---

9 Apr 2003 : Column 274W—continued

Planning

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many notifications the Environment Agency has received from (a) Buckinghamshire county council and (b) Aylesbury Vale district council under the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995. [106934]

Mr. Meacher: The Environment Agency received 23 and 62 planning applications from Buckinghamshire county council in 2001 and 2002 respectively under the requirements of the Town and Country Planning

9 Apr 2003 : Column 275W

(General Development Procedure) Order 1995. In the same period, the Agency received 167 and 143 applications under the same Order from Aylesbury Vale district council.

Pollution (Buckinghamshire)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints have been received since 6 February 2002 by the Environment Agency concerning pollution in the Buckinghamshire constituency. [106380]

Mr. Meacher: The total number of complaints about pollution received during this period was 374. Of these, the Agency confirmed that 368 related to pollution incidents. This comprised of three category one (major) incidents, 11 category two (significant) incidents, 302 category three (minor) incidents, 52 Category four (no impact) incidents.

Product Designation

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many British fruit and vegetable products are registered for Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication schemes; [108065]

(2) what steps her Department is taking to encourage British products to register for Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication status. [108066]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 April 2003]: One British vegetable product, the Jersey Royal potato, has been registered as a Protected Designation of Origin. The UK currently has 33 products registered in total. As part of our Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food which seeks to help our food and drink producers add value we want to encourage more applications and raise awareness about the schemes. Officials have written to trade associations and individual producers about the schemes and have had a number of meetings with potential applicants and retailers. My colleague Lord Whitty has promoted the schemes with producers at a media event in January, while the Defra stand at the International Food and Drink Exhibition in March was devoted to publicising these schemes. We will be working with Food From Britain and the Regional Food Groups over the coming months to continue to encourage applications and raise the profile of the schemes amongst consumers.

Slaughter Payments Scheme

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that all payments due under the Slaughter Payments Scheme in respect of 2001 are cleared and that all disputes over such payments are settled. [108037]

Alun Michael: Under the EC legislation ¹ governing the bovine schemes, to be eligible for such aid payments cattle have to be properly identified and registered in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000. This requires keepers to notify all movements (and dates of movement) to and from their holding within a fixed period of time. The Rural Payments Agency is required

9 Apr 2003 : Column 276W

by EC legislation ² to carry out cross-checks to the cattle tracing database to ensure Community aid is granted only for bovine animals for which the births, movements and deaths have been duly notified.

Cross-check failures due to missing movements are divided into various categories. Most categories are reviewed by the Agency at the office dealing with the claim. A final category is considered by a Review Panel comprising representatives from the Rural Payments Agency and the National Farmers Union. Industry representatives on the Panel give assurance of a fair review. Agency staff are striving to complete the review so that aid payments can be finalised for eligible animals.

For the 2001 English Adult Animal Slaughter Premium Scheme, 98.2 per cent. of claims have been authorised for payment. 97.4 per cent. of claims have had balance payments made. The claims still undergoing processing are largely those that failed cross-checks required to confirm eligibility to Community aid.

¹ Article 21 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999

² Article 6(2)(b) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3887/92

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the statutory instruments issued by her Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals. [106316]

Alun Michael: During the period 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003 Defra issued 152 statutory instruments. All published statutory instruments are available on the HMSO website at http://www.legislation.hmso.qov.uk/stat.htm.

Detailed information regarding purpose and costing on these instruments could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but details of Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) relating to statutory instruments can be found at the Cabinet office website at: http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/scrutiny.

Copies of RIAs are also placed in the Libraries of the House on the day the instrument is laid.

Tallow

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 742W, on tallow, if the contract with Ulster Farm By Products forms part of the current tender exercise for the incineration of tallow arising from carcasses culled under the over-30-month scheme. [107947]

Alun Michael: The contract, under which the company is already purchasing over-30-month scheme tallow as it is produced, does not form part of the current tender for the sale of stored tallow from the scheme.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 742W, on tallow, what the end dates are for

9 Apr 2003 : Column 277W

each of the contracts awarded for the incineration of tallow arising from carcasses culled under the over-30-month scheme; and what the annual tonnage is under each of those contracts. [107948]

Alun Michael: The contracts for the purchase of over-30-months scheme tallow listed in my earlier reply are open-ended, on a 'take and pay' basis, with no volumes guaranteed.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

EU Directives

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Advocate General if she will list the EU Directives and Regulations which have been implemented by her Department since 17 April 2002. [106834]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today, c.227W, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

SCOTLAND

Crown Estate

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, column 560W, on the Crown Estate, when a Minister from the Scotland Office last met Crown Estate representatives; and what issues were discussed. [108195]

Mrs. Liddell: Ministers have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations, it is not this Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

EU Directives

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the EU Directives and Regulations which have been implemented by her Department since 17April 2002. [106835]

Mrs. Liddell: No EU Directives or Regulations have been implemented by my Department since 17 April 2002.

Ministerial Meetings

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times she has met the chairman of (a) British Trade International and (b) Scottish Development International in each of the last five years; and when her last meeting was. [105764]

Mrs. Liddell: I have regular contact with the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, who chairs British Trade International, and with the Scottish Minister responsible for Scottish Trade International. Scottish Trade International does not have an appointed chairman.

9 Apr 2003 : Column 278W

Salmon Farming

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2003, Official Report, column 560W, on the Crown Estate, what assessment has been made of the impact on the commercial environment faced by UK salmon farmers if EU protection on salmon dumping is removed; and what plans she has to use her powers under the Crown Estate Act 1961 if the commercial environment faced by salmon farmers alters. [107888]

Mrs. Liddell: The Government regularly monitor the performance and the factors affecting the performance of all important industries.

Neither my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer nor I have any plans to exercise the powers in question.

---