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20 May 2003 : Column 704W—continued
Water and Sewage
Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which environmental enhancements agreed for the current periodic review of water and sewage prices have been achieved by each water and sewage company in England; and which will (a) be achieved and (b) not be achieved within the agreed time scale in each case. [109090]
Mr. Morley: The tables needed to answer this question have been prepared by the Environment Agency and placed in the House Library. They show for each water and water and sewerage undertaker, the numbers of schemes delivering improvements to the environment whose completion during 2000–05 was expected by the Director General of Water Services (Ofwat) when he set price limits for that period. The tables also show the numbers completed by 1 April 2002 and the number that remain to be completed, taking account of adjustments agreed since the programme was determined in 1999.
It is not yet possible to say which, if any, of the outstanding schemes will not be completed within the time scale agreed.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the provisions of the Water Bill with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive; [113672]
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- (2) if she will make it her policy to implement the provisions of the Water Framework Directive by primary legislation; [113673]
(3) what provisions contained in the Water Bill are intended to implement requirements of the Water Framework Directive. [113674]
Mr. Morley: The Water Bill is not, and has never been, intended to transpose the Water Framework Directive.
Our intention is to give effect to the Directive through secondary legislation under the European Communities Act 1972. Many of the necessary powers needed to comply with the Directive already exist. We have consulted widely on our proposals to transpose the Directive and will continue to do so. Much of the existing legislative framework for water resources in England will implement the Directive, for example, controls over the abstraction of fresh surface water and ground water and impoundment of fresh surface water, including a register or registers of water abstractions.
Some provisions in the Water Bill will help implement some of the requirements of the Water Framework Directive, in particular articles 11(3)(c) and (e). These elements were planned after the Government published "Taking Water Responsibly" in March 1999, which suggested updating the framework for abstraction licensing to improve water resource management.
The Water Bill will help implement Article 11(3)(c) by placing water undertakers under an enforceable duty to conserve water in carrying out their functions. The licensing requirements of the Water Resources Act 1991 largely implement Article 11(3)(e) already, and proposals in the Bill are consistent with that.
Wild Mammals
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will place in the Library copies of the licences her Department has issued for traps to catch and kill wild mammals that are in force; [110750]
- (2) if she will publish performance data on each trap for catching and killing wild mammals that has been tested and licensed by her Department; [110752]
(3) what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the standards applied by her Department and its predecessor to traps for catching and killing wild mammals as licensed by her Department with the International Trapping Standards; and if she will make a statement; [110751]
(4) whether she has assessed the compliance of traps used to catch and kill wild mammals for which a license is not necessary with (a) the criteria her Department applies to licensed traps and (b) the International Trapping Standards; [110749]
(5) when her Department most recently carried out tests on traps used to catch and kill wild mammals licensed by her Department; what the purpose of such tests were; where the tests were conducted; what criteria were applied in assessing the results of these tests; and if she will place in the Library details of the conduct of these tests. [110753]
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Mr. Morley: All traps must be submitted for approval and are tested for humaneness and efficacy by experts. Traps are approved by Orders made under The Pests Act 1954 which specify the traps that may be used, the manner of use and the species against which the trap may be used. The conditions of any approval are designed to ensure humane and selective operation. The use of unapproved spring traps has been prohibited in England and Wales since 1958. Spring traps specified by the Department as being adapted solely for the destruction of rats, mice or other small ground vermin, and for moles are exempted under the Small Ground Vermin Trap Order 1958.
Particulars of the approvals given for traps to catch and kill wild mammals are detailed in the Spring Traps Approval Order. This is submitted to Parliament on a periodic basis, depending on the submission of traps, and lists all traps, manufacturers and terms of approved use at that time. Some further minor changes to this list (such as changes to a manufacturers trading details) were published by way of a MAFF press release dated February 1997. The performance of design is commercially confidential. Non disclosure of such commercial information is in accordance with Reg. 4(2)(e) of the Environmental Information Regulations.
The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards: http://www3.oup.co.uk/envlaw/hdb/Volume 12/Issue 03/supp data/harrop supp.pdf has been agreed by the European Commission, Canada and the Russian Federation but has yet to be enacted by the member states of the EU. As presently proposed, this agreement only applies to fur-bearing species. The only species currently listed in this agreement that occur in Britain are the otter, badger, pine marten and stoat, although additional species will be added in future. These species receive protection under The Badger Act 1992 and The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and, with the exception of the stoat, may not be trapped without a licence. The current testing procedures proposed within Annex 1 of the Agreement have been carried out on new traps since 1992. However, as this agreement has not yet been enacted, approval of such traps has been made on the basis that they are, at least, as humane as traps already approved for the same target species. This is only an interim arrangement. The Department will shortly attend an expert working group meeting on the implementation of humane trapping standards in the EU. This will offer an opportunity to discuss how the agreement might best be enacted and implemented in the UK. The enactment of the Agreement would require traps approved using earlier criteria to be retested and reapproved as appropriate.
Trap testing is conducted on a regular and ongoing basis as new trap designs are submitted for approvals by commercial companies. I am not prepared to discuss details in view of security considerations.
Zimbabwe
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the level of agricultural (a) imports from and (b) exports to Zimbabwe in 2002; and what proportion were connected to sequestered farms. [112499]
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Mr. Morley: The following table shows the level of agricultural (a) imports and (b) exports to Zimbabwe in 2002.
| Tonnes | £000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total imports | 46,545 | 24,127 |
| Total exports | 280 | 701 |
Crown copyright
Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, DEFRA
Source:
HM Customs & Excise
There is no information available on what proportion of these figures were connected to sequestered farms.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Accountancy Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03. [109485]
Ms Hewitt: Total costs to the DTI for accountancy services are detailed in the table.
| Accounts services provision(12) | PFI agreement(13) | System upgrade(14) | Services to internal audit(15) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.4 |
| 2000–01 | 2 | 1.1 | 0 | 0.4 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 1.4 | 0 | 0.4 |
| 2002–03 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 5 | 0.4 |
(12) The Department entered into a new contract for the provision of accounts services with Amey plc, effective from 1 April 2002. The contract covers a 12-year period with a break option at seven years, and covers a number of additional services not provided under the previous contract.
(13) The Department entered into a PFI agreement to maintain current hardware to support accounts services provision.
(14) The Department also commissioned the development of an updated financial accounting system, forecast to cost a total of £7.5 million.
(15) Internal audit services to the Department are delivered under a strategic partnership arrangement with Ernst and Young.
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