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9 Dec 2002 : Column 24W—continued

Fats and Proteins(UK) Ltd

Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department intends to provide a minded-to letter for Lancaster City Council in the matter of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the appeal by Fats and Proteins (UK) Limited. [85007]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 4 December 2002]: A letter, outlining the decision which the Department proposes to make in respect of the appeal by Fats and Proteins (UK) Limited, will be sent shortly.

Long-distance Trails

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been available for the maintenance of long-distance trails in each of the last four years; what estimate she has made of the cost per kilometre of (a) restoring and (b) maintaining long-distance trails; and what budget is available for the repair and maintenance of the Ridgeway. [85213]

Alun Michael: Through the Countryside Agency DEFRA funds 75 per cent. of the cost of maintaining National Trails. The other 25% is funded by the highway authorities. The Countryside Agency states that their funding has been as follows for established National Trails:

(#)

1998–991999–20002000–012001–022002–03
Maintenance1,800,0001,951,000911,000900,0001,300,000
Maintenance plus salaries, support and marketing2,204,0002,223,0001,176,0001,170,0001,580,000

a) There are no specific restoration costs per kilometre available.

b) The average maintenance costs per kilometre of each National Trail are as follows, although again there are major variations in the work needed:

(#)

Maintenance materials onlyplus salaries and overheads etc
Pennine Way383641
Cleveland Way310606
Offa's Dyke Path88143
South Downs Way396741
South West Coast Path516719
Ridgeway/Thames Path110536
North Downs Way153368
Wolds Way191346
Peddar's Way/Norfolk Coast Path288450
Average271505

In the case of Offa's Dyke Path the figures are for the English element of the Trail and the rest of the funding comes from Countryside Council for Wales. Thames Path and Ridgeway figures are combined due to joint management structures. This year the Ridgeway/Thames Path have received #203,705 via the Countryside Agency and #53,460 from highway authorities. This figure includes all maintenance costs and salaries.

Organic Milk

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funds have been allocated to the marketing and promotion of organic milk in the UK in each of the next five years; what funds have been spent in each of the years the Organic Farming Scheme has been in operation; and if he will make a statement. [85009]

Margaret Beckett: No funds have been allocated to the marketing and promotion of organic milk in the next five years. However, under the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), funding is generally available for the marketing of quality agricultural produce, including organic, through the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES), and for capital projects

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through the Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG). Under RES, farmers and others are able to propose projects for the marketing of any organic product.

Non-capital grants are also available under the Agriculture Development Scheme. For all of these schemes, applications need to comply with scheme rules and each is considered on its merits in competition with others. State aid rules limit the extent that Government can support the promotion or advertising of agricultural produce. Previously, the organic milk sector also benefited under the Marketing Development Scheme (MDS), which is now closed to new applicants.

During the life of the Organic Farming Scheme, which since April 1999 has assisted farmers to convert land to organic farming methods, but leaves them free to decide which enterprise to pursue, the following sums have been awarded to organic milk related projects under relevant schemes:

#
Agriculture Development Scheme
200122,548
Marketing Development Scheme (MDS) (closed)
19997,908
200022,904
20016,086
Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG)(4)
2001–023,869.10
2002–03222,860.90 (committed)
2003–0425,235 (committed)

(4) Two projects are currently being funded in England under the Processing and Marketing Grant.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH

Colombia (Trials)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many embassy staff, and of what grade, have been assigned to observe the trial of Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley in Bogota, Colombia. [86014]

Mr. MacShane: None.

Iraq (Human Rights)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken to verify the information included in the report, XSaddam Hussein: Crimes and Human Rights Abuses", published on 2 December; and what considerations underpinned the timing of the release of the report. [86138]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The report is based on the testimony of Iraqi exiles, evidence gathered by UN rapporteurs and human rights organisations, and intelligence material. The report was released to provide the public with accurate information about the ruthless nature of Saddam Hussein's regime in the context of the Government's policy towards Iraq, the focus of which is the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the (a) preparation and (b) publication of special reports on human rights abuses in (a) Israel and (b) Saudi Arabia. [86140]

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Mr. Rammell: The FCO lays before Parliament an Annual Report on Human Rights detailing UK action to promote human rights around the world. This year's Report was laid on 26 September. There are sections on Israel and Saudi Arabia. HMG has no plans to issue special reports listing human rights violations in Israel and Saudi Arabia.

HMG continues to believe that in the vast majority of countries progress on human rights is best achieved by engagement and critical dialogue.

Official Travel

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total expenditure of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was on official travel in 2001–02. [84785]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 3 December 2002]: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing #500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Details of travel undertaken during the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 was published on 24 July 2002, Official Report, columns 1374–75W. The cost of Ministers' visits overseas for 2002–03 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

The total expenditure on official travel in the FCO during 2001–02 was #12,502,000.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total budget of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies is for official travel in 2002–03. [84930]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 3 December 2002]: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Details of travel undertaken during the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 was published on 24 July 2002, Official Report, columns 1374–75W. The cost of Ministers' visits overseas for 2002–03 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

The FCO does not budget centrally at this level of detail.

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Travel Advice

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what co-ordination exists between the United States, Australian, French and British governments to ensure that travel advice is consistent. [85724]

Mr. Straw : Some consultation takes place with key allies, including the United States, Australia and France, on the evaluation of risks to travellers and communities abroad. Each country retains responsibility for formulating its advice for its own nationals, in the light of its own judgements. But we continue to develop mechanisms to improve information sharing.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when in the last two months his Department's travel advice on (a) Africa, (b) South East Asia, (c) Latin America and (d) the Asian sub-continent was revised. [85725]

Mr. Straw: FCO Travel Advice is under constant review. It was revised for the following areas on the following dates:

Africa:






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