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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 23 October 2003

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Rural Communities

13. Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the role of affordable housing in maintaining the viability of rural communities. [133795]

Alun Michael: The Rural White Paper of November 2000 recognised the importance of affordable housing in maintaining the viability of rural communities, as did the Sustainable Communities White Paper this year. That is why we have more than doubled the target for the Housing Corporation's special programme for small rural settlements. Our Rural Housing Enablers are helping to increase the supply of affordable housing. And we are currently consulting on an update of the existing guidance on planning for affordable housing.

Forestry

15. Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what improvements she plans to make to the forestry infrastructure to allow greater amounts of wood residue to reach power generators. [133798]

Mr. Morley: Defra, in association with the Devolved Administrations and the Forestry Commission, is setting up a £3.5 million UK-wide Bio-energy Infrastructure Scheme. This scheme will help develop the supply chain required to harvest, store, process and supply biomass, such as energy crops and forestry woodfuel, to energy end-users. The European Commission's approval of the Scheme is currently being sought. Subject to this, we hope to launch the Scheme in early 2004.

Sewage

17. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her public consultation exercise regarding sewage odour pollution. [133800]

Alun Michael: Before announcing their chosen way forward, the Government's immediate priority is to evaluate the impact of the recent High Court decision that odours from sewage treatment works can be controlled through the statutory nuisance regime of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We also have to consider the results from the complementary consultation of the National Assembly of Wales before we can announce our chosen way forward.

I expect to be able to announce a clear way forward shortly after the House of Lords ruling regarding an appeal on this matter.

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Fly Tipping

18. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her policies to combat fly tipping. [133801]

Mr. Morley: The Government are developing a wide ranging strategy for dealing with fly tipping.

Proposals in the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill will allow local authorities to use an enhanced set of powers designed to lead to more successful prosecutions.

Farming

19. Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for introducing whole farm approach pilots. [133802]

Mr. Bradshaw: The first pilot of the core whole farm appraisal will take place in November 2003.

Agri-environmental Schemes

20. Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding her Department's agri-environmental schemes. [133803]

Mr. Morley: We received 166 responses to the public consultation on our agri-environment schemes held earlier this year, and last week we launched a final round of consultation on more detailed aspects of how the schemes should operate in future.

Air Quality

21. Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she proposes to improve air quality. [133804]

Alun Michael: The Government policies to improve air quality are set out in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000, and the Addendum to the Air Quality Strategy published in February 2003.

Common Agricultural Policy

22. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy on the support available for growing energy crops. [133805]

Alun Michael: The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy was positive in its support for energy crops. 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 and the new Euro45 per hectare energy crops payment will be available. The energy crops payment is limited to 1.5 million hectares for the EU as a whole and aid will be reduced if production exceeds that area.

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with the reform of the common agricultural policy sugar regime. [133799]

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Mr. Morley: The European Commission issued an options paper on reform of the Sugar Regime in late September 2003. A Defra consultation exercise has just been launched to help inform the UK response, covering agricultural, development and trade issues.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she next plans to meet the National Chairman of the Tenant Farmers Association to discuss the CAP Reform package of 26 June. [132264]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, has no plans at present to meet the National Chairman of the Tenant Farmers' Association. However, my noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, is currently considering a request from the Chief Executive of the Tenant Farmers' Association to meet him. The Chief Executive attended a meeting with Defra officials and representatives of other key stakeholders on 8 October which unfortunately my noble Friend was unable to chair due to last minute diary pressures. The Chief Executive has also been invited to a meeting with officials on 17 October.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the impact of the CAP Reform package of 26 June on the nation's tenant farmers. [132265]

Mr. Bradshaw: No specific assessment has been undertaken of the impact of the CAP reform proposals on tenant farmers. However, we have assessed the impacts of the proposals on farming and other businesses generally, including an analysis by farm activity, and a summary of these is included in the Regulatory Impact Assessments which have been lodged in the House Libraries. An additional analysis looking at the impact on distribution of payments of various options for operating the Single Payment Scheme has also been carried out and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

For the first time, the bulk of farm subsidy will not be dependent on what or how much farmers produce. As with the previous system, subsidy would be paid to the farmer, whether owner or tenant, will continue to hold the subsidy entitlement. Tenant farmers, along with other farmers, will therefore be free to produce what they judge the market wants and so be better able to cut costs and increase profits. Farmers will also be freed from some of the bureaucracy associated with the subsidy schemes which are being replaced by the new decoupled subsidy.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible impact on tenant farmers of the option available to EU member states to implement the CAP Reform package of 26 June by using regional average payments. [132266]

Mr. Bradshaw: No such assessment has been done in relation to tenant farmers specifically. However, we have prepared an analysis of the impacts of regional average payments on farming and other businesses generally and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

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Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent of redistribution of payments between farmers if the CAP Reform package of 26 June is implemented using regional average payments as opposed to the historic payment basis. [132267]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are currently consulting stakeholders on whether the historic or area model of the new Single Payments Scheme should be operated in England. Responses to that exercise will help develop our understanding of the range of environmental, social and economic impacts of each of the models including the impact on the agriculture industry and its constituent parts. An assessment has been made of the redistributive effects of a number of CAP direct aid payments. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if it is her policy to ensure that as farm tenants progress to better agricultural holdings they will be free to move their single payment entitlements established under the CAP Reform package of 26 June to those holdings without penalty. [132268]

Mr. Bradshaw: Entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme will be allocated to farmers rather than holdings. It follows that a tenant would be free to use the eligible land on any new holding to claim payment against the entitlements he or she owns. There is also provision to lease entitlements, but only with an equivalent number of hectares. Leased entitlements would, therefore, revert back to their owner at the same time that the accompanying land does.

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