Germany in October 2002 in order to attend the initial meeting of the International Steering Committee of the JAF Intereg 111b project.

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, what theChairman of the Parrett catchment project has been paid in out-of-pocket expenses over the last two years. [78750]

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Mr. Morley: The Parrett Catchment Project is an independent body. I am advised that up to July 2002, the Chairman has claimed second class train fares, mileage and subsistence. These claims were made at standard County Council rates up to June 2001, and thereafter at Environment Agency rates, for meetings attended on Parrett Catchment Project business. Claims for the period since July 2002 have not yet been made.

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