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10 Dec 2002 : Column 192W—continued
Environment Agency
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who sets the annual Environment Agency budget in the Wessex region; and who is responsible for controlling budgets in regions. [86221]
Mr. Meacher: The Agency does not have a Wessex region. That region of the former National Rivers Authority (the Agency's predecessor body) was subsumed within the Agency's south west region on its establishment in 1995.
With the exception of its flood defence functions, the Environment Agency determines its own regional budgets. The delivery of local plans within budget are managed by the appropriate Agency regional management team led by the Regional Director.
Budgets for the Agency's flood defence function are set by local executive flood defence committees who also receive progress reports. Although the Wessex region disappeared, a Wessex region flood defence committee remains.
Fisheries
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will calculate the total percentage reduction in the number of days at sea proposed by the European Commission for 2003 for vessels capturing and landing (a) over 100 tonnes of cod and (b) less than 100 tonnes of cod in the (i) North Sea, (ii) Irish Sea, (iii) West of Scotland Waters, (iv) ICES Area VIId and (v) ICES Area VIIe; [85504]
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(2) if she will calculate the percentage reduction in the number of days at sea proposed by the European Commission for 2003 for vessels capturing and landing (a) over 100 tonnes of hake and (b) less than 100 tonnes of hake in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea area covering the northern hake stock. [85503]
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Mr. Morley: The Commission has now adjusted its proposal and no longer envisages a distinction between vessels landing over 100 tonnes of cod or hake and others. We are seeking clarification of the Commission's proposals before undertaking the calculation requested.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are proposed by the European Commission for 2003 to restrict fishing effort for the capture of cod and landing of cod using static gear as a method of capture in the (a) North Sea, (b) West of Scotland Waters, (c) Irish Sea and (d) ICES Area VII. [85505]
Mr. Morley: The Commission proposal for effort control envisages limitation of vessels by kilowatt/days. However, the Commission has also indicated that as part of its proposals to reduce discards, it will bring forward proposals next year for technical measures aimed specifically at limiting effort by static gear.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what restrictions are being proposed by the European Commission to the number of days at sea during 2003 for vessels under 10 metres in overall length capturing and landing cod in the ICES Sea Areas (a) North Sea, (b) Irish Sea, (c) West of Scotland Waters, (d) Area VIId and (e) Area VIIe. [85506]
Mr. Morley: The Commission proposals envisage cuts in the total number of kw/days for each Member State whose vessels fish cod or hake. However, the Commission proposes that it should be left to Member States to determine which vessels should be restricted in their time at sea and thus whether under 10 metre vessels should be subject to controls.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what restrictions are being proposed by the European Commission for 2003 for vessels capturing and landing cod within the UK 6—mile and 6–12 mile limit in the sea areas (a) North Sea, (b) Irish Sea, (c) West of Scotland Waters, (d) Area VIId and (e) Area VIIe. [85507]
Mr. Morley: The measures include the annual TACs–and quotas regulations, the cod and hake recovery plans and the discard action plan.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which sections of the Fisheries Act 1981 and its amendments and attachments will be used to continue the present fisheries management system if no new system is put in place by 1 January 2003. [85509]
Mr. Morley: If no new system is put into place on 1 January 2003, the existing CFP arrangements will roll over automatically with one exception. The arrangements providing for restricted access to the six and twelve mile zones will lapse. The Fisheries Act 1981 has no relevance in this regard.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of (a) sand eel and (b) Norway pout Norway has been allowed to catch in European Union waters in each of the last five years. [85510]
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Mr. Morley: The data requested are set out in the table.
| Norway pout | Sand eel | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| 1999 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| 2000 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| 2001 | 10,000 | 30,000 |
| 2002 | 5,000 | 35,000 |
Mr. Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she intends to take to prevent the killing of dolphins in UK waters as a result of fishery bycatch. [86255]
Mr. Morley: Reducing the incidental bycatch of small cetaceans will require action on the part of all member states involved in the fisheries concerned, not just the UK. Defra has already committed some #140,000 for trials into the use of exclusion devices developed by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) to reduce the bycatch of cetaceans in pelagic trawl fisheries. The trial has been resumed in order to refine the system and further assess the grid's effectiveness in protecting dolphins and maintaining fish catch rates. If SMRU's trials are not successful, we will look at other mitigating measures and I do not rule out any approach at this stage—including arguing for restrictions on fishing, gear or seasonal closures.
Flooding Incidents
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of flooding have occurred in the last three years where raw sewage was involved in the contamination of people's homes and property; and if she will make a statement. [85871]
Mr. Morley: OFWAT collects information on the number of properties which have been subject to internal sewage flooding. In 2001–02, there were 4,957 properties flooded in this manner, in 2000–01 7,120 properties, and in 1999–2000, 7,126 properties. The dry winter in 2001–02 contributed to the lower figure in this year.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the United Kingdom greenhouse gas emissions were in (a) 1990 and (b) in each year since 1997; what percentage of these emissions came from the electricity supply industry in (i) 1990 and (ii) in each year since 1997; and what her most recent estimate is of how annual UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 will differ from 1990 levels. [85421]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 5 December 2002]: The table shows the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions in 1990 and from 1997 to 2000, the last year for which data are available, and also the percentage of these emissions that came from the electricity supply industry. The rise in emissions between 1999 and 2000 were mainly due to
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an increased use of coal in the energy mix because of maintenance and repair at nuclear and combined cycle gas turbine stations and higher gas prices.
We estimate that the policies and measures outlined in the climate change programmes may help us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 23 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010, which would be equivalent to about 160 million tonnes of carbon.
| 1990 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse gases | 207.8 | 191.0 | 190.7 | 180.8 | 181.1 |
| Percentage of emissions from electricity supply industry | 27.7 | 21 | 21.6 | 21.8 | 23.6 |
Horticulture
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her strategy for horticultural renewal and development. [85216]
Mr. Morley: We plan to publish early next year for public comment, a draft Science and Innovation Strategy. This will be accompanied by more detailed proposals for programmes of research including horticulture.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish Professor Sir Colin Spedding's XVision for Horticulture". [85217]
Mr. Morley: Sir Colin Spedding's report XA Vision for Horticulture" was published in draft for consultation on 29 January. The final version of the report, which was substantially unchanged from the draft, was submitted to the Department in March and is available on the Defra website and in the Library of the House.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of the East Malling Organic Horticultural Research Unit; and when it was completed. [85215]
Mr. Morley: The Organic Research Centre cost #2.761 million of which #2.261 million was provided, following a competition for projects, by the Treasury's Capital Modernisation Fund; and #500,000 by the East Mailing Trust for Horticultural Research. The Centre was completed in August 2002 and opened on 20 September 2002.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) cost and (b) annual salary will be of restructuring HRI after its quinquennial review. [85218]
Mr. Morley: The costs of restructuring HRI will depend on the options chosen for successor organisations. We are considering these and hope to make an announcement shortly.
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