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Internal Drainage Boards
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the internal drainage boards in England and Wales, broken down by constituency. [91578]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 20 January 2003]: The information is not available in the form requested. However, a list of drainage boards wholly or partly in England together with associated constituent councils has today been placed in the Libraries of the House. A map of internal drainage districts (Ref: PB 5455 Flood Defence and Land Drainage in England and Wales) is available from The Stationery Office. Flood defence is a fully devolved responsibility and the information relating to Boards in Wales should be sought from the National Assembly.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) public and (b) other money internal drainage boards have received in each year since 1997; how much money internal drainage boards have spent in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [91579]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 20 January 2003]: Internal drainage boards' income and expenditure is as follows:
| Public | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | |||
| 1999–2000 | 21,459,845 | 19,088,311 | 40,548,156 |
| 2000–01 | 21,439,538 | 20,221,600 | 41,661,138 |
| 2001–02 | 24,377,419 | 20,403,613 | 44,781,032 |
| Expenditure | |||
| 1999–2000 | 40,721,041 | ||
| 2000–01 | 41,983,118 | ||
| 2001–02 | 43,305,755 |
Notes:
1. The information for earlier years is not available other than at disproportionate cost. That for 2002–03 is not yet available; information is collected annually.
2. The funding referred to as 'public money' comprises of special levies paid by local authorities, Environment Agency contributions and Government grants.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the effectiveness of internal drainage boards in dealing with flood alleviation in England and Wales. [91580]
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Mr. Morley [holding answer 20 January 2003]: There are 223 internal drainage boards (IDBs) in England, of greatly varying size, whose role is to secure the effective land drainage of their area. I believe that they generally perform this role well.
The great majority of IDBs have produced policy statements setting out their approach to flood defence issues. IDBs have also generally played a full role in inspecting flood defences and watercourses, reporting the results to the Environment Agency as required under Defra's High Level Targets.
The institutional arrangements for flood and coastal defence are currently being considered in the Flood and Coastal Defence Funding Review. While I see a continuing role for internal drainage boards I shall wish to ensure that their activities are compatible with wider Government policies and that they are organised in a way well fitted to the 21st Century.
Sheep (EU Regulations)
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the annual cost to the farming industry of the introduction of the EU draft regulations on the double-tagging of sheep; and what proportion of that cost she plans to meet from her Departmental budget. [91420]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 20 January 2003]: A full regulatory impact assessment is being prepared and officials will be seeking advice from key stakeholders to ensure that costs are accurately reflected.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in 2002. [90548]
Alun Michael: Records are not yet available for the number of days lost due to sickness absence in 2002, but these will be announced in due course. Sickness absence figures for previous years are published in the Cabinet Office annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", copies of which are placed in House Libraries.
The Department is committed to the effective management of sickness absence, and to meeting its Service Delivery Agreement target of reducing sickness absence to 6.9 days for 2003.
Sustainability
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with industries dependent on unsustainable activities to encourage a transition to more sustainable ways of earning their living. [90622]
Mr. Meacher: Promoting sustainable business is a key objective of the UK Government's Sustainable Development Strategy 'A Better Quality of Life'. It has been highlighted as a priority in recent reports from the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit covering Resource Productivity, Energy and Waste. Encouraging
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sustainable consumption and production was also one of the key concerns at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Engaging with UK business forms an integral part of all of this work. Ministers and officials have frequent contact with business leaders through advisory bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment (ACBE), the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE), the Trades Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee (TUSDAC), and the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC).
We have been working closely with business in the development and introduction of a range of initiatives, including the Climate Change Levy and its associated negotiated agreements, the Emissions Trading Scheme, and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
We also engage with business in the course of work on Government sponsored support programmes such as Envirowise (which offers advice on waste minimisation), ActionEnergy (which offers advice on energy efficiency) and the 'Pioneers Group' (which provides practical advice to sectoral bodies in drawing up sector-wide strategies on sustainable development).
This engagement will continue and expand as we take forward new initiatives, such as the implementation of the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, in revising the UK Sustainable Development Strategy, and in responding to the recommendations of the Strategy Unit's report on waste.
Tallow
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much tallow produced under the over-thirty-months scheme has been sold (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) overseas in each year since the scheme began; for what purpose it has been sold; and how much revenue has been raised from sales (i) in the United Kingdom and (ii) overseas, in each year since the scheme began. [90843]
Alun Michael: In total over 213,000 tonnes of tallow from the over thirty month scheme (OTMS) have been sold for energy recovery. No OTMS tallow has been sold overseas. The OTMS began in 1996. Receipts for each financial year since together with details of the tonnage sold follow:
| Financial Year | Income (£) | Tonnes sold |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | (9)— | 21,356 |
| 1997–98 | (9)— | 26,362 |
| 1998–99 | 333,397.00 | 17,099 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,454,308.00 | 31,223 |
| 2000–01 | 968,638.00 | 35,105 |
| 2001–02 | 857,855.28 | 31,518 |
| 2002–03 | (10)1,670,546.44 | (11)50,399 |
(9) Income for tallow sales not separately identifiable. Included under general receipts
(10) Invoice payments are outstanding
(11) Tonnes sold to date
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Peace Process (Middle-East)
13. Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for peace and the cessation of terrorism in the middle-east. [91794]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has stated, urgent progress on the MEPP is essential. Our goal is to achieve an Israeli state free from terror, a viable Palestinian state based on 1967 boundaries. The Quartet is working on a roadmap to realise President Bush's goal of a final status agreement within three years. It represents best current chance of securing peace. I was pleased with the progress made at the London meeting, intended to support the Quartet's efforts, on Palestinian reform. We judge that this will have made a contribution towards both improving prospects for peace and clearing the way for a cessation of terror.
EU Enlargement
14. Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the level of public awareness in the UK of the forthcoming enlargement of the EU. [91797]
Mr. MacShane: The Eurobarometer survey of October 2002 suggests that 38 per cent. of the UK population are for enlargement, while 35 per cent. are against and 28 per cent. have no opinion. The Government accept the importance of informing public opinion on this matter and have recently stepped up its public information activities.
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with EU applicant countries on the Convention on the Future of Europe. [91681]
Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary and I have regular discussions with colleagues in EU accession countries on many issues including the Convention on the Future of Europe.
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