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11 Mar 2003 : Column 141W—continued

Flooding

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the flood risk data released by the Environment Agency to the Association of British Insurers on 29 January. [101357]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency has provided the initial results of an R&D project called Risk Assessment for Strategic Planning (RASP) to the Association of British Insurers under agreement for assessment purposes only at this stage. The Agency is working closely with the ABI and leading insurance companies to ensure that the best available data can be provided at the earliest opportunity to insurers and the public. The data are not sufficiently accurate to be placed in the public domain at the present time but the Agency plans to make new flood risk maps available to the public in late 2003.

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibilities (a) the Environment Agency, (b) county councils, (c) district councils, (d) unitary authorities, (e) the Highways Agency and (f) other public bodies have to (i) deal with and (ii) prevent flooding. [102403]

Mr. Morley: Flood defence is currently delivered in partnership between Defra, which has policy responsibility, and the operating authorities—the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs).

The EA is the principal flood defence operating authority with responsibility for managing flood risk from designated main rivers and the sea. The EA is also responsible for public awareness campaigns, flood forecasting and warning and for exercising a general supervision over all matters relating to flood defence. IDBs exist in areas of special drainage needs and have responsibility for ordinary watercourses in their area. Local authorities (district, borough and unitary councils) are responsible for ordinary watercourses where no IDB exists, and maritime councils also have powers to take action against coastal erosion and sea flooding. The responsibilities on the coast are set out in shoreline management plans. Local authorities also take the lead in emergency planning and managing the emergency response to flooding.

The present institutional and funding arrangements have recently been reviewed and I shall be announcing the outcomes of this review shortly.

Sewerage companies are under a statutory duty to ensure the effective drainage of their area. This is not however regarded as extending to an absolute duty to prevent sewer flooding under any circumstances, which would be technically impossible.

Other public bodies, including the Highways Agency, are responsible for minimising the effects of their activities on the run-off of water and flooding through consultation with the EA and other operating authorities.

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GM Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications she has received for the authorisation of GM crops since December 2002; and if she will make a statement on the process. [101257]

Mr. Meacher : I have received no applications for authorisation to place a GM crop on the market under Directive 2001/18 since the beginning of December. However, two applications made before that date are still under consideration. In addition the UK has been notified of 17 applications that are being processed by other member states.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to license GM crops in Scotland for commercial use. [101770]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 7 March 2003]: Decisions to authorise the commercial importation or cultivation of any GM crop will be taken by European Union (EU) Member States collectively, on a case-by-case basis, working with the European Commission in the context of EU Directive 2001/18. In preparing the UK's opinion the Government will consult the Devolved Administrations on all applications. We will not support consent for commercial cultivation of any GM crops to which the results of the UK's Farm Scale Evaluation trials are relevant, until the results have been assessed and a conclusion drawn that the management of the crops concerned does not pose a risk to the environment. Under the single market regime of the EU, once a GM crop has commercial approval it can be imported and, if the consent conditions permit, cultivated anywhere in the EU.

Illegal Meat Imports

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received and discussions she has had regarding publicity material for international travellers through the "Don't Bring Back More Than You Bargained For" campaign to prevent illegal meat imports entering the UK. [101267]

Mr. Morley: We have received a number of representations about the "Don't Bring Back More Than You Bargained For" campaign through such means as Parliamentary Questions, Ministers Correspondence, and correspondence from individuals. Officials have had regular discussions with the National Farmers Union and the Women's Institute about our publicity campaign. Officials are also in discussion with the Central Office of Information and HM Customs about our future publicity strategy.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what health risks are associated with fish and fish products brought into the UK by international travellers through the "Don't Bring Back More Than You Bargained For" campaign. [101269]

Mr. Morley: The illegal import of live or dead fish could result in the introduction of serious fish diseases listed in Council Directive 91/67/EEC which could

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prejudice the high health status of farmed and wild species of fish in the UK. While such diseases have not been shown to cause illness in humans, the uncontrolled movement of fish and fish products could pose other hazards to human health.

Light Pollution

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost of energy wasted by street lighting directed above the horizontal. [101184]

Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 6 March 2003]: I have been asked to reply.

My Department has no central figures of the lighting characteristics of the many types of street lighting units in use and so cannot readily estimate the energy cost of light directed above the horizontal. However, the Department does advise the use of lighting units which restrict the amount of light directed above the horizontal to reduce light pollution.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage the use of downward directed lighting and to improve the visibility of the night sky. [101185]

Alun Michael: This is not matter for this Department but one for the office of my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister.

Integrated Farm Management

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on Linking Environment and Farming. [101435]

Mr. Morley: Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) is a charitable organisation committed to the promotion of an holistic approach to viable farming and environmental enhancement through Integrated Farm Management (IFM).

Defra continues to support the valuable work undertaken by LEAF.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of her visit to the Linking Environment and Farming project in Wirral, South. [101671]

Mr. Morley: The visit to Leverhulme Estate gave a useful insight into the value of demonstration farms and the adoption of Integrated Farm Management (IFM). These help promote the practical application of good farming principles—one of the key initiatives in the Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food.

Nightingale Hall Farm, Lancaster

Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to determine the appeal of Fats and Proteins (UK) Ltd. under section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 issued on 5 December 1997 in respect of

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Nightingale Hall Farm, Lancaster in relation to (a) the odour boundary condition and (b) the likelihood of increased spillage on surrounding roads. [102317]

Mr. Meacher : A letter, setting out the decision that the Secretary of State is 'minded to' issue in this appeal case, was issued to interested parties on 16 January, inviting further representations on the proposed decision. The Department is now carefully considering all the representations received in response to the 'minded to' letter and will issue a final decision letter as soon as possible.

Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to her answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 664W, on nuclear fuel reprocessing, if she will list the different radioactive materials that make up (a) the low level waste, (b) the intermediate level waste and (c) the high level waste; [101437]

Mr. Meacher: The waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing contains a variety of radioactively contaminated material, such as:


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