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Late Payments

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets exist for the Rural Payments Agency in respect of the deadlines within which payments must be made; and what (a) numbers and (b) amounts of payments have (i) been within the target and (ii) failed to meet it in the last 24 months. [88881]

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Alun Michael: The Rural Payments Agency had two targets relating to the payment of valid claims within deadlines:

1. To process and pay at least 96.14 per cent. of valid IACS claims by value within the EU deadline; and

2. To process and pay 98 per cent. of valid non-IACS claims by volume within Ministerial deadlines and all claims within set EU deadlines or in their absence 60 days. For 2002 this percentage has been reduced to 85 per cent.

Target 1
Value of 2001scheme year payments made within target (#)	1,056,435,921
Made outside target (#)	146,908,512
Number of 2001 scheme year claims made within target	223,401
Number outside target	96,128

For the 2002 scheme year, no IACS targets have been missed so far.

The payment window for SAPS opened on 16 October 2002 and closes on 31 March 2003. As at 16 December, a total of 26,843 (99.2 per cent.) of Premium and National Envelope top-up payments have been made, of which 97 per cent. were issued in the first few days of the opening of the payment window. In addition, 8,327 producers (98.3 per cent. of those qualifying for the Less Favoured Area Supplement) have now received the supplementary payment amounting to #13.6 million.

The payment window for AAPS opened on the 16 November 2002. As at 15 December, of the 41,345 AAPS claims received for the main scheme payments (excluding rejected and withdrawn), 37,597 (90.93 per cent.) had been authorised and 36,746 claims (88.88 per cent.) had been paid, with a value of #757,549,518.00 (85.69 per cent. of the estimated total to be paid). The target date is set at 31 January 2003.Progress is being made on Bovine Payments but the deadline is 30 June 2003.

Target 2
Value-of 2001–02 payments made within ministerial target (#)	375,411,587
made inside 60-day target (#)	415,478,423
Value of 2002–03 payments made within ministerial target (#)	300,944,770
made inside 60-day target (#)	302,184,748
Number of 2001–02 claims made within ministerial target	774,860 (85.23 per cent.)(2)
number inside 60-day target	909,051 (99.99 per cent.)
Number of 2002–03 claims made within ministerial target	641,563 (99.42 per cent.)
number inside 60-day target	645,252 (99.99 per cent.)

⁽²⁾ The targets were missed because of prioritisation of resources to FMD related schemes including Livestock Welfare Disposal Scheme.

Licensing

Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department knew that drinks and entertainment organisations were clients of MCM Research Ltd. when it was commissioned by her Department to advise on proposed changes in the arrangements for alcohol and entertainment licensing. [89540]

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Alun Michael: The research MCM is carrying out on behalf of Defra is to assist with the provision of best practice guidance for addressing potential noise from pubs and clubs. It is not to comment on proposed changes in the arrangements for alcohol and entertainment licensing. The intention is to support local authorities and the licensing trade both when working under the current licensing rules and in implementing changes under the arrangements currently proposed within the Licensing Bill.

All applicants to the competitive tender for this research project were asked to give details of their relevant experience in this area. A number of drinks and entertainment organisations have been clients of MCM Research Ltd. as a result of its specialisation in the application of social science to alcohol-related problems. MCM Research Ltd. was appointed partly as a result of their knowledge and experience of the licensed trade.

This research will be made publicly available and is expected to be published in spring 2003.

Modulation Receipts

Mr. David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish an analysis of how modulation receipts for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03, (i) have been and (ii) are planned to be spent, showing the main categories of expenditure and the amounts of money spent on each such category. [88277]

Margaret Beckett: Payments in England from modulation receipts are as follows.

Scheme	2001–02	2002–03 (April to November 2002)	2002/03 (forecast total)
	#m	#m	#m
Countryside stewardship	3.4	2.2	8.6
Environmentally sensitive areas	1.3	3.5	7.6
Organic farming	3.8	4.4	5.7
Energy crops	0.1	0.03	0.1

Modulation receipts are used to fund new agri-environment agreements entered into since 1 January 2001; for every pound contributed through modulation, the Government provide a pound of additional finance through match funding so that double the figure raised goes back into farming. Expenditure funded from modulation will rise significantly from next year as existing agri-environment agreements come up for renewal at the end of their first ten year period.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total sum was of modulation receipts, in financial years (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 to date; what the expected sum is of such receipts for the full financial year 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [88278]

Margaret Beckett: Modulation was introduced in 2001 at 2.5 per cent. following wide consultation. The current rate of modulation is 3 per cent. and, under existing plans, this will rise progressively to 4.5 per cent. by 2005.

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Under the present system the Government match pound for pound the finance available through modulation so twice as much money goes back into farming. Modulation receipts and the Government's match-funding will increase funding for rural development under the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) by around #600 million over the seven years from 2000 to 2006.

The total sums of modulation receipts in England are:

# million

2001–02	2002–03(3)	2002–03(4)
27.3	30.0	40.6

⁽³⁾ April to November 2002

⁽⁴⁾ Forecast total

The Rural Development Regulation (Reg. 1257/99) enables member states to modulate CAP direct subsidy payments by up to 20 per cent. and to use the sums collected to co-finance new agri-environment agreements entered into since 1 January 2001. Sums collected in one year may be carried over to be used at any time in the following three years.

Following the recommendations of the Curry Commission on the Future of Farming and Food the Government have also announced that an additional #75 million of domestic funding will be made available to introduce an entry-level agri-environment scheme, subject to successful pilots. EU co-financing will be made available either through an increase in modulation or as a result of wider changes to EU rural development funding.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of administering modulation in 2001–02; what the expected administrative cost is for 2003–04; if she will express those sums as a percentage of actual and expected modulation receipts; and if she will make a statement. [88279]

Margaret Beckett: The system for administering all CAP payments in England is fully automated. There are no significant additional administrative costs incurred in either collecting modulation receipts or in making payments using those receipts.

The funds raised by modulation may be spent only on a limited range of rural development measures (in England, only new agri-environment agreements). Modulation receipts may not be used to cover the administrative costs of running the England Rural Development Programme.

Nappies

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has undertaken a life cycle analysis to compare the environmental impact of re-usable nappies and disposable nappies. [88709]

Mr. Meacher: The Environment Agency is currently carrying out a life cycle analysis comparing the environmental impact of both types of nappies.

It is expected that the work will be completed in the spring of this year.

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National Park Authorities

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the grant for (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 to each national park authority is; and what the percentage grant uplift to each park authority is. [90442]

Alun Michael: The information requested is provided in the following table. The differences in the percentage increase reflect a number of different pressures on individual National Park Authorities and on effort to achieve a fair distribution of the available resources:

Authority	2002–03	2003–04	Cash rise (Percentage)
Broads	2,801,437	2,996,877	7.0
Dartmoor	3,721,705	3,977,323	6.9
Exmoor	3,059,765	3,318,950	8.5
Lakes	5,460,856	5,907,102	8.2
Northumberland	2,419,922	2,682,555	10.9
North York Moors	4,224,936	4,477,842	6.0
Peak District	6,721,617	7,161,069	6.5
Yorkshire Dales	(5)4,583,616	(5)5,037,283	9.9
Total	32,993,854	35,559,000	7.8

⁽⁵⁾ Includes #0.5 million for new accommodation. This was announced in a press notice on 28 November 2002.

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