---

8 Apr 2003 : Column 126W—continued

Street Crime Initiative

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Lord Chancellor's Department has for monitoring the effectiveness of courts in the Street Crime Initiative. [107146]

Yvette Cooper: The Crown Court Case Management System, CREST, is able to provide the Department with data on the progress of all cases including Street Crime Initiative cases through the courts. The Persistent Young Offender Tracker system has been amended to enable the magistrates courts to monitor the progress of Street Crime Initiative cases. Data are collated at each designated Crown and magistrates court and provided to my Department on a monthly basis.

Sunset Clauses

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the sunset clauses included in legislation from her Department since 1997. [106950]

Yvette Cooper: No Bill introduced by this Department since 1997 has included a sunset clause and there are no plans for the future use of such clauses.

PRIME MINISTER

Chequers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the people entertained on official business at Chequers since January 2002. [108031]

The Prime Minister: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings under exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

My family and I have used Chequers in a variety of ways, both official and private, consistent with the wishes of the donor, Lord Lee, and the Chequers Estate Acts 1917 and 1958. The use of Chequers is governed by the Acts, and all meetings held at Chequers comply with the requirements of the Act.

Meetings (President Bush)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister on what dates he has held meetings with President Bush since 1 January 2001; and where each of these meetings took place. [107544]

8 Apr 2003 : Column 127W

The Prime Minister: I have met President Bush on the following occasions since 1 January 2001:

Date	Location/Event
2001
23 to 24 February	Meetings at Camp David
13 June	NATO summit, Brussels
14 June	EU/US summit, Gothenburg
19 July	Talks at Chequers
20 to 22 July	G8 summit, Genoa, Italy
20 September	Meeting at White House, Washington
7 November	Meeting at White House, Washington
2002
5 to 7 April	Talks at President's ranch, Texas
25 to 27 June	G8 summit, Calgary
7 September	Bilateral, Camp David
21 November	NATO summit, Prague
2003
31 January	Meeting at White House, Washington
16 March	Azores summit
26 to 27 March	Meeting at Camp David
7 to 8 April	Northern Ireland summit

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Accreditation Awareness Campaign

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the United Kingdom Accreditation Service will be used by her Department for the accreditation of certification bodies acting in the organic food sector. [105492]

Alun Michael: The Department will use UKAS for the accreditation or assessment of certifications bodies acting in the organic food sector.

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support her Department has given to the Accreditation Awareness Campaign run by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. [105493]

Alun Michael: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 1 March 2001, Official Report, column 731W, by the Minister of Sate for Trade and Industry (Mr. Johnson), UKAS is the sole body recognised by the Government for the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies in the United Kingdom. Defra uses UKAS accreditation and assessment services whenever it is appropriate to do so Defra has drawn attention to the role of UKAS and its contribution to increasing confidence in the food supply chain by providing assurance of the competence of inspection bodies operating in the food sector. Defra has commissioned work from UKAS in the areas of organic farming, global atmosphere and research and development.

Agricultural Shows

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has carried out to establish the effects of the six-day movement rule for cattle on agricultural shows; and if she will make a statement. [106533]

8 Apr 2003 : Column 128W

Margaret Beckett: We announced in a written statement on 23 January 2003 that the standstill would be reduced from 20 to six days for cattle, sheep and goats with effect from 4 March 2003, but with far fewer exemptions. The removal of most of the exemptions—including the exemption for shows—is a counter-balance to the increased risk created by the reduction in the standstill period.

These changes took account of the emerging findings from the risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis of animal movement standstills. A report of those findings, and a supporting document explaining our decision to reduce the standstill, have been placed in the Library and published on the Defra website. The second phase of the analysis is now under way and is due to report at the end of May 2003. We will take account of the final reports—and any other new evidence—when deciding what rules should apply from 1 August 2003 and beyond.

Animal By-products

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to give guidance on the suitability of biodigestion in respect of meeting the requirements of the EU Annual By-Products Regulation. [107216]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 4 April 2003]: The biodigestion of animal by-products is not a permitted disposal route. However, the EU Animal By-Products Regulation may allow for novel disposal methods, such as biodigestion, to be permitted, after consultation of the appropriate scientific committee.

I understand that the EU Commission is considering for approval a number of alternative processes that have already been submitted by the industry.

The Commission requires any submitted data to be structured in accordance with the five key components of the Framework prepared by the Commission's Scientific Steering Committee to assist the assessment of the risk from different options for the safe disposal or use of animal products. The key components cover:

the identification and characterisation of the risk materials;


the TSE risk reduction by the particular process;


the degree of risk containment;


the identification of interdependent processes; and the intended end-use of the product.

Animal Welfare

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to public funds in 2003–04 will be of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations. [107794]

Mr. Morley: None. Enforcement of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 will be by the State Veterinary Service at no additional cost.

CAP

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the spending plans are from 2003 to 2008 for (a) England,

8 Apr 2003 : Column 129W

(b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland under pillar two of the Common Agricultural Policy. [106202]

Mr. Morley: Rural Development Programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the relevant Administrations.

Plans for CAP pillar 2 spending up to 2006 are set out in the published rural development programmes and are summarised as follows. These figures relate to the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund accounting years (to 16 October) and consist of both EU and national funds included in Rural Development Programmes. They do not include spending financed by the European Structural Funds.

£ million (Euro1:£0.63)

	2003	2004	2005	2006
England	242.2	269.1	284	320
Northern Ireland	39.9	41.7	41.7	43.8
Scotland	154.4	131.1	136.5	144.6
Wales	79.6	74.6	78.7	72.4

The figures do not include the additional funding that was made available as a result of the 2002 Spending Review to match an increase in modulation to 10 per cent.; that funding was conditional on future ministerial decisions and (in England) on the success of the pilots for the Entry Level Agri-Environment Scheme.

Spending in 2007 and 2008 will depend on future decisions on the allocation of EU rural development resources.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact on British agriculture of the European Commission's proposals of January 2003 to reform the Common Agriculture Policy; and if she will publish the results. [106504]

Margaret Beckett: We have just this week published our assessment of the economic impact of the Commission's Long Term Perspective for Sustainable Agriculture, based on both commissioned and in-house analysis. I have placed copies of the assessment in the Libraries of the House. It is also available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/esg/economics/capreform.pdf

---