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Broadband

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the availability of broadband in rural areas. [113694]

Alun Michael: Recent developments and technical developments are increasing the potential for Broadband connections in many rural areas. DEFRA is working closely with the DTI to enable communities across the UK, to have the best possible opportunity to gain access to affordable broadband. The opportunity of public sector investment to bring broadband to wider

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rural communities is one we must not miss. Broadband has huge potential to overcome issues of distance and lead to increased productivity for our rural businesses, new ways of tackling learning and skills issues and better ways for rural communities to access government services. Much is going on in the RDAs, in local authorities and in communities throughout rural areas. The new DTI rural team, with DEFRA involvement, will provide valuable resources to assist and co-ordinate this work, making sure that all can learn from the experience of the best.

Carbon Trust

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding has been made available to the Carbon Trust in each financial year since its inception; and how much of its budget it has spent. [113453]

Mr. Morley: The Carbon Trust was created in April 2001, taking over management of the non-domestic part of the Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme (EEBPp) in July 2002 (which it re-launched as Action Energy) and administration of the Enhanced Capital Allowances programme in August 2002. In this time the Carbon Trust has also formulated its programmes, market research and financial and procurement procedures. In line with their remit the Carbon Trust have constructed and launched new and innovative programmes such as the Low Carbon Innovation Programme (LCIP) in May 2002.

The Carbon Trust was allocated £26.5 million in 2001–02 by my Department, and a total of £49.6 million for 2002–03 (including £17.1 million from the EEBPp). Carbon Trust spend for 2001–02 was £5.5 million (composed of £3.1 million spend and £2.4 million to enhance the EEBPp). Audited spend figures for 2002–03 are not yet available from the Carbon Trust.

Cetaceans

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the use of separator grids in pair trawls in respect of (a) the incidence of unintended cetacean by-catch, (b) the unintended by-catch of other non-target species, (c) the satisfactory technical efficiency of the equipment in catching target fish and (d) the satisfaction of the fishermen who use this equipment. [114630]

Mr. Morley: Further sea trials of the exclusion grid designed to reduce common dolphin by-catch in the offshore fishery-for bass which-takes place in-the Channel were recently completed.

The scientists responsible at the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at St. Andrews University will require some weeks to produce their full report. However, I should like to give here a preliminary indication of the outcome, in recognition of the widespread interest in this matter.

The trial was undertaken by SMRU on our behalf at a cost of £100,000 and involved the chartering of a pair trawler for twelve days in March for the deployment of the grid in normal commercial fishing conditions in the SW bass fishery. It formed the second stage of testing

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this device at sea, the first stage having taken place in 2002. The primary aim was to develop the system further towards the point where it will fish reliably with minimal loss of fish and that any dolphins encountered will be able to escape safely through the grid and out of the net.

The twelve day charter was completed successfully, using a new camera system enabling day and night real time monitoring of the grid system in use. It was clear that the grid performance improved this year with virtually no loss of fish related to the grid system. This, encouragingly, indicates that the grid system ought to be acceptable not only to UK fishermen but to others countries involved in the pair trawl fishery.

Contrary to expectation, and in contrast to other boats fishing nearby, no dolphins were seen to approach the grid during the period of the charter. The reasons for this are presently unclear and are being considered by SMRU but it is possible that some aspect of the grid system is acting in some way as a deterrent to dolphins. However, the overall result was a zero mortality rate during the twelve day charter.

As no dolphins had been encountered during the charter period, the skippers of the vessels—and we are extremely grateful for the co-operation of the skippers and the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Association with all aspects of the trial—volunteered to continue using the grid accompanied for most of the time by a SMRU observer. During this extension of the trial two dead dolphins were recovered from the tunnel of the trawl after one particular haul. It is probable that one of these had become trapped in the small mesh cover net over the escape panel. This is disappointing, but the researchers are confident that recurrence of this problem can be prevented by adjustments to the escape panel, as part of the ongoing development of the system.The very significantly reduced mortality rate overall in this trial (2 animals, both caught in the same haul, over seven weeks, and these from causes that are expected to be eliminated) is encouraging when compared with previous years. Two animals died in 82 hauls over a seven week period beginning in March, a significant reduction in what is normally observed to be the case. In observations elsewhere in the fishery without the grid employed, 28 dolphin casualties were recorded in 49 hauls. All this is grounds for optimism that a viable means of minimising dolphin by-catch in this fishery can be attained very soon. A fuller analysis of the data from the trial is now being undertaken which once complete, will form a fuller report of the trial to be published as soon as possible. This will be made available on the Defra website and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

I am determined on the basis of these results to move forward next year from trialling these measures to actually deploying them in the fishery. I will be discussing how this can be achieved with the industry and whether other adaptations to the fishing gear, such as changes to fishing methods, could also contribute to by-catch reduction. At the same time, however, the general level of by-catch in the south west cannot continue unchecked each year and I do not rule out other options such as closure if effective by-catch reductions cannot be achieved in the short term.

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We will also continue to draw attention to this work among other Member States and continue to press at the EU level for concrete proposals to widen observer coverage of fisheries implicated in by-catch and for effective measures to address this by-catch.

Civil Contingencies

Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional expenditure above that identified prior to 1 April 2002 was spent in 2002–03 on national and regional resilience work for essential services; what additional expenditure above that identified prior to 1 April 2002 will be spent in 2003–04 on national and regional resilience work for essential services; whether arrangements exist to release expenditure during the current financial year for resilience projects under consideration for essential services; and if she will make a statement. [113789]

Alun Michael: The essential services which emergency and business continuity plans support within my Department have all been met from within allocated budgets. If a re-allocation of budget is required to meet changed needs in these areas then budgets can be reprioritised accordingly.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of mapping open countryside and registered common land under the provisions of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 has been; what the estimated cost of completing the mapping process is; and if she will make a statement. [113847]

Alun Michael: By the end of March the Countryside Agency had spent £13.5 million on implementing part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, mostly on mapping open countryside and registered common land. The figure includes payments to the contractors, Black and Veatch; consultation and dissemination of information on the mapping process; and the Agency's staff and running costs. A further £1.5 million has been spent by the Planning Inspectorate to deal with appeals against the inclusion of land on the provisional maps of open country and registered common land.

The scale, and therefore the cost, of the remainder of the mapping project will depend on the volume of comments made to the Agency on the three further draft maps and on the number of appeals on the six provisional maps still to be issued.

The Agency has developed a predictive model to help it plan and manage the mapping work, and it will review the assumptions in this model regularly, in the light of experience in successive mapping areas. The Government and the Agency will work closely together to ensure the completion of the mapping project to timetable.

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