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Agriculture Funding

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she estimates British agriculture is likely to benefit through Pillar 2 funding in the next 12 months. [121269]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 23 June 2003]: Pillar 2 of the CAP is aimed at strengthening the agricultural and forestry sectors, improving the competitiveness of rural businesses and preserving the environment and rural heritage. Rural Development Programmes drawn up by EU member states set out how the Pillar 2

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measures, as detailed in the EC Rural Development Regulation, will be implemented over the period 2000 to 2006.

Copies of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) and the separate programmes covering Wales and Scotland are in the Library, and they may also be viewed on the websites of the respective Departments. The programmes define the scope and objectives of a number of grant schemes, the expected benefits to the environment, the rural economy and rural communities which are expected to have been secured by the end of the Programmes, together with indicative financial budgets. In the 2003–04 financial year, the total budget allocated to the ERDP is approximately £255 million, of which almost £100 million is from the EU.

The agricultural sector is the principal recipient of ERDP funding, but the benefits will accrue to rural communities as a whole; those benefits accruing to agriculture alone cannot be identified separately.

Recycling Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list local authorities that are (a) failing to meet Government recycling targets, (b) expected to meet them and (c) exceeding them; and what estimate she has made of performance against targets for recycling in England in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05. [120778]

Mr. Morley: Local authority Statutory Performance Standards ('targets') for recycling and composting of household waste have been set for the years 2003–04 and 2005–06. Local authorities will submit performance data, against which the 2003–04 targets will be measured, to the Audit Commission in Summer 2004 and audited performance figures will be available towards the end of 2004.

Targets for individual authorities are published on Defra's website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/management/guidance/mwms/10.htm.

The most recent data on progress to targets are for 2001–02. According to those figures there is a big difference amongst authorities in their progress to their individual 2003–04 targets: 12 per cent. of authorities are already recycling at the individual target level, but 16 per cent. have over 15 per cent. to go.

The intention to set targets for local authorities was set out in Waste Strategy 2000 and it is likely that many authorities have put, or are putting, schemes in place, the effects of which will not show up in data until 2002–03 or 2003–04.

The Audit Commission will make audited performance figures for the year 2002–03 available later this year.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120847]

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Alun Michael: A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals and their impact.

Information on the number of RIAs that have been reviewed in the last year is not held.

From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their Annual Report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review.

The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

Sewel Motions (Scottish Parliament)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list Sewel motions passed by the Scottish Parliament since May 1999 that apply to her Department's responsibilities and Government Bills she has sponsored. [120694]

Alun Michael: Since Defra came into being on 8 June 2001, the Department has sponsored one Bill that was the subject of a Sewel motion in the Scottish Parliament on the date indicated.

Waste and Emissions Trading Bill (28 November 2002).

MAFF sponsored

Food Standards Bill (23 June 1999), which is now the responsibility of the Department of Health.

Sea Fishing Grants (Charges ) Bill ( 8 December 1999).

Sickness Absence Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of whether the sickness absence reduction target for 2002–03 in her Department will be met. [120898]

Alun Michael: Our target is based on the calendar year rather than the financial year. The Department is committed to the effective management of sickness absence, and to working towards its Service Delivery Agreement target of an average of 6.9 days per year, by 31 December 2003.

Looking back to before the creation of Defra, available data show a reduction from 9.8 days in 1999 to nine days in 2000 and 7.4 days in 2001. The data for 2001 are not broken down to take into account the creation of Defra in June of that year. Figures for sickness absence in 2002 will be available, via the Cabinet Office, in July 2003.

Sunset Clauses

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it

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her policy to include a sunset clause in all new legislation promoted by her Department unless a specific case can be made to exclude a sunset clause. [120849]

Alun Michael: The revised RIA guidance 'Better Policy Making: A Guide to Regulatory Impact Assessments' was published on 28 January 2003. It advises policy officials to consider time limiting or sunsetting at an early stage of policy development and gives specific examples of where sunsetting may be appropriate.

Defra actively promotes the better regulation agenda and the use of sunsetting where appropriate.

Waste Regulations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the total cost since May 1997 including (a) employment on-costs and (b) legal advice commissioned by her Department in connection with action taken following contact received from the European Commission in respect of the UK's non-compliance with EU Directives and Regulation relating to waste. [120519]

Mr. Morley: Employment and legal costs associated with infraction proceedings are not separately identified in the Department's accounts and it would not be feasible to compile these costs from historical records. The requested information is not therefore available.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the United Kingdom's performance was in 2002 against the recovery and recycling targets in the EC directive on packaging and packaging waste; and if she will make a statement; [120777]

(2) what new recovery and recycling targets for packaging waste for 2003 have been set; and if she will make a statement. [120899]

Mr. Morley: The EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste set targets of 50 per cent. recovery, 25 per cent. recycling and 15 per cent. recycling of each specified material which had to be met by 2001.

Provisional figures for the United Kingdom for 2002, which were made public on 16 May, suggested a 53.6 per cent. recovery and 47.5 per cent. recycling rate had been achieved. However, as noted then, some figures may have to be adjusted in light of a fact-finding mission to look at possible inappropriate issue of Packaging Waste Recovery Notes in 2002. In addition, as the Information Bulletin noted, the figure for the amount of wood flowing into the waste stream might have to be adjusted. Such changes will affect the final level of recovery and recycling.

Targets for 2003 were set in October 2002 and remain as announced then, that is 59 per cent. for recovery and 19 per cent. material-specific recycling. We are preparing a consultation document on possible future targets for 2004 to 2008 and hope to publish this next month.

Windows

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent

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research has been conducted by and for her Department on the environmental impact of (a) wood, (b) plastic and (c) other material used in windows; and if she will place copies of documents published in the Library. [120521]

Mr. Morley: A life-cycle assessment of PVC and a range of alternative materials was published by the then DETR in September 2000. It included an assessment of the environmental impact of a wooden window frame in comparison to a PVC frame. Comparisons with other materials were made for other common uses of PVC ie packaging, drain pipes and flooring material. A copy of the report was placed in the Library at that time and a summary document aimed at the non-specialist is available on the Defra website at (www.defraweb/environment/consult/pvc/index.htm

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