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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 8 July 2003
CABINET OFFICE
Intruders (Government Buildings)
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department monitors the number of false alarms by intruder alarms in buildings which it occupies on the Government Estate. [124155]
Mr. Alexander: A record of all alarm activations, whether true or false, is made by my Department where we are responsible for the security provision of a building.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Bovine TB
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department proposes to arrest the spread of bovine tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement. [123394]
Mr. Bradshaw: Defra is working hard to arrest the spread of bovine TB. We are spending £35 to £40 million a year on a programme of public health protection measures, cattle testing, cattle controls and extensive research.
Last autumn we introduced a package of measures in response to industry calls, aimed at helping farmers under TB restriction and improving the diagnosis of the disease.
In February we announced a review of the current TB Strategy. This will form an integral part of Defra's Animal Health and Welfare Strategy. Discussions with stakeholders have begun and public consultation is expected in the autumn.
Discussions with stakeholders are also under way on a series of short-term policy options. These focus on cattle controls and improving the delivery of the TB programme. We will consult on these proposals later this year.
Climate Change
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to tackle climate change and improve air quality. [124198]
Mr. Morley: The UK Climate Change Programme, published in 2000, sets out the policy framework for delivering the UK's Kyoto commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below base year levels by 2008–12 and to move towards the domestic goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010.
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Policies in the Climate Change Programme include the following:
- the Climate Change Levy, which applies to energy used in the business and public sectors, is helping to fund measures to promote better energy efficiency in business and the public sector;
Climate Change Agreements which allow energy intensive business users to receive 80 per cent. discount from the Climate Change Levy, in return for meeting challenging energy efficiency or carbon saving targets;
the Carbon Trust, which is recycling about £100 million of climate change levy receipts to boost the take-up of cost-effective, low-carbon technologies;
a UK-wide Emissions Trading Scheme, with Government support of £215 million over five years;
targets to provide 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2010;
the Energy Efficiency Commitment, which requires electricity and gas suppliers to help domestic customers to save energy and cut fuel bills;
European Union voluntary agreements with car manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency by at least 25 per cent., backed up by changes to vehicle excise duty and company car taxation, and the 10 Year Plan for Transport.
Latest projections suggest we are well on course to meet our Kyoto commitment, a conclusion that is also supported by a recent independent assessment by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Government's policies on improving air quality are set out in detail in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000. The Strategy explains the measures that are in place to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants from all sectors, including road transport and industry. Copies are available via the Department's website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality.
Air quality in urban areas has improved significantly over the last decade, as a result largely of the progressively tighter European Union standards for new vehicles and fuels, and of the continuing reduction in total emissions from industry. The air quality headline indicator, published annually, shows that the average number of days of moderate or poor air quality in urban areas of the UK has reduced from 59 days in 1993 to 20 days in 2002 and, in rural areas, from 50 days in 1990 to 30 days in 2002.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether all internal reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy will be reflected in EU commitments at the forthcoming WTO trade round negotiations in Cancun. [123268]
Mr. Bradshaw: The internal reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy provide a good basis for a successful outcome to the negotiations at Cancun. We want the
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EU to make full use of the opportunity which the reforms provide, but it will also be necessary for other WTO members to demonstrate their own commitment to a successful outcome.
Council of Ministers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department's vote in the Council of Ministers against a legislative proposal (a) was sufficient and (b) was not sufficient to achieve with other member states a blocking minority. [117207]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold information in the form requested in parts (a) and (b) prior to 1999. The information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
On no occasion since 1999 was the vote by this Department or its predecessors against a legislative proposal sufficient to achieve with other member states a blocking minority.
On three occasions since 1999 the vote against a legislative proposal by this Department and its predecessors was not sufficient to achieve with other Member States a blocking minority.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention. [117268]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold information in the form requested prior to 1999. The information is not held centrally or electronically and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.
On no occasion since 1999 has this Department or its predecessors indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention.
Countryside Protection
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to protect Britain's countryside and natural resources. [124200]
Alun Michael: Details of the action we took during 2002–03 and our aims for 2003–04 are set out in Defra's most recent annual report, copies of which are in the Library. The report is also available on Defra's website at http://defraweb/corporate/deprep/default.htm.
Dog and Cat Fur Trade
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 19 May concerning the early day motion calling for a ban on trade in cat and dog fur. [124268]
Alun Michael: A letter was sent to the hon. Member on 30 May stating that as this matter was for the Department of Trade and Industry his letter had been transferred from Defra to the DTI for reply.
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Exotic Imports
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences for importing exotic (a) birds, (b) reptiles, (c) mammals, (d) amphibians and (e) fish for the pet trade have been given during the last three years, broken down by (i) month and (ii) species; and if she will make a statement. [122646]
Mr. Morley: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species makes it a requirement on an importer to obtain a licence for certain species which are listed on the Appendices to the Convention. They are not defined as 'exotic' as such, but are listed on the appendices according to their conservation status.
Our records, which are kept on an annual not monthly basis, show the numbers of species imported for commercial purposes—these are not necessarily exclusive to the pet trade. The following table shows the number of licences issued in each of the last three years by taxonomic category.
| Birds | Reptiles | Mammals | Amphibians | Fish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 298 | 199 | 13 | 10 | 21 |
| 2001 | 469 | 202 | 31 | 8 | 22 |
| 2002 | 758 | 234 | 1 | 9 | 12 |
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