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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Passport Agency

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 15 May 2003, Official Report, column 436W, on the Passport Agency, for what reason the figure for the number of lost passports in 1998 is not available; what steps her Department is taking in conjunction with Royal Mail to ensure that passports are delivered safely to customers; and what assessment she has made of the reasons why passports are lost. [115527]

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.

Figures for passports reported as being lost in the post only started to be collated routinely and centrally in 1998 with the introduction of the current passport production system and new procedures for claiming compensation from the Royal Mail. Figures for passports reported lost in the post prior to 1999 are not therefore available.

The UK Passport Service has had regular discussions with the Royal Mail about the loss of passports in the post and about options for delivery which might reduce the number of losses but at the same time minimise the inconvenience and additional cost to customers which such delivery arrangements might entail. The UK Passport Service and the Royal Mail also work together on investigations into the disappearance of passports in the postal system.

As the hon. Member will see from my response to another of his questions on 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 148W, the UK Passport Service is actively seeking to introduce a secure delivery for all passports returned to customers.

Passports are recorded as having been lost in the post when the passport applicant reports that he or she has not received the document. The three principal reasons why a passport may not be delivered are miss-routing because of incorrect addressing, loss within the postal system as the result of some processing error or theft. In addition it is possible that a report of a lost passport may be made if there is some delay between the passport leaving the UK Passport Service and arrival at its destination.

As recognised by the Cabinet Office "Identity Fraud: A Study" published in July 2002, identity fraud is a serious and growing problem for the UK and it is possible that this has contributed to the increase in passports being reported as having been lost in the post. However, there is no evidence currently available which could establish the degree to which the increase in identity fraud has resulted in the increase in reports of such losses

"Waste Not, Want Not"

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who has been appointed as project director of the multi-disciplinary operational task force to help advise local authorities on implementation of recommendation 28 of the Strategy Unit report, "Waste Not, Want Not". [111257]

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Mr. Meacher: The Government have accepted the Strategy Unit's recommendation 28 to establish a new local authority task force. Details were announced on 6 May as part of the Government's response to the Strategy Unit report. Given the centrality of this team to delivery of Defra's new waste implementation programme, a decision on a full-time appointment will be taken once the new waste implementation programmme Director takes up post on 2 June. In the meantime, a member of the waste implementation programme team has been assigned to take forward work on the new task force.

Accountancy Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost was of her Department's accountancy services in 2002–03. [117340]

Alun Michael: The forecast cost of accountancy services in 2002–03 is £715,000.

Biofuels

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures the Government are taking to encourage the use of non-food crops to generate electricity; and if she will make a statement. [117136]

Mr. Meacher: The Energy White Paper, published earlier this year, sets out the Government's aim to achieve the production of 20 per cent. of the UK's electricity through renewable sources by 2020. Biomass, including purpose-grown non-food crops, could become one of the largest contributors to the renewables mix by 2020.

This Department allocated £29 million under the Energy Crops Scheme to support the planting of short rotation coppice (SRC) and miscanthus, and the setting up of producer groups to supply SRC to energy end-users. £3.5m has been allocated to develop supply chains for energy crops and woodfuel, from harvest to energy end-users.£66 million is available to develop markets for biomass, including energy crops, in heat, combined heat and power, and power generation. Following the award of grants, officials are working closely with project developers to promote the potential of energy crops and biomass. Recently, over 200 farmers attended one such event near Swindon.

The co-firing of energy crops with fossil fuels is permitted under the Renewables Obligation. Officials are working closely with the Local Support Teams set up under the Countryside Agency's Community Renewables Initiative, to develop biomass energy projects. At present, energy crops can be planted on set-aside land and receive payments under the arable area payments scheme.

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to encourage building of power stations to burn non-food crops for the generation of electricity; and if she will make a statement. [117137]

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Mr. Wilson: I have been asked to reply.

The Government have supported the building of such power plants for a number of years, for example, through R&D support and the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation. The Bioenergy Capital Grants Scheme, launched in February 2002 and jointly run by DTI and the New Opportunities Fund, has awarded £66 million to projects throughout the United Kingdom. The projects supported include heat cluster installations, combined heat and power plant and larger state-of-the-art power generation. Many of the projects will use energy crops like short rotation coppice as a significant proportion of the fuel.

Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received from Sheffield Hallam University on the use of biofuels as the result of work commissioned by her. [117547]

Mr. Meacher: We have received one report from Sheffield Hallam University on the use of biofuels as the result of work commissioned by this Department. The report, titled "Evaluation of the comparative energy, global warming and socio-economic costs and benefits of biodiesel", was commissioned to support the work of the Government-industry forum on non-food uses of crops. The report is available on the Department's website.

Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Minister in her Department is responsible for developing agricultural policy on biofuels. [117591]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 9 June 2003]: Two Ministers in the Department share responsibility for developing agricultural policy on biofuels. I have responsibility for promoting non-food crops in general and for the climate change benefits of biofuels. My Noble friend Lord Whitty, has responsibility for sustainable farming, the overview of relations between Defra and the Department for Transport, and sustainable energy. We work closely to ensure co-ordinated policy.

Bovine TB

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what health and safety guidance she has given to (a) farmers and (b) veterinary surgeons on the slaughter of heifers found to be infected with bovine TB. [109852]

Margaret Beckett: It is standard practice for bovine TB reactors to be removed from farm as quickly as possible and slaughtered at an abattoir by a trained slaughterman. In cases where reactor animals are unfit to travel to a slaughterhouse, arrangements are made for slaughter to be carried out on farm by a knackerman, and for a post-mortem to be carried out by the State Veterinary Service (SVS).

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As farmers or veterinary surgeons do not routinely carry out the slaughter of TB reactor animals Defra has not issued specific guidance on this.

CAP

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the Commission's proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy on farms which entered into agri-environmental schemes before or during the reference period. [114092]

Margaret Beckett: Under the Commission's proposals, entitlements to the new single payment scheme would be based on claims for CAP direct payments during a reference period running from 2000 to 2002. Farmers who reduced their direct payment claims during that period as a consequence of participation in an agri-environment scheme would, therefore, see that reduction fed through to their single payment entitlement. We have made clear to the Commission and Greek Presidency that the final agreement should include provisions to ensure that agri-environment participants are not disadvantaged. The Commission has now suggested that this could be achieved by allowing the choice of a historical reference period for the single payment scheme which predates an individual's agri-environment agreement(s).

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is the Government's policy during negotiations on the reform of the Common Agricultural policy to seek to secure a national reserve amounting to more than 1 per cent. of the reference amount. [114093]

Margaret Beckett: The Government believe that it is important to address the inequities in the initial allocation of single payment entitlements that would be created by the European Commission's proposals. The Commission has recently suggested that those inequities could be addressed through an increase in the range of farmers who would access the national reserve. The size of the reserve would then be increased by reducing reference amounts by up to a maximum of 3 per cent. and drawing in the entitlements of farmers who sold land after the start of the reference period.

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