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Departmental Staff
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for redeployment of members of her Department out of London and the South East. [125357]
Alun Michael: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 11 July 2003, Official Report, column 1021W.
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what comparative studies of the health impact of bottled and tap water the Drinking Water Inspectorate have conducted recently. [126551]
Mr. Morley: The Drinking Water Inspectorate has not commissioned any comparative studies on the health impact of bottled water and tap water.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the safe limits are used by the Drinking Water Inspectorate for (a) minerals and (b) other trace elements found in bottled waters. [126624]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations 1999 (as amended) set safe limits for a wide range of minerals, including trace elements, in bottled waters.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of companies producing tap water are tested by the Drinking Water Inspectorate; what the frequency of testing is; how many companies producing tap water have failed these tests in each of the last six years; and what the safe limits are used by the Drinking Water Inspectorate for (a) minerals and (b) other trace elements found in tap water. [126625]
Mr. Morley: The role of the DWI is to audit all the statutory water companies in England and Wales. The companies are required to undertake sampling and analysis of public water supplies in accordance with the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 and subsequent amendments. These Regulations set out the frequency of monitoring, the locations where the samples have to be taken and the standards that have to be met. The regulatory standards incorporate those set out in the EC Directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption (80/778/EEC), which in turn are based on the World Health Organisation guideline values for drinking water quality. There are currently 26 water companies. In the last six years water companies have only experienced occasional failures of a standard. The level of compliance for all water companies rose from 99.75 per cent. in 1997 to 99.87% in 2002. The WHO guideline values for various constituents of drinking water, including certain minerals, represent the concentration of a constituent that does not result in any significant risk to consumers' health, usually over a lifetime of consumption.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of brands of bottled water are tested by the Drinking Water Inspectorate; what the frequency of testing is; and how many brands have failed these tests in each of the last six years. [126628]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that local authorities enforce the Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations 1999 (as amended) which specify the frequency of testing for each of the three forms of bottled water. No central information is held on the results of these tests.
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A survey of bottled waters published by the Food Standards Agency in August 2002 showed that none of the 161 samples tested for antimony, arsenic, nickel or bromate contained these substances above the limits in the regulations.
Emissions Targets
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the UK has made in reducing carbon dioxide emissions under the Kyoto Protocol; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed expansion of UK airports on meeting the targets. [126740]
Mr. Morley: The UK's target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce emissions in a basket of six greenhouse gases to 12.5 per cent. below the base year level by 2008–12.
Data for emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases for 2001, submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in April 2003, show that emissions fell by 12.3 per cent. between the base year and 2001. Emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas fell by 5.3 per cent. between 1990 and 2001. Emissions of carbon dioxide for 2002 are provisionally estimated at 8 to 9 per cent. below the 1990 level. Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2002 are estimated to have been between 14–15 per cent. below the 1990 level, taking this provisional carbon dioxide estimate into account.
A decision on whether any additional airport capacity should be provided, and if so how much, will be reached later this year and set out in the Air Transport White Paper. The environmental effects of aviation and the implications for the UK's international commitments, including those under the Kyoto Protocol, will be taken into account in reaching these decisions.
Energy Consumption
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the "Sustainable Development Strategy—A Better Quality of Life" paper, with particular reference to the recommendations for reducing corporate energy consumption. [124388]
Mr. Bradshaw: The 1999 strategy for sustainable development for the UK, "A better quality of life", sets out key UK Government actions to achieve sustainable development, including those to achieve more prudent use of energy by the business sector. They have been taken forward in the following ways.
The Climate Change Levy was launched in April 2001 to help fund measures to promote energy efficiency in business and the public sector. As part of the CCL package a number of measures were introduced including:
- The EGA scheme offering tax incentives to firms investing in approved energy saving technologies.
The Carbon Trust (CT) was launched "to take the lead on energy efficiency for business and the public sector, and to support the development of a low carbon economy", delivered through the trust's two main programmes: the Low Carbon Innovation Programme, and Action Energy (formerly the non-domestic part of the Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme) the UK's main energy efficiency information,
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- advice and research programme for organisations in the public and private sectors. Since 1989, the EEBPP has helped many organisations save up to 20 per cent. of their energy bills, which equates to total UK energy savings of around £800 million a year.
A review of "A better quality of life" has just started, to have a revised strategy in place by 2005. We intend to take a fresh look at how we achieve sustainable development in the UK, building on the current strategy to improve delivery.
Energy Crops
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what effect the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will have on the support given to the growing of energy crops, with particular reference to the use of set-aside land. [125422]
Mr. Bradshaw: Under the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, which will come into effect on 1 January 2005, it will still be possible to grow energy crops on set-aside land and to receive payments under the new Single Payment Scheme. If energy crops are grown on non set-aside land payments under the new Single Payment Scheme plus the new Euro45 per hectare energy crops payment will be available. The energy crops payment is limited to an area of 1.5 million hectares for the EU as a whole and aid will be reduced if production exceeds that area.
Environmental Appraisals
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the Department's policies have been screened for their environmental impact since June 2001; how many environmental appraisals have been conducted, and on what policy issues; and what information has been published about these screenings and appraisals. [124712]
Mr. Morley: The Integrated Policy Appraisal (IPA) tool is being piloted within Defra and allows policymakers to assess the environmental impacts of their policies. In addition, new guidance on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), published by the Cabinet Office in January 2003, requires policy to be appraised for its anticipated environmental impacts, as well as social and economic ones; in order to deliver on the Government's commitment to sustainable development.
Up to date figures for the number of IPAs and those RIAs which contain an assessment of environmental impacts, are not currently available. We are planning to collate this information over the summer and I will respond with the figure in the Autumn.
All completed RIAs are published on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ria/default.htm.
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