| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
13 May 2003 : Column 139W—continued
Catering Policy
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to encourage catering sections of each Department to source and serve food which is (a) produced in Britain, (b) organic and (c) Fair Trade. [111156]
13 May 2003 : Column 141W
Mr. Morley: Defra has published guidance for public sector bodies that covers issues such as removing obstacles to tendering by local and UK producers and the purchase of organic and fair trade produce. It can be seen on our web site at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/procurement/index.htm. We are also taking a number of other steps to integrate sustainable development into the public procurement of food and catering services. These include seminars to raise awareness, bilateral meeting at Ministerial and senior management level (including with representatives of local government) and the production of case studies. The guidance takes account of the Government's policy of achieving value for money and its commitment under the EC rules to ensure that public procurement is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
Conservation Areas
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects (a) Wedholme Flow, (b) Bolton Fell Moss and (c) Solway Moss to be designated as special areas of conservation in accordance with the recommendations of English Nature. [112032]
Mr. Morley: Following English Nature's recommendations in June 2002, issues concerning boundary alignment and compensation payments have arisen. English Nature is working with stakeholders to resolve these questions. Until these matters have been resolved it is not possible to say when the sites will be designated as Special Areas of Conservation.
Countryside and Rights of Way Act
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects
13 May 2003 : Column 142W
the new rights of access under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to commence in the upper north west region. [112530]
Alun Michael: I announced in November last year that the new right for the public to walk on mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land will be rolled out on a region by region basis. This will give walkers the right to walk in open countryside and on registered common land as early as possible, rather than having to wait for the mapping process to be completed for the whole country. I intend to open the upper and lower north west regions in the autumn of 2004.
This is a demanding timetable as we will need to have in place not only the conclusive maps for those regions but also all necessary restrictions and exclusions. Guidance and codes of practice will also need to be available to walkers and landowners. These mechanisms are necessary under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (The CROW Act) and it is important for them to be in force in each region before access land is made available to the public so that the interests of both land managers and walkers are safeguarded. We expect to meet the target of having all access land open by the end of 2005.
Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 735W, if she will set out the timetable for the implementation of regulations under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [112801]
Alun Michael: The table below records the progress we have already made towards bringing regulations into force and our timetable for completing the process. As I explained in my answer of 16 January, the precise timing may vary but we are firmly committed to ensuring the necessary regulations are made to allow the new right of public access under the Act to be rolled out as planned.
| Regulation | Section | Consultation commenced (not later than) | Date regulations in force (not later than) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulations regarding mapping of access land and consultation on draft maps | Section 11 | March 2001[ended June 2001] | 1 November 2001 |
| Regulations regarding issue of provisional maps, appeals, and issue of conclusive maps | Section 11 | November 2001[ended 8 Feb 2002] | 29 July 2002 |
| Regulations regarding the establishment of LAFs and the appointment of members | Section 94 (Part V) | July 2001[ended October 2001] | 7 August 2002 |
| Regulations on correcting minor errors and omissions in provisional and conclusive maps | Section 11(2)(1) | October 2002[ended 7 November 2002] | June 2003 |
| Regulations regarding dedication of land for access | Section 16 | January 2002[ended 15 April 2002] | June 2003 |
| Regulations relating to exclusion or restriction of access under Chapter II, including appeals (but not emergencies) | Section 32 | December 2001[ended 22 March 2002] | June 2003 |
| Regulations on removal or relaxation of restrictions on access land and to exclude access in emergencies (including appeals) | Paragraph 7, Schedule 2;Section 31 | June 2003 | December 2003 |
| Regulations on appeals relating to notices | Section 38 | June 2003 | December 2003 |
| Regulations on references to public places in existing enactments | Section 42 | June 2003 | December 2003 |
| Regulations regarding review of conclusive maps | Section 11 | February 2004 | August 2004 |
EU Tobacco
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the recipients of exported EU tobacco by (a) country and (b) grade; what quantities are involved; what quantity of each grade is destroyed by the Communities; what the cost in 2003 is of (i) subsidy and (ii) destruction, broken down by grade; which countries are recipients of production subsidy; and if she will make a statement. [111076]
13 May 2003 : Column 143W
Mr. Morley: Exports of tobacco in 2001, the latest full year available, were as shown in the table.
There is no provision under the EU regime for tobacco to be destroyed.
The cost of production subsidies in 2002 was 970 million euros (£610 million at 2002 exchange rates 1 ). The budget provision for 2003 is £956 million euros (£623 million 2 ).
13 May 2003 : Column 144W
The countries in which tobacco subsidies are paid are Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
This Government are opposed to the payment of production subsidies for tobacco and seeks their elimination as part of the continuing reform of the common agricultural policy.
- 1 Based on the average for 2002: 0.628685 euro to the GB pound.
- 2 Based on 2 January 2003 exchange rate of 0.652000 euro to the GB pound.
Source:
Comest, Eurostat—disk no. 12/2002. Extracted: 30 April 2003.
13 May 2003 : Column 145W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |