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Farm Incomes

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average income of farming families in Shrewsbury and Atcham was in the last year for which figures are available. [109679]

Mr. Morley: No information is available on the personal incomes of farming families. Estimates of farm business income are obtainable from a sample survey, but results are not available at constituency level because the size of the sample is too small.

Net farm income for full-time farms in the West Midlands Government Office Region in 2001–02, excluding farms involved in the compulsory FMD cull, was £12,200/farm. This compares with £13,600/farm for England as a whole.

Net farm income is the return to the principle farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and to the tenant-type capital of the business.

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Fishing Industry

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Water and Nature Protection will visit Brixham to discuss with fishermen the future of the fishing industry.[R] [113128]

Mr. Morley: I hope to meet with representatives from the leading fishermen's organisations in the south west in early July.

GM Field Trials

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the Ministers who will be involved in deciding the Government's response to the results of the GM field trials. [110378]

Mr. Meacher: The Government's response to the results of the GM field trials will be decided through the SCI(BIO) Cabinet Sub-Committee and in consultation with the devolved Administrations.

Harbinson Agreement

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the Harbinson draft framework agreement on agriculture recently published by the WTO. [111872]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 13 May 2003]: The Government welcome the level of ambition in the Harbinson proposals and the ideas to help developing countries. However the Government are concerned at a lack of balance, which requires far more from the EU than from some of our other major trading partners, including the USA. Nevertheless the Harbinson paper provides a negotiating basis on which we can build. The Government will continue to work hard within the EU and with other trading partners to achieve an agreement acceptable to all parties as part of the outcome to the 5th Meeting of the WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico, this September.

Landfill

Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many co-disposal hazardous waste sites will close as a result of the United Kingdom's implementation of the EU Landfill Directive of 1999; and what volume of waste is involved in such closures. [111795]

Mr. Meacher: Under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, co-disposal of waste will end in July 2004. While it is unlikely that many landfill sites will close as a result of this provision, it is expected that a large number will change classification from hazardous to non-hazardous landfill sites at that time.

What this constitutes in terms of waste cannot at present be estimated, but all waste generated has to be either re-used, recycled, recovered or disposed of regardless of the number of landfill sites available. It is Government policy to move waste up the hierarchy and thereby move towards more sustainable ways of dealing with waste than is achieved by disposal to landfill.

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Ofwat

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the penalties that Ofwat may impose on water companies to improve customer service and satisfaction. [112878]

Mr. Morley: The Water Bill, which was published on 20 February, brings forward proposals to impose penalties of up to 10 per cent. of companies' turnover where they contravene the conditions of their licences or other statutory requirements. The Bill, once it becomes law, will require Ofwat to consult on and publish a statement of its policies with regard to the imposition of such penalties.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers Ofwat has to insist that water companies should backdate refunds or rebates to 1 April 2000. [112879]

Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State supports the provision of rebates for customers whose surface water does not flow into public sewers. This involves a reallocation of charges between non-connected customers and other customers, which is taken into account on a year-by-year basis. Neither Ofwat nor the Government can require companies to offer retrospective rebates, or periods with no charge in lieu of past payments. Such a scheme would imply retrospective increases for other customers, which is against the Government's policy of stable and predictable charging.

Packaging Regulations

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those European Union measures, pursuant to Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste, which are under discussion at European Union level, which have an impact on produce packaging by the food industry. [112500]

Mr. Wilson: I have been asked to reply.

The current revision to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive primarily relates to increased targets for recovery and recycling of all packaging, irrespective of type. Produce packaging is not specifically mentioned.

Pay Review

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 April 2003, Official Report, column 133W, on the pay review, if she will place a copy of her Department's action plan in the Library. [112324]

Alun Michael: Defra has completed an Equal Pay Review in line with guidance from the Cabinet Office. A draft action plan has been submitted to the Cabinet Office by the deadline of the 30 April. Defra senior management are considering the review's conclusions and the ways in which the action plan can be implemented. Once these discussions have been concluded, a copy of the Defra action plan will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

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Salmon

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the Scottish Executive on preventing the crossbreeding, disease and pollution of wild salmon in the rivers of north east England from farmed salmon in Scotland. [113070]

Mr. Morley: No such representations have been made.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken with the Scottish Executive to jointly manage the Tweed and its tributaries to protect wild salmon from pollution, disease and crossbreeding with farmed salmon. [113071]

Mr. Morley: Management responsibilities for the River Tweed and its tributaries lie with the River Tweed Commissioners, and the River Tweed Council which acts on their behalf. The Scottish Executive maintains dialogue with the Commissioners on a range of issues. Freshwater aquaculture units are subject to inspection by the Fish Health Inspectorate. Defra and the Scottish Executive operate surveillance programmes with a view to maintaining freedom from serious fish diseases.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Schools (Barnet)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from headteachers in Barnet on their ability (a) to set a standstill budget this year and (b) to fund the work/life balance reforms due this autumn; and if he will make a statement. [109187]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 14 April 2003]: The Department has received a number of representations from headteachers and governors of schools in Barnet expressing concern regarding the budget allocations they have received from their local education authority. Among these, some have raised related issues such as the lack of sufficient funding to enable other school staff to support teachers. I understand that although the London borough of Barnet has increased its schools budget by 11 per cent. or £17 million the individual schools budget has only been increased by 7.8 per cent. or £10.5 million. Schools that followed earlier advice on freeing teachers from administrative duties should find that implementing the commitments on school workforce reform this autumn makes no additional demand on their resources. Other schools, working where necessary with fellow schools and their LEA, should aim to follow their example.

Counselling Services

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are made in his Department to allow staff to access counselling services. [111937]

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Mr. Charles Clarke: My Department recognises the importance of offering support to staff to help them manage difficulties that may arise from their work or home lives and has a contract with Care First Welfare to provide counselling services.

The contract provides all members of staff with access to confidential counselling 24 hours a day, every day of the year via a free phone number. In addition, there is face to face counselling, debt management advice, a legal help line, and an information service on a wide range of issues including national and local helping agencies.

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