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Carbon Sinks

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether wood used in wood products is assessed by her Department as a carbon sink; what research has been undertaken into the use of carbon sinks as an environmental measure; and if she will make a statement. [125117]

Mr. Morley: The UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory submitted annually to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN-FCCC) includes an allowance for carbon in wood products produced from timber harvested in the UK. This estimate is provided as part of the research sponsored by Government and the devolved Administrations on the use of sinks in helping to stabilise greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The scientific evidence from this research, and that carried out in other countries, underpins UK policies and international agreements on the importance of protecting and enhancing carbon sinks as required by the UN-FCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes the Agreement on CAP Reform agreed on 26 June will have on Britain's (a) gross and (b) net contribution to the EU Budget. [124350]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 8 July 2003]: The Government's latest forecast of the trend in the UK's net contribution to the EC Budget for the period 2003–04 to 2005–06 were included in a footnote to Table C11 of the 2003 Budget Report (HC 500). These figures were also shown in Table 3.3 of the 2003 Annual White Paper "European Community Finances (Cm 5800). Revised forecasts will be included in the pre-Budget Report and will take account of all of the latest factors, including those on CAP reform.

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Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of how much of the budget for the planned reform of the Common Agricultural Policy contributes to (a) trade distorting and (b) non-trade distorting initiatives. [123961]

Mr. Bradshaw: It is not yet possible to make an accurate forecast of how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget will be allocated between trade distorting and non-trade distorting measures since member states have discretion in implementing the various optional arrangements included in the reform agreement. Moreover decisions remain to be taken on reforms of the sugar, cotton, tobacco and olive oil regimes. However, the Government's initial estimates indicate that the EU is now close to meeting WTO demands for a 60 per cent. reduction in amber box subsidies and can fully meet the WTO proposal for a 50 per cent. reduction in blue box payments.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of how reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will affect agricultural producers in the developing world. [123962]

Mr. Bradshaw: The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy should provide direct and indirect benefits to agricultural producers in the developing world. First, the decoupling of subsidy payments from production, together with reductions agreed in some market support arrangements, will reduce EU over-production and subsidised exports of surpluses onto world markets at prices which undermine developing country markets and economies. Secondly, the impetus which these reforms should give to a successful Doha trade round will help to bring about wider development gains, not least through global action on agricultural subsidies.

The EU Commission will also bring forward proposals during the next few months for reform of the sugar, oil, tobacco, cotton and olive oil regimes, all of which are of importance to developing world producers.

Dioxin Emissions

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the level of dioxin emissions from the cement industry was (a) in 1997 and (b) in 2001; what assessment (i) her Department and (ii) the Environment Agency has conducted of the reasons for changes in the level of emissions; and if she will make a statement on the safety of these emissions. [122758]

Mr. Bradshaw: The National Air Emission Inventory ('NAEI') estimated emissions of dioxins produced by cement kilns as 2.829 and 5.684 grams in 1997 and 2001 respectively.

Measurements of dioxins are subject to an uncertainty of up to 100 per cent. because of the complex nature of the sampling and analysis techniques and the very low levels of emissions being monitored. The amount of cement production is not the same every year and this will also affect the figures for dioxins. As a result the numerical difference may have no statistical

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significance. The Environment Agency is at present investigating better techniques for dioxin analysis to secure more accurate reporting of dioxins data.

The Environment Agency has recently taken regulatory action to decrease dioxin levels, in particular at a single cement kiln site where a reduction from 2.2 grams in 2001 to 0.3 grams in 2002 is anticipated. The Environment Agency's own provisional estimate for 2002 is 1.5 grams of dioxins.

European and domestic environmental regulations require that emissions limits for dioxins are set for cement production activities. The limits will reflect the benchmark values suggested by the European Commission and technical guidance produced by the Environment Agency. While excessive exposure to dioxins may be detrimental to human health, the Environment Agency aims to ensure that environmental exposures are too low for this to occur.

Energy Conservation

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received following the annual report on the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. [118987]

Mr. Bradshaw: Representation on the report has been received from the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG).

European Councils

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 11 to 13 June; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [119888]

Margaret Beckett: I refer my hon. Friend to my statement on CAP Reform on 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 7220.

Fats and Proteins (UK) Ltd.

Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will make a decision on the appeal of Fats and Proteins (UK) Ltd. which was heard in 1998. [124999]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 11 July 2003]: The Secretary of State's decision has been made and a letter dated 7 July 2003 has been sent to the appellant. Copies of the letter have been sent to all interested parties.

GM Crops

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which regions of the UK are involved in GM field trials; and how many sites for GM field trials there are in the UK. [125956]

Mr. Morley: The following table shows the location, by county or region, of the 38 field trials of GM crops that are currently in progress in the UK. This number includes 18 sites which are part of the remaining farm scale evaluation trials, and 15 sites where statutory trials

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of seeds for UK National List purposes are taking place. Numbers in brackets indicate that there is more than one trial site in a particular county.

Field trials of GM crops currently in progress

Farm scale evaluation sites	National seeds listtrial sites	Other GM cropresearch sites
Aberdeenshire
Cheshire
Dorset
Durham
East Riding of Yorkshire (4)
Fife
Hertfordshire
Kent
Lincolnshire (2)
Norfolk
Oxfordshire
Shropshire
Tyne and Wear
Warwickshire	AberdeenshireCambridgeshire (2)HerefordshireHertfordshireLincolnshireNorfolk (4)North Yorkshire (2)NottinghamshireOxfordshireWorcestershire	CambridgeshireHertfordshire (2)Norfolk (2)

Littering

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty notices were issued for littering in England and Wales in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [124940]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 11 July 2003]: In England for the period 2001–02, 11,500 fixed penalty notices were issued for littering. The figures for 2002–03 are not yet available.

Data collection on litter fixed penalty notices in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly. I understand that centrally held data are currently not available for Wales, although it is intended that the Assembly Government will start collating data on enforcement action for littering offences by local authorities.

Nitrogen Dioxide Limits

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of people living in areas surrounding Heathrow airport where nitrogen dioxide levels exceed EU limits; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of such people in 2010. [122157]

Mr. Bradshaw: From our national air quality modelling, current forecasts suggest that we are unlikely to achieve the mandatory EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide set for 2010 around Heathrow. However, we do not have estimates for the number of people exposed to nitrogen dioxide levels in excess of the EU limit value at any airports at that point.

The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK: South East consultation document (DfT, February 2003) showed predicted exceedences of the nitrogen dioxide objective for Heathrow based on. modelling carried out as part of the Government's SERAS study. That modelling predicts that there would be 35,000 people exposed in 2015 if a third runway were to be built, falling to 33,000 in 2030. If no new airport were to be built, 14,000 people are predicted to be exposed to an exceedence of the nitrogen dioxide objective. Further modelling for SERAS, which is also reported in the

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consultation document, based on a more optimistic view of improvements in engine technology and assuming positive action by the aviation industry to reduce emissions indicated that the figure of 35,000 in 2015 might fall to 5,000.

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