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27 Nov 2002 : Column 282W—continued

Liquid Biofuels

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of funds spent on researching fuel from farmland has been directed to liquid biofuels in the past five years. [81962]

Mr. Meacher: With the exception of a small number of projects evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of using oilseed rape for biodiesel, Defra does not fund research and development work on liquid biofuels. Such research is largely covered by the programmes of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Transport. This Department does have programmes supporting the sustainable development of arable crops that are used for liquid biofuels, both biodiesel and bioethanol, and food. Over the past five years, such research amounted to £10 million for wheat and £4 million for oilseed rape out of total expenditure of £513 million for agricultural, food chain, agri-environmental and non-food research.

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Paper Dyes

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives of the paper industry on moderating the use of dyes in paper that render material unsuitable for recycling. [82718]

Mr. Meacher: I am planning to have such discussions in the near future.

Pelagic Trawls

Mr. Sanders : To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which pelagic trawl fisheries in the Celtic Sea/Biscay/Channel area UK fishing vessels are active in; how many UK vessels are involved in each; and how many of these fisheries are subject to observer monitoring. [83372]

Mr. Morley: There are normally less than 10 UK vessels active in the pelagic trawl fisheries in the south western approaches, which may pursue any of the individual fisheries. Observers have been on vessels engaged in the anchovy, bass, herring, mackerel, pilchard, smelt and sprat fisheries.

Mr. Sanders : To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had within the Council of Fisheries Ministers on an observer programme to monitor cetacean bycatch on pelagic trawl vessels in the Celtic Sea/Biscay/Channel area; [83373]

Mr. Morley: The European Commission intends to bring forward proposals to reduce cetacean bycatch as part of its proposals for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Detailed discussions within the Council on the nature of such a strategy will follow

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publication of the Commission's proposals. I have written to Commissioner Fischler and to the French Minister pressing the need for action in this area and will continue to raise the issue with EU Ministers as opportunities arise to do so. We are already funding UK observer programmes in relation to cetacean bycatch on pelagic vessels.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what funding her Department has allocated to trialling marine mammal excludes devices for pelagic trawls; and what alternative mitigation measures she is investigating; [83374]

Mr. Morley: This Department has allocated approximately £140,000 for trials into the use of exclusion devices to reduce the bycatch of cetaceans in pelagic trawl fisheries. If these trials are not successful, we will look at other measures. I do not rule out any approach at this stage including arguing for restrictions on fishing, gear or seasonal closures.

Recycling

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has collated on recycling rates within the OECD for (a) glass, (b) plastic and (c) total waste stream in each year since 1990. [81591]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 20 November 2002]: The United Kingdom contributes statistics on waste arisings and recycling rates to the OECD every two years. These are published in XOECD Environmental Data". The most recent publication detailing these figures for OECD countries is 1999. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has contributed more recent figures but these have not yet been published. The relevant pages for glass are detailed in the table. Figures are not available for plastic or total waste recycled.

Waste recycling rates, glass, 1990–97
Percentage of apparent consumption

Year19901991199219931994199519961997
Canada17
Mexico4444444
USA202022222324
Japan485256
Korea4645434446576068
Australia3642
N. Zealand36
Austria606064687688
Belgium55545567676675
Czech R.
Denmark35486467636670
Finland3631444650506362
France41444648505052
Germany5461606575757979
Greece1522202729352926
Hungary
Iceland707575
Ireland2323272931394638
Italy53535254535334
Luxembourg
Netherlands6770737677808182
Norway22446772757576
Poland
Portugal2729312932424244
Spain2727272931323537
Sweden44585956617276
Switzerland6571727884858991
Turkey3128252322121320
UK2121252727262626
Slovak R.40

Notes:

Recycling is defined as reuse of material in a production process that diverts it from the waste stream, except for recycling within industrial plants and the reuse of material as fuel. The recyling rate is the ration of the quantity collected for recycling to the apparent consumption (domestic production + imports—exports).

CAN Packaging glass only.

MEX Recycling rates are based on amounts of waste generated and refer to municipal waste only.

USA Data refer to the material diverted from the municipal waste stream; recycling rates are based on amounts of waste generated.

JPN Returnable bottles are excluded; data refer to reuse of glass as cullet compared to national production of glass bottles.

NZL Packaging glass only.

FRA Amounts collected as a percentage of apparent consumption (FEVE)

DEU 1990: Western Germany only; 1991 onwards: total Germany; recycling is based on total sales.

NLD Glass collected in bottle banks as percentage of sale of products in disposable glass on domestic market.

NOR Excludes considerable amounts of glass recovered before entering the waste stream (deposits/reuse of bottles).

UKD Great Britain only; glass collected in bottle banks and from industrial sources (bottlers and packers) and flat glass.

Source:

XOECD Environmental Data, Compendium 1999", OECD 1999


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Refrigerator Disposal

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much financial support each local authority will receive during the current financial year to help with the disposal of refrigerators. [83045]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 26 November 2002]: My written statement of 14 November related to the special grant report (No. 109) laid in Parliament that day (Col 2WS). The draft report, which is subject to the agreement of the House, details the proposed allocation to the relevant receiving authorities of the £40 million allocated this year to assist with the disposal of refrigerators. We propose that the amount payable to an authority will be allocated according to the formula used for county services within the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services SSA block.

Scrapie

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to ensure the selective breeding of scrapie-resistant sheep; and how much her Department has spent on research into scrapie in each of the last five years. [83149]

Mr. Morley: The national scrapie plan has been in operation since July 2001. The aim of the plan is to eradicate TSEs from sheep by breeding genetic resistance into the national flock. So far, over 260,000 sheep have been genotyped. In addition, 25,000 ewes have been genotyped in Wales through the Welsh ewe genotyping scheme.

The table gives expenditure on research into sheep TSEs (covering both scrapie and BSE research). The figures include expenditure on the development of TSE diagnostic tests.

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Expenditure on development of TSE diagnostic tests

(£)
1997 to 19983.7
1998 to 19995.1
1999 to 20006.9
2000 to 20018.4
2001 to 200210.4


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