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Glass

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of (a) green, (b) white and (c) brown glass have been (i) landfilled, (ii) dumped at sea and (iii) recycled, in each year since 1997. [103336]

Mr. Meacher: The latest available information for UK glass recycling, obtained from the British Glass Federation are listed.

(Thousand tonnes)

	Clear	Green	Brown	Mixed
2002	196.4	242.5	55.4	Unknown
2001	197.1	270.6	65.1	4.8
2000	217.8	279.5	65.4	3.9
1999	171.7	262.8	61.6	2.5
1998	148.7	267.5	60.1	1.4
1997	147.1	219.6	65.5	Unknown

Figures are based on glass that has been recycled back into container manufacture within the UK.

Since 2000 the UK as a whole has recycled approximately 20 per cent more glass into alternative uses, but colour split is unavailable and not included in above table.

Data for tonnages of glass landfilled or dumped at sea are not available.

GM Foodstuffs

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on how the Food Standards Agency's 2002 consumer attitudes to food survey has affected her Department's policy on GM foodstuffs. [102862]

Mr. Morley: My Department noted the Food Standards Agency's 2002 consumer attitudes to food survey. Surveys such as this informed our decision to hold an open and inclusive GM public debate on all the issues surrounding genetic modification.

Our overriding objective on the issue of genetic modification is to safeguard human health and the environment and each application to release a GMO will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. However, Defra is not responsible for evaluating GM foods, this

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is a matter for the FSA. Issues raised, in the survey, e.g. food safety and hygiene and labelling are therefore matters for the FSA to address.

Illegal Imports

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often the Stakeholder Forum on illegal imports has met since 31 March 2002. [103775]

Margaret Beckett: The Stakeholder Forum on illegal imports met on 31 March 2002. It was not established as a continuing body. However, the Government will

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reconvene a similar body of stakeholders shortly to review progress on illegal imports.

Landfill Tax

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the statement of the hon. Member for Wentworth of 3 February, Official Report, column 5WS, on the landfill tax credit scheme, what projects have received approval for transitional funding; and, in each case, how much funding has been approved. [103631]

Mr. Meacher: The position regarding applications to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme Sustainable Waste Management Legacy Fund as at Friday 14 March was as follows:

Status	Number	Total revenue costs	Total capital costs	Total project costs	Total shortfall requested
New	7	1,228,999	6,198	1,088,551	807,559
Awaiting further information	14	1,984,174	614,500	4,453,019	1,996,059
Awaiting panel	9	2,330,178	3,550	1,205,681	1,473,433

No applications have yet been approved.

Livestock Movements

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on establishing a 90-mile limit between market and abattoir. [103061]

Mr. Morley: In a written statement on 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 20WS, announcing the Government's decision to reduce the 20 day standstill to six days, I stated that Defra would commission further work into the possibility of imposing a distance limit on the movement of animals through markets or making such moves subject to special licences. A figure of 150 kilometres was suggested.

We will discuss this suggestion further with livestock auctioneers and the farming industry in order to obtain more information about the pattern of movements through markets, and the likely impact of such a restriction, before we reach a view on its merits.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the provision at markets of overnight lairages. [103062]

Mr. Morley: In a written statement on 23 January announcing the Government's decision to reduce the 20 day standstill to six days, I stated that Defra would consult on a number of proposals aimed at improving biosecurity and disease detection, for possible introduction from 1 August, Official Report, columns 20–24WS.

The consultation exercise is now under way. One of the proposals is for a ban on animals being kept overnight at markets. We will consider carefully all the responses to the consultation paper, including any suggestions for alternative measures which might achieve the same objectives, before we reach a view on the merits of the proposals.

Public Expenditure

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will announce the public expenditure programmes and institutional arrangements needed to implement the recommendations of the Strategy Unit report, "Waste Not, Want Not". [103698]

Mr. Meacher: Announcements will be made alongside the Government's response to the Strategy Unit report, which we plan to publish around the time of the Budget.

Waste Recycling

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further measures are planned to help increase the amount of household waste which is recycled. [102355]

Mr. Meacher: Last year the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit examined the extent of the waste problem, pressures for change and recommended a range of measures to improve performance on sustainable waste management in its report "Waste Not Want Not". We will be publishing our response to the report shortly.

Since publication of Waste Strategy 2000, which set national targets for the recycling or composting of at least 25 per cent. of household waste by 2005 and 30 per cent. by 2010, we have set statutory recycling and composing targets for all local authorities to achieve these goals. We have also introduced the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund to support local authority investment in appropriate infrastructure. We have also set up the Waste Resources Action Plan (WRAP) to help create stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and to remove market barriers to waste minimisation, reuse and recycling. And the Waste Emissions and Trading Bill will, by setting reducing ceilings on the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill, provide an indirect incentive to increase recycling.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cyprus

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the communiqué issued by the UN Secretary-General on 11 March concerning the future of its plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. [103260]

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reunification of Cyprus. [103100]

Mr. MacShane: The British Government fully supports the decision of the UN Secretary-General, announced in his press statement of 11 March, to bring to a close the intensive phase of negotiations to secure a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.

We share Mr. Annan's sense of sadness that this opportunity to secure accession to the EU by a reunited island has been missed. Throughout the talks, the UN Secretary-General, his special adviser, Alvaro de Soto, and his team have negotiated skilfully and professionally. But Mr Denktash's refusal to put the UN proposals to a referendum in the north of Cyprus, and his rejection of the idea of implementing a work programme for the next two weeks, aimed at preparing for a referendum before Cyprus signs the Treaty of Accession with the European Union on 16 April, left Mr. Annan with no alternative to the decision he took.

I have placed a copy of Mr Annan's statement in the Library of the House.

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions he plans to have with President Papadopoulos of the Republic of Cyprus on restarting discussions towards future negotiations on Cyprus; [103273]

(2) what discussions he plans to have with the Government of Turkey on its future role in discussions regarding Cyprus. [103274]

Mr. MacShane: The UN Secretary-General has said that he remains at the disposal of the parties in Cyprus, should they ask for UN support in re-starting the settlement negotiations on the basis of his proposals of 26 February. We fully support the UN Secretary-General in this approach, and we will be making this clear to all concerned.

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