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12 May 2003 : Column 7W—continued
Landfill
Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many landfill sites are no longer allowed to accept waste for disposal as a result of their failure to submit a conditioning plan; and what estimate she has made of the volume of waste that has thereby been diverted to (a) other landfill sites and (b) other means of disposal. [111794]
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Mr. Meacher: Under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, operators of landfills that wished to continue to accept waste after 16 July 2002 had to submit a conditioning plan to the Environment Agency. Those that did not wish to continue to accept waste had no need to submit a plan, so it is not possible to know exactly how many fell into this latter category. However, the Agency had expected around 1,100 plans to be submitted, and in the event just under 1,000 actually were. What this constitutes in terms of diversion of waste is impossible to say, but all waste generated has to be either re-used, recycled, recovered or disposed of regardless of the number of landfill sites available.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent under the landfill tax credit scheme in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 (i) on Object C and CC projects, (ii) on community environmental projects and (iii) in total on all eligible schemes. [111550]
Mr. Meacher: Figures provided by Entrust, which regulates the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme on behalf of HM Customs and Excise, are set out in the table (figures are collected on a calendar year basis):
| Project spend (UK) | Community Environment Projects | (2)Total project
| Year | Object C/CC | (object D/E) | spend
| 2001 | 34.28 | 56.73 | 82.05
| 2002 | 35.14 | 51.12 | 84.23
| 2003(3) | 6.23 | 7.16 | 13.51
| | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(2) Some projects are counted in both object columns but the spend is only included once in the total
(3) To date
National Minimum Wage
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost is in 2003–04 to her Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible of the increase in the national minimum wage from £4.20 per hour to £4.50 per hour. [110430]
Alun Michael: None. The minimum salary from 1 April 2003 is already above the rate quoted in respect of Defra employees as well as in respect of Defra agencies, Food for Britain and non-departmental public bodies for which Defra Ministers have responsibility.
Organic Food
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her Department's life cycle environmental analysis of the production and consumption of organic foodstuffs by type. [111570]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 7 May 2003]: No such analysis has been carried out. However the Department is preparing a fully referenced study analysing the environmental impacts of organic farming. And we have commissioned studies on particular aspects of the impacts of organic farming, for example the impact on the rural economy, on biodiversity and on energy use.
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Power Stations
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the objective of the review by the Environment Agency of regulations governing emissions from power stations is to ensure that the most efficient power stations and those fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant are used to the maximum. [107983]
Mr. Meacher: The Environment Agency has carried out a review of Integrated Pollution Control authorisations for power stations not fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant. If such installations were unable to present a good 'Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost' justification for not using the abatement plant then they were authorised to operate at no more than a 40 per cent. load factor in 2001 and 2002. The next principal review of these authorisations is likely to be carried out in 2003–04. The objective of this review will be to secure a further reduction in the emissions of sulphur dioxide from coal fired power stations in 2004–05. One way to achieve this is to ensure the fullest use of Flue Gas Desulphurisation-equipped power stations. In addition, the review will consider how to avoid commercially disadvantaging power stations that are fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant, and benefiting those without.
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Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount by which sulphur dioxide emissions could be reduced if coal fired power stations fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant were used to the maximum load factor with consequential lower load factors at unabated plant. [107984]
Mr. Meacher: As part of the Government's plans to implement the revised Large Combustion Plant Directive, assessments are being carried out of a range of pollution control measures (including flue gas desulphurisation plant) and their impacts upon the environment and will be consulted upon in the near future.
The actual emissions of sulphur dioxide are varied between power stations because of the different sulphur contents in the fuels burnt and the different load factors at which individual power stations operate. No estimate has therefore been made of the amount by which sulphur dioxide emissions could be reduced if coal fired power stations fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant were used to the maximum load factor with consequential lower load factors at unabated plant. The following table compares recent figures for the amount of sulphur dioxide that is discharged from power stations in the UK, with and without flue gas desulphurisation equipment.
| Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure | Unit | 1998(4) | 1999 | 2000 |
| Total amount of coal burnt with FGD | 000s of tonnes | 12,838 | 11,396 | 11,540 |
| Total amount of coal burnt without FGD | 000s of tonnes | 33,789 | 28,187 | 38,565 |
| Total amount of SO2 emitted with FGD | 000s of tonnes | 135 | 54 | 45 |
| Total amount of SO2 emitted without FGD | 000s of tonnes | 922 | 704 | 756 |
| Average amount of SO2 emitted per gigawatt generated with FGD | 000s of tonnes per GWh | 4.09 | 1.79 | 1.48 |
| Average amount of SO2 emitted per gigawatt generated without FGD | 000s of tonnes per GWh | 10.77 | 9.79 | 8.74 |
| Average amount of SO2 per tonne of coal without FGD | 0.011 | 0.005 | 0.004 | |
| Average amount of SO2 Per tonne of coal without FGD | 0.027 | 0.025 | 0.020 | |
(4) The FGD plant at AES Drax was out of commission for much of the year
Right to Roam
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the appeals procedure is for a landowner whose property has been entered in error as common land on the draft Right to Roam map. [111089]
Alun Michael: It is necessary to separate out two issues in responding to this question. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (the CROW Act) sets out how maps of open country and registered common land are to be prepared for the purposes of the statutory right of access. This work is being carried out in England by the Countryside Agency. The law dealing with the registration and other aspects of common land pre-dates the CROW Act and is generally very complex.
As far as the CROW Act is concerned, there is a statutory right of appeal against the showing of common land on the Countryside Agency's maps of open country and registered common land on the ground that the land is not registered common land. However, there is no appeal against the showing of such land on the ground that it has been wrongly registered as common land.
As far as the law on common land more generally is concerned, I announced proposals for future legislation on common land last July that would include provision for wrongly registered land to be removed from local authority registers. Although we hope to bring forward measures as soon as parliamentary time permits, I can give no guarantee at this stage, either about the timing of legislation, or its scope.
Rural Diversification
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the constraints on rural diversification imposed by planning requirements; and what recent discussions she has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on a more permissive planning environment for farmers seeking to diversify. [111270]
Alun Michael: An assesment of the approach taken by the local planning authorities in England to diversification of farm businesses was published by the
12 May 2003 : Column 11W
Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in October 2001 [1]. The report found that overall 83 per cent. of the planning applications considered had been approved; nonetheless, all planning authorities in rural areas are being encouraged to follow best practice and reach the standard of the best.
The Government's proposals [2] for reform of the planning system reflect the need for the system to be faster, simpler and more predictable, and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. As part of a review of all existing planning policy guidance signalled in the proposals, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently reviewing Planning Policy Guidance note 7 [3] which sets out policies specifically for rural areas. Within the Government's objectives for sustainable development, the overall aim is to make the planning system more responsive to the needs of all rural businesses, taking account of all relevant economic, social and environmental issues. The Government has provided a significant injection of extra resources into local authority planning services to help with delivering the step change represented by the overall package of reforms.
The Department continues to work closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on ensuring that the effectiveness and relevance of Government planning policies and other planning issues is kept under review.
- [1] The Implementation of National Planning Policy Guidance (PPG7) in Relation to the Diversification of Farm Businesses, October 2001, ODPM
- [2] 'Sustainable Communities—Delivering Through Planning', July 2002, ODPM
- [3] The Countryside— Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development' (PPG7), February 1997, part updated March 2001, ODPM
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