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12 Feb 2003 : Column 841W—continued

Electricity Charges

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes in unit payments for electricity have resulted from the switch by her Department to purchasing renewable energy which is exempt from the Climate Change Levy. [96489]

Mr. Morley: For the year 2001–02, the actual average price was 4.88 p/kWh for green energy purchased for the Defra Estate and 4.21 p/kWh for Defra Laboratories. Actual average price for normal electricity was 5.87 p/kWh and 4.16 p/kWh respectively. This shows that there was a reduction in the average price paid of 3.94 per cent. for the Defra Estate and an increase of 0.20 per cent. for Defra Laboratories.

12 Feb 2003 : Column 842W

Environmental Protection

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 31 January 2003, Official Report, column 1077W, on the Environment Agency, how many staff in each year were allocated to environmental protection matters; and how much of the budget in each year was allocated to environmental protection matters. [96519]

Mr. Meacher: The Environment Agency's environmental protection function covers: water quality, waste regulation, integrated pollution control, integrated pollution prevention and control, radioactive substances regulation and land quality.

The Agency took up its statutory duties on 1 April 1996. The allocation of staff and budgets to environmental protection as at the year ending 31 March was as follows:

Budget (£ million)Full-time equivalent staff
1997169.63,923
1998182.13,852
1999194.04,027
2000204.64,369
2001221.24,540
2002222.84,504
2003234.54,645(planned)

The staff figures are expressed as full-time equivalents. An allocation of full-and part-time costs according to function could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


European Water Directive

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on those aspects of the EU Water Framework Directive's Common Implementation Strategy Guidance which will be piloted in the UK; [96619R]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency has already confirmed that it will undertake a UK pilot river basin project on the Ribble to test out the CIS guidance on public participation. To date the Agency has committed a full-time project manager, operational staff in the North West Region and staff from its national Water Framework Directive Programme to help deliver the pilot river basin project. This work will inform and support subsequent implementation work the Agency will be required to carry out as "competent authority" for the Directive.

Fallen Stock (Burial Licences)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences have been issued in the last 12 months to enable farmers to bury fallen stock on their farms. [96011]

12 Feb 2003 : Column 843W

Mr. Morley: None. There are currently no requirements for farmers to obtain a licence to bury fallen stock on their farms.

Farm Animal Movement

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to end the 20-day standstill rule on movement of farm animals. [96010]

Mr. Morley: We announced in a Written Statement on 23 January that—subject to satisfactory further consultation with the livestock industry—we intend to reduce the standstill for cattle, sheep and goats to six days with effect from 4 March 2003. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement of 23 January 2003, Official Report, columns 20–24WS.

A supporting document explaining our decision has been placed in the Library and published on the Defra website.

Flooding

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met the chairman and chief executive of the Environment Agency concerning flooding; and when she next plans to do so. [96125]

Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets with the Environment Agency regularly to discuss a range of issues. The last time she met Sir John Harman and Baroness Young to discuss flooding was on 15 January 2003. I also hold meetings with the Environment Agency and flooding is discussed regularly. Our last meeting was held on 9 December 2002 and I am due to meet with them again on 6 March 2003.

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many calls, broken down by constituency in Somerset, were received by the Environment Agency's (a) flooding hotline and (b) website in (i) December 2002 and (ii) January 2003. [96496]

12 Feb 2003 : Column 844W

Mr. Morley: It is not possible to provide the statistics requested broken down by constituency. The table below is an indication of the number of Floodline callers accessing the Recorded Message Service Boxes (areas) for the Somerset Region. Please note the callers may not necessarily have been calling from Somerset (i.e. people checking on holiday homes or about to visit the area from outside).

As it is impossible to determine the geographical location within the UK of someone seeking information from a website, we cannot provide details of individual web users.

Area covered by individual Recorded Message Service BoxCalls to recorded message service box in
December 2002January 2003Total
The Somerset Coast6292154
West Somerset Streams3681117
The rivers Isle and Parrett36108144
The rivers Yeo, Wriggle and Cam55146201
The rivers Somerset Frome, Mells, Whatley and Nunney Brooks3669105
The river Tone and Tributaries51300351
The rivers Axe, Brue, Congresbury Yeo and Sheppy3594129
The Somerset Moors194968

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) calls the Environment Agency's flooding hotline received and (b) hits the Environment Agency's flooding website received from 25 December 2002 to 7 January 2003. [96123]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency's Floodline service received 121,663 calls, and there were 117,637 individual users on their Flood Warning website between 25 December 2002 and 6 January 2003. The Agency's website suffered problems in its service between 1–6 January. This was primarily because of the excessive load during that period and in spite of previous testing to ensure that flood incident loads could be met. A number of technical changes have now been carried out to improve the site's performance.

Website/floodline call comparison—25 December 2002 to 7 January 20003

DateIndividual usersof agency websiteIndividual users of flood warning websiteTotalfloodline callsRecordedmessage serviceAnsweredpersonally
25 December 20026383022362306
26 December 20021,51077070267329
27 December 20022,3241,12899489995
28 December 20021,74584176870266
29 December 20024,1923,0004,1013,735366
30 December 200214,38311,90613,75312,1931,560
31 December 200216,64614,5819,9578,8911,066
1 January 200315,24612,51419,96817,8812,087
2 January 200332,65423,35032,60328,6443,959
3 January 200330,84714,86114,66612,5732,093
4 January 20038,7958,7958,5076,9151,592
5 January 20038,2868,2867,7486,3961,352
6 January 200316,41412,5815,4554,465990
7 January 200312,2344,7222,2051,886319
Total165,914117,637121,663106,08315,580


12 Feb 2003 : Column 845W

Foot and Mouth

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the largest single amount of compensation paid out to a claimant for smoke damage to their property was as a result of foot and mouth disease disposal methods. [96228]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 6 February 2003]: The largest single amount of compensation paid out to a claimant for smoke damage as a result of foot and mouth disease disposal methods in England and Wales is £2,339.

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have received compensation for smoke damage as a result of foot and mouth disease disposal methods in England and Wales. [96235]

Mr. Morley: There have been payments made to 15 claimants for smoke damage as a result of foot and mouth disease disposal methods in England and Wales.


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