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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 6 May 2003

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Cars

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what conclusions she has reached on the consultation on reducing the statutory notice periods for cars abandoned on private land. [110663]

Mr. Meacher: We plan to publish the consultation document in the very near future.

CAP Reform

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the European Commission's proposals for CAP reform on growers of unsupported crops. [109849]

Margaret Beckett: Our published economic analysis of the Commission's proposals for reform of the CAP indicates an overall economic benefit to the UK of about £500 million. We are in discussion with industry representatives about the impact of the proposed new system on producers of unsupported crops.

Farming

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the financial impact of the European Commission's decoupling proposals on those farm businesses that have acquired IACS registered land since the end of the reference period now proposed by the Commission. [109837]

Margaret Beckett: It is difficult to predict precisely what the financial impact on such farm businesses will be. However, we are in discussion with the European Commission about possible ways of protecting the interests of such businesses, such as by ensuring that entitlements to the decoupled payment flow to those farming the land on the introduction of the new system. Some producers who have purchased land since the publication of the Commission's proposals will have benefited from lower land prices.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the European Commission about the impact of the Commission's decoupling proposals on people who have entered farming after the proposed reference years. [109838]

Margaret Beckett: The European Commission's proposals include provision for a national reserve of decoupled payment entitlements. The Commission has confirmed that member states can use this reserve to

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allocate full or enhanced entitlements to producers who have entered farming since the start of the proposed reference period.

Grass Keep

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the position, under the European Commission's mid-term review proposals, of land rented for grass keep; what her policy is on this matter; and if she will make a statement. [109844]

Margaret Beckett: It is difficult to predict the likely impact on individual businesses, but our initial analysis suggests that, at an aggregate level, the proposals will not have a significant impact on the rental value of land for grass keep.

Information Technology

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the compatibility of the information technology systems operated by the (a) State Veterinary Service, (b) British Cattle Movement Service and (c) Rural Payments Agency. [109843]

Margaret Beckett: The main IT system used by the State Veterinary Service (SVS) to administer their work has been in service for a number of years. When the British Cattle Movement service came into existence, the Cattle Tracing System was set up with links and interfaces to the SVS's system.

A major investment in IT improvements is being made at the BCMS. The system will be moved onto a more secure platform and a facility is being developed to provide for the issue of 'statements' to producers showing details of the animals recorded on their holdings.

The new computer system being developed for bovine schemes under the RPA Change Programme will provide interfaces to the systems used by the BCMS.

Defra is moving forward in a co-ordinated way, using the RPA to lead in the development of Customer and Land registers which will form the basis of Defra-wide information. Care will be taken to ensure interoperability between existing and planned systems.

Long Leys

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on long leys systems of farming of the European Commission's mid-term review proposals. [109845]

Margaret Beckett: We have been pressing the European Commission to introduce sufficient flexibility within the rules of the proposed decoupled system to allow such systems of farming to continue.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to press in the Council of Ministers for an exception to be made from the European Commission's definition of permanent pasture to benefit farmers who operate a system of long leys. [109846]

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Margaret Beckett: We have been pressing the European Commission to allow a greater degree of flexibility in their definition of permanent pasture to ensure that such farmers are not disadvantaged. The Commission appear sympathetic to the issue and we are working with them on a solution.

Milk Quota

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed milk quota replacement compensation scheme on producers of high butterfat milk; [110169]

Margaret Beckett: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the dairy premium, which it is proposed should be paid in compensation for dairy support price cuts. Under Agenda 2000, these cuts are due to take place from 2005, and under the CAP reform proposals published on 22 January, from 2004. Under the Agenda 2000 agreement, eligibility for the dairy premium was to be based on the net litreage of quota held at the end of the quota year in each year of payment, and set by EC Council Regulation—it was not within national discretion to determine the eligibility criteria. This remains the case under the Commission's current CAP reform proposals, with (decoupled) payments still currently to be based on the net litreage of quota held, but fixed as at 31 March 2004 (that is, they would not vary from year to year).

We have no evidence to suggest that producers of high butterfat milk would suffer any particularly adverse consequences as a result of these proposals, as compared to other dairy producers. Indeed, the reverse might prove the case, as high butterfat milk producers tend to supply the high-value, as opposed to bulk commodity, markets, and could continue to command some premium under the new support arrangements envisaged.

Nuclear Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy to allow indefinite disposal of low-level radioactive waste at landfill sites. [109625]

Mr. Meacher: Current policy for controlled burial of low level radioactive wastes at landfill sites is set out in the 1995 White Paper "Review of Radioactive Waste Management Policy: Final Conclusions" (Cm2919). The White Paper concluded that controlled burial to landfill should continue to be available as a disposal route, particularly for "small users" of radioactivity—such as hospitals, universities, research laboratories and non-nuclear industries—subject to agreement of the site operators and the necessary regulatory requirements being met. In addition, I accept that the agreement of local residents is also important. Despite acknowledging that there might be sound economic and radiological grounds for encouraging greater use of controlled burial to landfill, Cm2919 concluded that its greater use by the

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nuclear industry should not be encouraged due to genuine anxieties that the proposal aroused among local residents.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the (a) public health and (b) environmental risks posed by the disposal of low-level nuclear waste in landfill sites. [109626]

Mr. Meacher: An assessment of the radiological impact of disposals of radioactive waste from nuclear sites to Clifton Marsh was carried out in 2002 as part of the Environment Agency's review of radioactive waste disposal authorisations from the BNFL Springfields site. This showed that the operational and post-closure risks were acceptable and in line with regulatory guidance.

An assessment of the impact of disposals to Hilts Quarry will be carried out in 2003 as part of the Environment Agency's review of the radioactive waste disposal authorisations for the Rolls-Royce Derby site.

The Environment Agency has an established programme of environmental monitoring at current and disused landfill sites, focusing on levels of radioactivity in leachate which might arise at landfill sites. The results of this programme are included in the Agency's annual Radioactivity in the Environment report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. In most cases results show that radioactivity concentrations are not elevated above levels expected to be found naturally.

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