---

29 Jan 2003 : Column 869W—continued

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Sulphur Dioxide Emissions

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list UK sulphur dioxide emissions in each year since 1997. [94292]

29 Jan 2003 : Column 870W

Alun Michael: The following table shows estimated UK emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from 1997 to 2000 (the latest year for which data are available). Data since 1970 on UK emissions of air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, are published annually in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), which can be found at the NAEI website, http://www.naei.org.uk.

Year	SO2 emission (thousands of tonnes)
1997	1,665
1998	1,588
1999	1,210
2000	1,165

Source:

National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

"Living Places: Powers, Rights and Responsibilities"

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements her Department has made to consult (a) town, (b) parish and (c) community councils about the proposals contained in the document "Living Places—Powers, Rights and Responsibilities". [92654]

Margaret Beckett: The consultation paper Living Places—Powers, Rights, and Responsibilities was sent to 370 local authorities, 97 police authorities and constabularies, 17 Government Departments, 23 Government related agencies, 114 public bodies and non-government organisations and 168 companies.

The launch of the consultation at the Urban Summit received wide-spread high profile press coverage in all the major daily publications. 1,400 copies were given out at the summit and the consultation document has also been available since its launch free of charge from DEFRA publications and through the DEFRA website.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, columns 81–84W, concerning the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 16 to 19 December 2002, what the Government's stance was on each of the 11 key features of the Council's conclusions, embodied in the three new regulations on the common fisheries policy. [91774]

Mr. Morley: We exerted strong pressure to secure the ending of subsidies for building new vessels at the earliest opportunity; retention of the coastal limits for a further period with a clear indication of expectation that they would continue beyond that; continuation of Hague Preference; and Regional Advisory Councils. On the rest of the key features we, with like-minded member states, generally gave steady support without which the points might not have been secured.

Bioterrorism

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions

29 Jan 2003 : Column 871W

she has held with the Home Office about strategies for safe handling of domestic pets in the event of bio-terrorist attacks. [92523]

Mr. Morley: Discussions are being held with the Home Office and other Government Departments on a number of different aspects, including those relating to animals.

Birds

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farm birds and (b) wild birds have been spotted on (i) special projects and (ii) non-special projects land in each region in each of the last 10 years. [93744]

Mr. Morley: There is no routine year-on-year monitoring of birds on Countryside Stewardship special projects. However, there are some data available regarding those special projects that are specifically targeted at particular bird species. For example a report published by RSPB in 2001 showed cirl buntings had increased by 83 per cent. on land under Countryside Stewardship scheme agreements, compared with an increase of only 2 per cent. on non-agreement land.

At present, only provisional results for regional bird data are available. Indicators have been developed based on on-going research by RSPB/BTO on behalf of DEFRA. These provisional estimates show that between 1970 and 1999 the Woodland species population index increased in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the number, East Midlands and the West Midlands. The woodland species population index declined in the East, South East and South West regions. For the five regions where estimates are available, the Farmland species population indices decreased over the period. More detailed information is available on the Government's sustainable development website http://www.sustainable-development.aov.uk/indicators/reaional/2001/h13.htm

Cattle Passports

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of non-compliance with the cattle passport rules are being investigated. [93726]

Alun Michael: There are currently seven cases of breach of the Cattle Identification rules being pursued by Defra's investigators as a result of referrals by the British Cattle Movement Service. A further 27 cases are being considered for referral by BCMS. Local authorities also investigate cases independently of Central Government Agencies.

Civil Servants

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants have been employed by (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [92388]

29 Jan 2003 : Column 872W

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 333–34W.

Civil Servants (Psychometric Testing)

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants have (a) been tested and (b) will be tested using psychometric testing. [92592]

Alun Michael: (a) This information is not held centrally by the Department, (b) The inclusion of psychometric testing is being considered as part of the senior managers' development Programme, which will cover approximately 560 people. We are awaiting advice from the consultants recently appointed to design and deliver the programme on the role of psychometric testing within it.

Flooding (Insurance)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of homes in England and Wales that are uninsurable against the risk of flooding. [89626]

Margaret Beckett: No such estimate has been made. Some properties have always been uninsurable against flooding.

Compost

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether mechanically separated municipal solid waste organic matter used as a compost feedstock will be treated in the same way as source-separated feedstocks under the amendment to the Animal By-products Order. [93275]

Mr. Meacher: Waste that has, or may have, come into contact with meat or meat products will be classified as catering waste and will need to be treated as catering waste, in line with the requirements of the Animal By-products Order. As it may be difficult to demonstrate that household waste collected unsorted and then mechanically separated has never been in contact with meat or meat products, this is that it has been kept apart from meat and meat products may be more straightforward, if that cannot be done, then source separated waste must also be treated as catering waste.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the standards required for compost derived from mechanical separation of municipal solid waste organic matter for use on land. [93276]

29 Jan 2003 : Column 873W

Mr. Meacher: There are no statutory standards for compost, although by virtue of Best Value Indicator BV82b, compost counts towards local authority statutory targets for recycling and composting. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), in close co-operation with the Composting Association, has developed a BSI Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for compost. The delivery of this PAS for compost should help to create markets for organic waste derived products by creating confidence in the product. Achieving the PAS will depend on, for example, the suitability of the feedstock and the composting process used. We expect the EU Commission to issue a proposal for a Bio-waste Directive later this year; this should contain harmonized EU standards for composting.

Departmental Running Costs

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the running costs of (a) the Department and (b) each of its sponsored agencies were in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [90713]

Alun Michael: Detailed information on administration costs for Defra and its agencies, going back to 1998–99 and with projections to 2003–04, is set out in Table 5.5 of the 2002 Departmental Report (Cm 5422). Data for years before 1998–99 are not available on the same basis. Provisional outturn for gross and net administration cost limits were published in Public Expenditure 2001–2002 Provisional Outturn (Cm 5574), Tables 4 and 5. Updated information, with plans to 2005–06, will be published in the 2003 Departmental Report in the spring.

---