---

17 Sept 2003 : Column 768W—continued

World Trade Organisation

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants will be attending the Cancun conference in September; and if she will make a statement. [128781]

Ms Hewitt: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Secretary of State for International Development, and my hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs and myself attended the Cancun conference.

We were supported by a total of 32 civil servants from Department of Trade and Industry, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for International Development and Her Majesty's Treasury. Each Department was able to deploy its expertise during discussions on the various trade and development issues contained in the Doha Development Agenda.

17 Sept 2003 : Column 769W

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my oral statement to the House earlier today.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she is having with member states of the European Union on the trade policies that will be presented at the World Trade Organisation conference in Mexico in September; and if she will make a statement. [127166]

Ms Hewitt: I hold regular discussions with European Union member states on issues relating to the current World Trade Organisation Round. These continued during the conference itself.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my oral statement to the House earlier today.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with (a) ministerial colleagues, (b) NGOs and (c) member states of the European Union on (i) policies and (ii) objectives to be presented at the World Trade Organisation conference in Mexico; and if she will make a statement. [128779]

Ms Hewitt: I have had regular discussions with my ministerial colleagues, NGOs and member states of the European Union on our objectives for the 5th World Trade Organisational Ministerial conference in Cancun. These discussions continued during the conference.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my oral statement to the House earlier today.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's objectives for the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun. [127598]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 8 September 2003]: Our main objective for Cancun was to work for a successful outcome to the current round of world trade negotiations that benefits industrialised and developing countries alike. In particular to: (i) secure an ambitious framework for an agreement on agriculture, where the EU has shown its commitment to the Round in agreeing historic changes to the CAP; (ii) press for progress on reducing non-agricultural tariffs, increasing services liberalisation and agreeing special and differential treatment for developing countries. I refer the hon. Gentleman to my oral statement to the House earlier today.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Duty of Care

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to assist small businesses with the implementation of the Duty of Care Regulations; and if she will make a statement. [128692]

Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has issued a code of practice under section 34(7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The purpose of the code of practice is to provide practical guidance to those subject to the duty of care, including small businesses, on how to discharge their obligations under

17 Sept 2003 : Column 770W

the duty. The code of practice and an explanatory leaflet are available on the Department's website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/management/doc/index.htm

Radioactive Material

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites in the United Kingdom specialise in the disposal of radioactive materials. [128106]

Mr. Morley: Disposal of radioactive waste in the UK is regulated by the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in Scotland.

BNFL's Drigg site in Cumbria specialises in the disposal of low-level solid radioactive waste from Sellafield and other UK sites. Around 850 sites in England and Wales are authorised to dispose of low and very low-level radioactive waste under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.

Abandoned Vehicles

Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what initiatives her Department has introduced since 1997 to tackle the problems of abandoned cars. [129695]

Mr. Morley: Since its creation in June 2001, Defra introduced on 9 April 2002 regulations reducing the statutory notice periods after which local authorities can remove abandoned vehicles from the highway. Local authorities can now remove those vehicles that they consider merit destruction from the highway after the expiry of a 24 hour notice placed on them.

Defra is consulting on a proposal to reduce the statutory notice period whereby a landowner can object to the removal of a vehicle(s) abandoned on their land. The consultation closes on 24 October. We aim to introduce a Regulation in the new year to amend the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 1986.

Animal Movements

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the proposed amendments to the EU maximum hours for movement of animals. [128387]

Mr. Bradshaw: The European Commission published proposals for new rules on animal welfare during transport on 16 July. On 17 July Defra launched a public consultation asking for the views of interested organisations. The consultation period ends on 8 October, after which copies of the responses will be made publicly available in accordance with Defra's policy of openness. Meetings will be held with interested organisations as part of the consultation process.

Bovine TB

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on levels of cases of bovine TB. [129496]

17 Sept 2003 : Column 771W

Mr. Bradshaw: In the period January to July 2003, there were just over 2,100 ¹ new bovine tuberculosis (TB) incidents in Great Britain. This represents an increase of approximately 2 per cent. over the same period in 2002 when 2,065 new incidents were recorded. To date, just over 1,000 ¹ of the new incidents recorded in 2003 have been confirmed, 840 ¹ are unconfirmed and just under 260 ¹ remain unclassified pending the results of tissue culture tests.

Defra is working hard to address the problem of bovine TB, and last year we spent £72 million on a programme of public health protection measures, cattle testing, cattle controls and extensive research. In February this year, we announced a review of the current TB control regime. We expect to consult on proposals for a long-term TB strategy for GB, and on short-term policy options, later this year.

¹ Provisional figures—subject to change as outstanding TB test and culture results become available.

Notes:

The TB testing and control programme was severely disrupted during the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in 2001. Since testing resumed in 2002, resources have been concentrated on herds with overdue tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also, the proportion of high risk herds being tested post-FMD is greater than that prior to the outbreak. As result, the number of TB breakdowns being recorded post-FMD is not comparable to that prior to the FMD outbreak.

Carbon Savings

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she estimates that the Government are on target to achieve carbon savings of 5 million tonnes by 2010. [129850]

Mr. Morley: The UK's target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce emissions of a basket of six greenhouse gases by 12.5 per cent. below base year levels by 2008–12. We estimate that this will equate to a reduction in emissions of around 26 MtC (million tonnes of carbon equivalent) by 2008–12. The UK's domestic target, to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010, is estimated to equate to a reduction of about 33 MtC by 2010.

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., or 26 MtC, between the base year and 2001. Emissions of carbon dioxide fell by 5.3 per cent., or 9 MtC. Provisional data for 2002 show that total emissions fell by 14–15 per cent. between the base year and 2002, and carbon dioxide emissions fell by 8–9 per cent.

Progress that we have made to date and our latest projections to 2010 contained in the UK's Third National Communication to the UNFCCC indicate that we are well on course to meet our Kyoto commitment. This conclusion is supported by a recent independent assessment by the UNFCCC.

---