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8 Jan 2003 : Column 236W—continued
Officials
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department work (a) in the Strategic Development Unit and (b) on Regulatory Impact Assessment matters. [89092]
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Alun Michael: There is no unit within Defra specifically called the Strategic Development Unit. The Policy and Corporate Strategy Unit in Defra employs 59 officials of whom approximately 21 work on strategic policy. Their functions include promoting the development of strategic capability across the Department as a whole.
Five people work full time in the Better Regulation Unit, which is responsible for advice and guidance within Defra on the Regulatory Impact Assessment process. The unit is supervised by a member of the senior civil service who is also engaged in other duties. Responsibility for preparing individual RIAs rests with officials in the policy divisions who draw on other expertise as necessary, for example economic advisers.
Pigs
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pigs were slaughtered in abattoirs in the United Kingdom in each year between 1990 to 2001. [87291]
Mr. Morley: The information requested is given in the table below:
| Clean Pigs | Sows and AdultBoars | Total Pigs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13,879 | 325 | 14,203 |
| 1991 | 14,091 | 366 | 14,457 |
| 1992(3) | 14,143 | 373 | 14,515 |
| 1993 | 14,265 | 356 | 14,620 |
| 1994 | 14,681 | 389 | 15,069 |
| 1995 | 14,021 | 355 | 14,376 |
| 1996 | 13,897 | 324 | 14,221 |
| 1997 | 15,132 | 363 | 15,496 |
| 1998(4) | 15,872 | 415 | 16,286 |
| 1999 | 14,350 | 379 | 14,728 |
| 2000 | 12,369 | 321 | 12,691 |
| 2001 | 10,449 | 180 | 10,628 |
Notes:
(3) 53 week statistical year
(4) Figures have been rounded individually and totals will not necessarily agree with the addition of separate figures.
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pigs were on holdings in England and Wales in June of each year from 1990. [87294]
Mr. Morley: Total pigs in England are shown in the table below. Figures for Wales are a matter for the devolved authority.
Source:
June agricultural and horticultural census.
8 Jan 2003 : Column 238W
Water Quality (Lancashire)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most recent figures are for water quality on the Lancashire beaches that are regularly tested. [88652]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 7 January 2003]: I announced on 11 November the best ever bathing water quality results in England and the North West, with all the Lancashire beaches passing the Directive's main mandatory standards in the 2002 season. Details of the weekly results of the sample testing for individual bathing waters are available on the Environment Agency's internet site at www.environment-agency.gov.uk (then follow XWhat's in your backyard?"). In addition, my Department will be placing in the Library early in the new year our annual publication XBathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) Detailed Summary of Survey Results—United Kingdom". This lists all identified bathing waters and the results of micro-biological and physico-chemical sample testing.
Working Time Directive
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of a Working Time Directive on the farm community (a) in its general application and (b) specifically in relation to the movement of livestock to and from another auction; and if she will make a statement. [89006]
Alun Michael: No sectoral analysis has been provided by the Department. The Department for Trade and Industry has overall responsibility for implementing the Working Time Directive 1998 and has produced a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the 1998 regulations. As a result of the flexibilities included in the regulations in relation to agricultural work it is anticipated that the additional cost to agriculture and associated sectors will have been small.
The Working Time Regulations 1998 currently exclude a number of sectors including road transport. A new working time directive (known as the Horizontal Amending Directive) covering the excluded sectors, has been adopted together with three sector specific directives, including the Road Transport Directive. The Horizontal Amending Directive is due to come into effect on 1 August 2003. The Department for Trade and Industry is currently consulting on the draft regulations to implement the Directive.
The Road Transport Directive is due to come into effect in March 2005 and the Department for Transport will be consulting on its proposals to do this in due course.
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TREASURY
PFI Projects
Mrs. May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Bacon) of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 252, if he will list the PFI projects being carried out in the constituency of Maidenhead. [89015]
Mr. Boateng: No PFI projects are currently being carried out in the constituency of Maidenhead. However, the constituency benefits from PFI investment both in neighbouring constituencies and at a national level.
Locally, for example, PFI has helped to channel extra money into hospitals administered by the South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, which take patients from Maidenhead, and has financed the widening and resurfacing of the nearby M40 motorway. At a national level, PFI has provided vital investment to deliver public services whose benefits extend beyond the constituencies in which they are located, in sectors such as defence and the administration of justice. To date, PFI deals delivering over #20 billion worth of capital investment across the country have been signed.
Climate Change Levy
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages he identified in deciding to introduce the climate change levy in preference to a carbon tax. [89098]
John Healey: The Government's decision to introduce the climate change levy as a 'downstream' energy tax took account of the conclusions of Lord Marshall in his 1998 report 'Economic Instruments and the Business Use of Energy'. Lord Marshall concluded that a downstream tax on supplies of energy to the non-domestic sector would be necessary to avoid any tax impacting on domestic energy users. While under such a scheme it is difficult to determine the carbon content of electricity supplies other than as a broad average, it does encourage all non-domestic energy users to improve energy efficiency and thereby reduce carbon emissions. The climate change levy is also consistent with the Government's policy of maintaining a level playing field between different energy sources.
Environmental Taxation
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the application of tax to (a) plastic bags and (b) aviation fuel. [89093]
John Healey: The Government currently have no plans to introduce a plastic bag tax.
The 2002 pre-Budget report announced that the Government will discuss with stakeholders the most effective economic instruments for ensuring that the aviation industry is encouraged to take account of, and where appropriate reduce, its contribution to global warming, local air and noise pollution. The Government will set out its plans in its Air Transport White Paper later this year.
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SDA Target SDAB3
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures other than implementation of the Financial Services and Marketing Act were used to determine whether Spending Review 2000 SDA Target SDAB3 was met, as stated on page 20 of the HM Treasury Departmental Report 2002. [89265]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 7 January 2003]: The measure used in assessing Spending Review 2000 SDA Target SDAB3 was whether the Financial Services and Markets Act was implemented successfully.
The target was met on 1 December 2001 (known as N2). This was the point at which the Financial Services Authority acquired all its powers and is when the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 was fully implemented.
Tunes Plateau (Wind Farm)
David Burnside: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what deposit was required from the B9 Consortium with regard to the proposed wind farm on the Tunes Plateau off the County Londonderry coast; and if he will make a statement on the tendering process. [88872]
John Healey: I am advised that the development consortium (comprising B9 Energy, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd. and Powergen Renewables Ltd.) have made a premium payment of #30,000 in return for a 12-month exclusivity agreement for the Tunes Plateau site, in order to complete a comprehensive feasibility study.
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