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Biodiversity
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the Government meeting their target of
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halting the decline in biodiversity by 2010; and what part she intends that the UK's system of local wildlife sites will play in helping to meet that target. [124249]
Mr. Bradshaw: The targets we have set under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) help us to understand the progress we are making towards the global target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. The lead partners for the species and habitat action plans and the local partnerships reported on progress with their plans at the end of 2002 and the results have now been analysed. The emerging findings were reported to the first annual conference of the UK Biodiversity Partnership held in Perth on 21 May 2003.
The analysis shows mixed progress. There are some very good signs of progress for some species and habitats including the otter, the dormouse, bittern, reedbeds and cereal field margins. Others, such as limestone pavements, and the natterjack toad are more disappointing, and one species of lichen appears to have disappeared from its last remaining site as a result of air pollution.
Overall we believe that the targeted, partnership approach adopted by the UKBAP structure is working, albeit in some cases more slowly than we had hoped. Full details can be found on the UKBAP web site at http://ukbap.org.uk.
'Working with the Grain of Nature—A biodiversity strategy for England' published in October 2002 sets out the measures we are taking in England to implement the UKBAP. The strategy aims to ensure that the implications for biodiversity are considered as an integral part of other key policies, such as agriculture, water, forestry, urban and marine, and as part of people's everyday lives. A set of biodiversity indicators for the strategy will be published later this year.
The strategy also recognises the importance of partnership working for biodiversity at the local and regional level. Since 1995 around 100 local biodiversity partnerships have been established throughout England and are helping to deliver national and local biodiversity targets and objectives. Local wildlife sites provide important wildlife refuges, link different habitats and help to maintain biodiversity as a whole. They are an important mechanism available to local biodiversity partnerships.
British Overseas Territories
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibilities her Department undertakes in connection with British Overseas Territories. [123901]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Overseas Territories Department in Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead Department for the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the Department works closely with other Departments, especially the FCO, to ensure that the interests of OTs are appropriately integrated into the UK position, for example, when negotiating Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and in making arrangements for UK ratification of MEAs. Defra will also provide advice on best practice when requested by local OT governments.
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Ceramics Industry
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the ceramics industry concerning the Water Bill; and if she will make a statement. [124193]
Mr. Morley: I have not received any representations from the ceramics industry since the Water Bill was introduced to Parliament on 19 February 2003.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government has for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. [123686]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government will be consulting shortly on the options available for reforming the operation of the Common Agricultural Policy in the UK, following the agreement reached at the Agriculture Council on 26 June.
The Government are keen to press ahead as well with reforms to the sugar, tobacco, olive oil and cotton regimes and with reviews of the wine and fruit and vegetable regimes of the CAP. We await the European Commission's proposals for these sectors, which it has indicated it will bring forward in the autumn.
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she estimates the UK's contribution to the CAP will be affected by the accession of 10 new EU members. [123752]
Mr. Bradshaw: The UK contributes to the EC budget as a whole and not to the CAP specifically. The costs of extending the CAP to the new member states have been limited by respect for the Berlin expenditure ceilings for enlargement-related expenditure for the period 2004 to 2006. The Copenhagen European Council agreed 40.85 billion euros (1999 prices) over 2004–06 for the 10 new member states, well within the enlargement-related ceiling set by the 1999 Berlin European Council for sixs potential members. Of this, a total of 9.8 billion euros was agreed for agriculture.
For the period 2007–13, the Brussels European Council in October 2002 set ceilings for CAP market support and direct payments. The Commission estimate that for the new member states, direct payments and market support will cost 6.3 billion euros in 2013. However, such expenditure for the EU 25 has been limited in nominal terms to annual growth of 1 per cent. per year from 2006. This is an important constraint on market distorting subsidies. It means that, notwithstanding accession, the cost of CAP direct support should fall in real terms. Rural development ceilings have yet to be determined for the years 2007 onwards.
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 abstained in the Council of Ministers on a legislative proposal which was passed by qualified majority voting. [117231]
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Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold information in the form requested prior to 1999. The information is not held centrally nor electronically and could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
On four occasions since 1999, this Department and its predecessors abstained in the Council of Ministers on a legislative proposal, which was then passed by qualified majority voting. A list of the regulations and the dates the UK abstained are as follows:
Council Regulation 6422/99—amending Regulation (EC) No. 2200/96 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables.
Council Regulation 13613/99 amending Regulation (EC) No. 1251/99 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops.
Council Regulation 13255/99 (Corrigendum 1) laying down the detailed rules and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector.
Council Regulation 11978/01 amending Regulation (EC) No. 723/97 on the implementation of member states' action programmes on control of EAGGF Guarantee Section Expenditure.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department has been outvoted by qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers; and if she will list the legislation by year. [117248]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold information in the form requested prior to 1999. This information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
On three occasions since 1999 this Department and its predecessors has been outvoted by qualified majority voting. A list of the relevant legislation by year is as follows:
Council Regulation 8942/00—fixing certain sugar prices and the standard quality of beet for the 2000–01 marketing year.
Council Regulation 13657/00—amending Regulation (EC) No. 2200/96 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables, Regulation (EC) No. 2201/96 on the common organisation of the market in processed fruit and vegetables and Regulation (EC) No. 2202/96 introducing a community aid scheme for producers of certain citrus fruits.
Council Regulation 14442/00—amending Regulation (EC) No. 404/93 on the common organisation of the market in bananas.
EU Committees
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in the Department serve on EU committees or working parties. [116078]
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Mr. Bradshaw: Membership of EU committees and working parties is not fixed and numbers will vary from meeting to meeting of the same committee depending on the subject matter and the need for particular expertise. This Department does not hold central records of the number of policy officials who attend EU committees and working parties. The information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee for the implementation of legislation on ambient air quality assessment and management, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110297]
Alun Michael: The committee for the implementation of legislation on ambient air assessment and management does not have a fixed membership, but consists of representatives from each of the European member states. I understand that meetings of the committee are called by the commission as and when required and that there have been no meetings of the committee since Defra came into being in June 2001. The nature of the Committee's decisions will determine the means by which they are communicated to the House.
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