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Parliamentary Questions

42. Simon Hughes: To ask the Leader of the House, what plans he has to bring forward proposals for changes to the arrangements for answering Parliamentary Questions; and if he will make a statement. [121034]

Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to bring forward proposals for changes to the arrangements for answering Parliamentary Questions. The changes introduced at the beginning of the year appear to be operating well.

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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Illegal Timber Imports

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to negotiate an EU ban on the import of illegal timber; and if she will make a statement. [118765]

Mr. Morley: The Government have shown leadership in its strong encouragement of the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process. The European Commission published a proposed FLEGT action plan on 21 May. The plan includes consideration of new EU legislative regulations to address imports of illegally logged timber in a way that is consistent with EU obligations to the World Trade Organisation. We are now working with the European Commission to develop regulations that will enable illegally logged timber to be refused entry to member states. Successful implementation of these proposals would depend on the co-operation of countries that produce and export timber. The UK raised the issue of the proposed action plan at Environment Council on 13 June with the aim of encouraging the incoming Italian Presidency to facilitate a full discussion at an early time and of focussing the attention of other member states on this important issue.

Bovine TB

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the results of the Krebs research into bovine TB in badgers and cattle. [120204]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle Tuberculosis has recently advised Ministers that the full set of trial data should be gathered by the end of 2006. I expect the Group to publish its final report, summarising the trial results, shortly thereafter.

Bushmeat

Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to reduce the trade in bushmeat. [121062]

Mr. Bradshaw: Since March 2002, the Department has had in place a series of measures designed to tackle the disease risks posed by illegal imports of all types of meat and animal products. The number of illegal imports seized in 2002–03 rose to three times the number made in the previous year, reflecting increased enforcement activity and better evidence-based targeting.

Additional resources for the coming years, together with the improved enforcement and intelligence capability provided by HM Customs and Excise, should ensure that this work is consolidated and built upon. HM Customs are setting up four mobile detection teams

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to target meat and animal products, and will be increasing the number of detector dog teams to six during the current financial year.

Defra are also working with the Food Standards Agency and HM Customs to understand what drives the demand for exotic meats and animal products in the UK.

In addition, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) the UK played a key role in setting up a Working Group of Central African countries, which is due to report to the next Conference of the Parties in October 2004. We expect its recommendations to provide a valuable resource for all the countries of the region, in aiding their efforts to harmonise and strengthen local controls on the bushmeat trade.

Coastal Protection

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is responsible for the long-term monitoring and management of compensatory sites for coastal protection purposes. [120462]

Mr. Morley: The authority that issues a consent for coastal defence works, which require compensatory measures to address a negative impact on nature conservation interests, will also have the responsibility for ensuring that adequate compensation is provided and maintained. In most instances the consenting authority will be either the local planning authority or the Environment Agency.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what representations she has received from Lancaster city council regarding progress with the Morecambe Coastal Defence Scheme; [120463]

(2) if she will make a statement on progress with the Morecambe Coastal Protection Scheme. [120464]

Mr. Morley: Defra provides funding for coastal defence schemes which meet specified criteria, but responsibility for deciding which projects to promote and their timing rests with local authorities. Defra has paid Lancaster city council some £10.5 million in grant for the first five phases of their coastal defence works at Morecambe. The council has yet to submit applications for funding of further phases of work there. However, I am fully aware that the council are concerned about the time it is taking them to identify habitat compensatory measures for the proposed works as required by the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994. Defra is seeking to assist the council by grant aiding studies to identify possible compensatory sites.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings have taken place between the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and English Nature regarding the Morecambe Coastal Protection Scheme. [120465]

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Mr. Morley: There have been many exchanges over the years between interested bodies, including Defra and English Nature, on the various phases of Lancaster city council's Morecambe Coastal Protection Scheme. Most recently meetings were held between the council, Defra, English Nature and the Environment Agency on 18 February and 21 May 2003 with the purpose of clarifying the steps necessary for the council to progress the next phases of the scheme.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on flooding in Morecambe of delay to the Coastal Protection Scheme. [120466]

Mr. Morley: Responsibility for assessing flood risk rests with local operating authorities rather than Defra. However I understand that the Environment Agency recently undertook a strategic flood risk assessment of their north-west region and concluded that Morecambe was one of the highest flood risk locations. No doubt Lancaster city council are taking this into account in progressing their proposed coastal defence works. For our part, Defra will consider any applications for funding such works as speedily as possible as soon as they are received.

Cotswold Conservation Board

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 579W, how many parishes in the proposed Cotswolds Conservation Board fall within the Cotswold district council area; what the total number of parishes within the Board's area is; and whether the proposed eight groupings reflect the proportion between the two. [120865]

Mr. Bradshaw: All parishes that are in part or totally within the boundaries of the Cotswolds AONB would contribute to appointing the 8 parish members to the proposed Cotswolds AONB Conservation Board. At the moment we understand that 309 parishes will qualify.

There are 103 parishes that will be covered by the Board and are within the Cotswold district council administrative area. This equates to roughly one third of the total number of parishes covered by the Board. Cotswold district council parishes are shared between four of the eight regional groupings that would appoint parish members to a Cotswolds Conservation Board. In these groupings, they are in the majority in two, and are significantly represented in the other two.

Therefore, it is likely that between two and four parish appointees to the Board coming from Cotswold district council parishes. Cotswold district council parishes could have between 25 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the parish appointments. However, it must be emphasized that the intention is that a parish appointee will represent Cotswold AONB parishes in general, not just their parish or their regional grouping.

Dairy Farmers

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what

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representations she has received about the non-retrospective nature of the reference date for calculating compensatory direct payment to dairy farmers; and if she will make a statement. [120264]

Mr. Bradshaw: Several organisations, including the NFU, have made representations on this issue. We have raised it in discussions on the proposal in Brussels, arguing that it has encouraged speculation.

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce measures to ensure that dairy sector producers receive direct payments based on the whole of the amount of milk quota held on 31 March 2004 under the single farm payment scheme. [120267]

Mr. Bradshaw: The proposal is already that the payment would be based on the net quota holding on 31 March 2004.

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the reference amount under the single farm payment scheme for dairy farmers, will be applied if the dairy farmer had no registered hectares during the reference period. [120268]

Mr. Bradshaw: Under the Commission proposals, if the dairy farmer had no eligible land to which a payment could be attached, it would become a "special payment" and subject to certain conditions.

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