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2 Apr 2003 : Column 767W—continued
Noise Mapping Project
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 13 March 2003, Official Report, column 376W, on the Noise Mapping Project, whether short-term noise events will be considered in later stages of the project; and if she will make a statement on best practice for resolving disputes caused by the sounding of train horns. [106501]
Alun Michael: Once the initial stage of the project has been completed, my officials will assess whether a more detailed account of short-term noise events such as the regular sounding of horns by trains should be taken.
At present there is no best practice for resolving disputes caused by the sounding of train horns. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have put the issue of the sounding of train horns on the agenda of the forthcoming trilateral meeting with Railway Safety, the industry body that is responsible for Railway Group Standards and Network Rail, the infrastructure controller.
However train horns are susceptible to statutory nuisance. Although the Railways Act 1993 Section 122 subsection 3, Part A exempts authorised railway undertakers from action at civil or criminal law for nuisance, it does not exempt them from the element of statutory nuisance that covers being prejudicial to health. For such a case to succeed, it would be necessary to prove, to the satisfaction of the court, that the nuisance was above and beyond what might be expected from the normal operation of a railway.
Organic Farming
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many organic farmers are registered in Buckinghamshire. [106370]
Mr. Meacher: According to our records 15 organic farmers.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what help she is giving to organic farming companies to advertise their produce. [105509]
Mr. Meacher: Direct funding is not available to individual companies to support advertising. However, the possibility of developing consumer information on organic food is being considered in the follow up to the action plan to develop organic food and farming in England. The marketing of quality agricultural products including organic produce is, in principle,
2 Apr 2003 : Column 768W
eligible for pump priming assistance under the Rural Enterprise Scheme, which forms part of the England Rural Development Programme.
Potato Packing Companies
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to change the level of support for potato packing companies. [105523]
Mr. Morley: This Department does not provide any support for potato packing.
Poultry Imports
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) hatching eggs, (b) day old chicks, (c) poultry for breeding and production and (d) poultry for restocking supplies of game were imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 2000, broken down by country of origin. [105657]
Mr. Morley: Official Overseas Trade Statistics do not separately identify imports of (i) day old chicks, (ii) poultry for breeding and production and (iii) poultry for restocking supplies of game.
The following tables show the UK imports of (a) hatching eggs, (b) chicks and (c) other live poultry, by country of export for the years 2000–02.
| Country | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Republic | 1,351 | 1,433 | 830 |
| France | 250 | 107 | 341 |
| Germany | 251 | 247 | 185 |
| U.S.A. | 140 | 170 | 211 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 13 | 184 |
| Belgium | 24 | 37 | 41 |
| Denmark | 31 | — | — |
| Brazil | — | — | 28 |
| Spain | 10 | 8 | — |
| Canada | 8 | 0 | — |
| Italy | — | — | 0 |
| Grand total | 2,072 | 2,015 | 1,821 |
| Country | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Republic | 1,961 | 491 | 365 |
| Germany | 78 | 237 | 1,237 |
| France | 33 | 616 | 53 |
| U.S.A. | 82 | 51 | 80 |
| Netherlands | — | 1 | 93 |
| Belgium | 4 | 0 | — |
| Denmark | 3 | — | — |
| Czech Republic | 2 | — | — |
| Canada | — | — | 0 |
| Grand total | 2,163 | 1,397 | 1,827 |
2 Apr 2003 : Column 769W
| Description | Country | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkeys (weight not exceeding 185g) | France | 2,234 | 4,241 | 1,410 |
| Belgium | 201 | 129 | — | |
| Irish Republic | 99 | 77 | 76 | |
| U.S.A. | 41 | — | 1 | |
| Italy | — | 6 | 2 | |
| Turkeys total | 2,575 | 4,452 | 1,490 | |
| Geese (weight not exceeding 185g) | France | 1 | — | — |
| Geese total | 1 | |||
| Ducks and Guinea Fowl (weight not exceeding 185g) | France | 2,834 | 4,882 | 1,419 |
| Netherlands | — | — | 241 | |
| Denmark | 13 | 164 | 25 | |
| Belgium | — | 110 | — | |
| Ducks and Guinea Fowl total | 2,847 | 5,157 | 1,685 | |
| Chicken (weight exceeding 2000g) | Irish Republic | 5 | — | — |
| Netherlands | — | 0 | — | |
| Chicken total | 5 | 0 | — | |
| Guinea Fowls (weight exceeding 185g) | France | 90 | — | — |
| Netherlands | 0 | — | — | |
| Guinea Fowls total | 90 | — | — | |
| Grand total | 5,519 | 9,608 | 3,175 |
Note:
2002 data are provisional and subject to amendment
Source:
HM Customs and Excise
Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities & Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, DEFRA
Fallen Stock
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the EU Animal By-Products Regulation for the disposal of fallen livestock. [106204]
Mr. Morley: A regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as part of the consultation procedures for implementation of the Animal By-products Regulation of which the ban on on-farm burial of fallen stock forms a part.
Waste Management
Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the difference is between the cost of (a) landfill and (b) incineration per tonne of waste; and what information she has collated on the costs in other European Union member states. [106455]
Mr. Meacher: The UK disposal cost per tonne of landfill will depend upon a range of location factors, the cost per tonne of incineration will depend upon the technology used and the capacity of the plant. The disposal cost per tonne in each case will fall within a range and it might generally be expected that gate fees at a disposal facility will be:
(a) Landfill (excluding landfill tax) = £13-£23 per tonne;
(b) Energy from waste = £30-£55 per tonne.
2 Apr 2003 : Column 770W
Landfill costs per tonne in some other EU states according to the Strategy Unit report, "Waste not want not" (November 2002) are:
| EU State | (22)Landfill price—£ per tonne |
|---|---|
| Austria | 36–82 |
| Belgium | 43–51 |
| Denmark | 13–21 |
| Germany | 16–32 |
| Greece | 4–9 |
| Netherlands | 47 |
| Portugal | 4–9 |
| Spain | 9 |
(22) Excluding landfill tax where applicable
Note:
Figures are approximate due to rounding
HEALTH
Agency Nurses
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2002, Official Report, column 1040W, on agency nurses, for what reason the costs of agency nursing in 2001–02 have not been published. [101951]
Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave him on 28 March 2003, Official Report, column 443W.
Arthritis
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to improve access to (a) treatments and (b) services for arthritis. [105602]
Jacqui Smith: Our policies to improve general hospital care, especially through the new single assessment process, will ensure that the health care needs of older people—who are the main sufferers from arthritis—will be properly targeted. This will ensure that the services that are provided are most appropriate to older people's needs, including people with arthritis.
People with arthritis will benefit from the expert patients programme, which will see the national health service provide training in self-management skills for people with long-term chronic conditions. The first pilot phase has begun in selected primary care trust (PCT) sites, with activity to take place both on a generic and a disease-specific basis.
In the past year, two new classes of drugs, Cox II inhibitors and anti-TNF therapy, have been made available to arthritis patients following reviews by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). In addition, NICE is reviewing the drug, Anakinra, for its clinical and cost-effectiveness in treating rheumatoid arthritis.
We have issued directions obliging health authorities and PCTs to provide appropriate funding for recommended treatments. This is in line with our commitment to ensure that patients receive drugs and treatments recommended by NICE on the NHS if deemed appropriate by their clinicians.
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