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3 Nov 2003 : Column 408W—continued

St. Helena

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last ministerial visit from his Department to St. Helena was; and when the next one will be. [135658]

Mr. Rammell: St. Helena has never had a visit by a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister. There are no current plans for an FCO ministerial visit to the island.

Mr. James Miller

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to persuade the Israeli Government to disclose to Mrs. Sophy Miller the Israeli Defence Force report into the killing of her husband Mr. James Miller. [135025]

Mr. Mullin: This issue has been raised with the Israelis on a number of occasions, most recently by my Noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean during her recent visit to Israel. The Israelis explained that the results of the General Command Inquiry will be one of the sources used for the Military Police investigation which we and James' family have been pressing for, and could therefore not be released prematurely. The Military Police investigation is now underway and the Israeli Government have assured us that the full results will be presented to the family.

Somalia

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the UK Government have had with the leaders of the Somalialand region of Somalia about their aspirations for an independent state. [132249]

Mr. Mullin: I met with senior members of the Somaliland administration/authorities on 3 October. They referred to Somaliland's aspiration to be an independent state. The UK Government have no plans at present to recognise an independent Somaliland.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to support independent broadcasters broadcasting to Zimbabwe from outside Zimbabwe. [135209]

Mr. Mullin: We have made clear our support for strong, independent media reporting on Zimbabwe. The Government works with a variety of civil society and media organisations in and outside Zimbabwe to this end. We do not publish details of our co-operation with such organisations.

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the issue of Zimbabwe with the South African Government during their recent visit to the UK; and if he will make a statement. [135210]

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Mr. Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I had useful discussions about Zimbabwe with Foreign Minister Zuma and other South African participants in the recent London conference.

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy (a) to unilaterally strengthen sanctions against Zimbabwe and (b) to seek the strengthening of sanctions against Zimbabwe by the EU. [135216]

Mr. Mullin: We keep our policy on sanctions against Zimbabwe under regular review. We favour multilateral sanctions wherever possible because these have a greater practical impact and send a stronger political signal.

The EU sanctions on Zimbabwe were imposed in response to serious violations of human rights and the rule of law. The present sanctions expire in February 2004. We and our EU partners will decide then, in the light of the situation in Zimbabwe, whether to maintain or amend the present arrangements.

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press for the extension of EU targeted sanctions on senior Zanu PF officials to include spouses and children. [135221]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: When EU sanctions against Zimbabwe come up for renewal in February 2004 we and our EU partners will assess whether the Zimbabwe Government continues to engage in serious violations of human rights and of the rule of law. If the EU judges that the situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated further it may consider extending the sanctions. It would choose to extend them in such a way as to have maximum impact on the decision makers in the Zimbabwe Government. Extending them to relatives of those on the sanctions list (within the limits of other relevant international obligations, for instance the Convention on the Rights of the Child) remains a possibility.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 21 October 2003, Official Report, column 537W, on the Zimbabwe cricket tour, what advice was given to the England and Wales Cricket Board by his Department's officials on the matter of the political situation in Zimbabwe. [135369]

Mr. Straw: FCO officials have not provided ECB officials with detailed briefing on the current political situation in Zimbabwe. The basic facts about this are in any event in the public domain. The ECB has not requested such a briefing so far in advance of the England cricket team's tour of Zimbabwe which is scheduled for late 2004. FCO officials have informed ECB officials about some key dates coming up in relation to Zimbabwe. They will continue to respond to requests from the ECB and other organisations for information on the political situation inside Zimbabwe and on safety and security issues.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many

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abandoned cars have been removed by local authorities in England in each of the last five years; and at what estimated cost to public funds. [133528]

Mr. Morley: Information on abandoned vehicles was collected for the first time in the Municipal Waste Management Survey covering the financial year 2000–01. Data up to the latest year for which they are available are shown in the following table:

Financial year	Number of abandoned vehicles removed	Estimated cost (£ million)(5)
2000–01	230,000	Between 6.9 and 11.5
2001–02	293,000	Between 8.79 and 14.65

⁽⁵⁾ Based on estimated disposal costs of between £30 and £50 per vehicle.

Beef Exports

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of United Kingdom exports of beef to the United States of America in each year since 1997. [133983]

Mr. Bradshaw: The table shows the value of United Kingdom exports of beef to the United States of America since 1997.

United Kingdom Beef Exports to United States of America

	£
1997	6,904
1999	3,175
2000	3,160
2001	13,537

Note:

There were no UK exports of beef to the United States in the years 1998, 2002 and 2003 (January to July).

Sources:

1. HM Customs and Excise.

2. Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Consultancy Trade and IT, ESD and Defra.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the steps the Government is taking to encourage the resumption of beef exports. [134668]

Mr. Bradshaw: It has been possible since 1 August 1999 to export UK beef under the stringent rules of the Date-based Export Scheme (DBES). Beef exports resumed in September 2002 following the ending of foot and mouth disease restrictions and changes to the rules of DBES to make it easier for companies to participate. To date there are four slaughterhouses in the Scheme.

We submitted papers to the European Commission in support of our case for further changes to the DBES and our request for restrictions to be lifted so that the UK can trade on the same basis as other member states in April 2003 and June 2003 respectively. These papers as updated are currently being considered by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In addition, we have extended the period of rebates on DBES eligibility checks and Meat Hygiene Service supervision charges until the end of June 2004 for slaughterhouses entering the Scheme before the end of 2003. We have also identified with industry a number of key markets so that lobbying can be targetted effectively.

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Common Agricultural Policy

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to use regional average payments to implement the Common Agricultural Policy reforms; and if she will make a statement. [134125]

Mr. Bradshaw: The deadline for responses to our consultation exercise on whether to adopt the regional average payment model of the Single Payment Scheme ended on 24 October 2003. Those responses will help inform our decisions on this matter, which we hope to announce within the next few months.

Departmental Energy Efficiency

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy her Department has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is for each of the following years for which forecasts are made; what plans she has to reduce usage; and if she will make a statement. [135052]

Mr. Bradshaw: The answer in respect of parts (a) and (b) parts (i) and (ii) for all Government Departs is shown in the attached table. Due to a number of

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uncertainties about the future structure of the Department arising from the Review of Rural Delivery and the Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation it is not possible to make accurate estimates of projected energy use in future years.

A number of measures are in place to reduce energy usage. From 1 November, all new contracts by central government department must meet minimum energy efficiency standards as well as value for money, when purchasing certain types of product. Types of products that must meet energy efficiency criteria include IT equipment, gas boilers, white goods (e.g. fridges and washing machines), televisions, lighting systems and light-bulbs.

All but the smallest Defra sites work to reducing energy below a site-specific benchmark. Energy audits are regularly commissioned for those above benchmark and remedial action is taken as necessary, On-going energy efficiency awareness campaigns seek co-operation from staff in economy of use.

In addition, new targets for energy use on the Government Estate are being developed under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. Targets will be based on current Government policy on energy use and Will be published before the end of the year.

			Weather Corrected(6) EnergyConsumption (GWh)		Weather Corrected(6)EnergyConsumption (kWh/m2)
Department	Year	Floor Area (m(7))	Fossil	Electricity	Fossil	Electricity
Cabinet Office(7),(8)	1997–98	96,230	16.1	8.1	168	84
	1996–99	96,230	12.0	9.3	125	97
	1999–2000	96,230	11.9	10.0	124	104
	2000–01	65,222	12.4	9.9	190	151
	2001–02	126,495	20.7	15.7	164	124
Department of Constitutional Affairs(9)	1997–98	744,310	116.0	66.3	156	89
	1996–99	743,200	119.1	67.7	160	91
	1999–2000	738,050	102.7	64.4	139	87
	2000–01	734,896	101.5	62.5	138	85
	2001–02	733,546	84.6	85.1	115	89
Department of Culture, Media and Sport(10)	1997–98			-
	1998–99			-
	1999–2000	13,270	0.4	3.5	33	261
	2000–01	13,270	0.4	3.5	33	261
	2001–02	13,270	0.4	3.5	33	261
Department for Education and Skills(11)	1997–98	108,009	12.9	20.1	119	186
	1998–99	104,020	10.6	19.3	102	186
	1999–2000	105,901	14.7	19.6	139	185
	2000–01	102,913	14.7	20.6	143	200
	2001–02	102,913	15.9	19.3	155	188
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(12)	1997–98	176,715	26.5	15.9	150	90
	1998–99	190,424	27.1	17.2	142	90
	1999–2000	192,565	23.4	15.8	122	81
	2000–01	199,817	24.8	16.9	124	84
	2001–02	221,455	31.6	21.1	143	95
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Laboratories(12)	1997–98	146,205	63.3	31.5	433	216
	1998–99	148,198	59.0	30.7	398	207
	1999–2000	158,542	61.6	31.9	389	201
	2000–01	155,761	80.8	28.3	519	162
	2001–02	157,795	91.4	26.4	579	168
Department of Health	1997–98	62,757	7.1	12.3	113	196
	1998–99	62,757	9.1	13.4	145	213
	1999–2000	62,757	8.8	14.1	140	224
	2000–01	62,757	7.2	13.6	116	216
	2001–02	62,757	6.4	13.1	103	209
Department for International Development(13)	1997–98	21,608	3.8	3.0	175	141
	1998–99	21,608	3.8	3.1	174	144
	1999–2000	21,611	44	3.1	205	142
	2000–01	23,402	4.5	3.4	194	147
	2001–02	21,911	4.2	4.0	194	183
Department of Trade and Industiy(14)	1997–98	256,480	253	30.4	98	118
	1996–99	249,320	241	29.6	97	119
	1999–2000	255,233	264	30.8	111	121
	2000–01	217,829	25.6	33.0	118	152
Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions(15),(16) (excluding QEII Conference Centre	1997–98	489,563	744	50.3	152	103
	1998–99	514,291	644	52.5	125	102
	1999–2000	480,728	65.6	51.5	136	107
	2000–01	398,306	57.6	50.9	145	128
	2001–02	390,457	69.0	54.8	173	137
QEII Conference Centre	1997–98	27,088	44	6.7	163	247
	1998–99	27,088	4.7	8.6	174	317
	1999–2000	27,081	44	8.1	162	299
	2000–01	27,000	45	6.6	166	244
	2001–02	27,000	5,6	6.7	206	249
Department for Work and Pensions(17)	1997–98	2,347,775	502.1	237.3	214	101
	1998–99	2,221,950	441.4	226.2	199	102
	1999–2000	2,268,462	479.1	224.4	211	99
	2000–01	2,399,225	436.2	229.7	182	96
	2001–02	2,401,337	4456	248.7	186	104
Foreign and Commonwealth Office(18),(19)	1997–98	105,530	236	17.9	224	169
	1998–99	105,530	20.0	16.8	190	159
	1999–2000	87,307	15.4	17.4	176	199
	2000–01	107,071	142	20.2	132	189
	2001–02	85,213	152	16.9	178	199
Home Office (excluding Prisons)	1997–98	186,497	485	24.6	260	133
	1998–99	193,205	46.2	27.4	239	142
	1999–2000	232,655	506	36.2	217	156
	2000–01	286,009	603	44.1	211	154
	2001–02	332,041	798	50.0	240	151
Prisons(20)	1997–98	2,927,474	1,342.6	240.8	459	82
	1998–99	2,644,588	9642	233.6	365	88
	1999–2000	3,073,966	1,186.3	268.0	386	87
	2000–01	3,111,213	1,112.8	280.4	358	90
	2001–02	3,208,001	1,127.9	272.8	352	85
Inland Revenue(21)	1997–98	1,020,692	181,0	87.0	177	85
	1998–99	1,275,808	175.5	112.3	138	88
	1999–2000	1,145,105	174.9	163.6	153	143
	2000–01	1,145,105	1749	163.6	153	143
	2001–02	1,582,551	2175	175.2	137	111
Ministry of Defence(22),(23),(24),(25),(26),(27),(28) (excluding Army Overseas other than Germany	1997–98		5,758.6	1,798.1	N/A	N/A
	1998–99		6,525.7	1,772.7	N/A	N/A
	1999–2000		5,155.7	1,846.5	N/A	N/A
	2000–01		4,997.1	1,873.8	N/A	N/A
	2001–02		4,733.5	1,667.3	N/A	N/A
Army Overseas other than Germany(22)	1997–98
	1998–99
	1999–2000
	2000–01
	2001–02		85.2	386

Notes:

⁽⁶⁾ All data for fossil/heating energy is weather corrected to the 1990–91 20 year degree day average This is for consistency sincere old campaign was weather corrected to the 1990–91 20 year average and the new campaign to the 1999–00 20 year average. This explains any differences between these figures and those published in the new campaign.

⁽⁷⁾ The Cabinet Office had four agencies transferred out of its control between 1999–2000 and 2000–01

⁽⁸⁾ The Cabinet Office had nine Regional Government Offices transferred to its estate between 2000–01 and 2001–02

⁽⁹⁾ Previously the Lord Chancellor's Department

⁽¹⁰⁾ The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have inconsistencies in their data for 2000–01 and so 2001–02 was used as their base year for the new campaign. This explains why their figures are the same for 1999–2000 to 2001–02 These inconsistencies also mean it is not meaningful to compare 2001–02 with data prior to 1999–2000

⁽¹¹⁾ DFES use some heat that is produced by a CCL exempt source. This has been included with the fossil fuel

⁽¹²⁾ Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs energy performances for the Main Estate and Laboratories in 2001–02 include consumptions from the additional buildings and longer worked hours by staff dealing with the foot and mouth emergency The Main Estate also reflected additional fully air-conditioned buildings as part of a new Agency in DEFRA.

⁽¹³⁾ The Department for International Development moved offices during 2001–02, therefore their floor area for this year has been calculated based on the proportion of the year they were in each office

⁽¹⁴⁾ The Department for Trade and Industry had 3 Regional Government Offices transferred out of their estate in 2001–02

⁽¹⁵⁾ The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions previously known as Department for the environment, Transport and the Regions.

⁽¹⁶⁾ The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions had six Regional Government Offices transferred out of their estate in 2001–02

⁽¹⁷⁾ The Department for Work and Pensions is the result of an amalgamation of the Department of Social Security and Employment Services which occurred in full in April 2002. Therefore previous separate returns for the two departments have been added together to allow comparison.

⁽¹⁸⁾ The Foreign and Commonwealth Office returns for 2000–01 include their Wilton Park executive agency for the first time. This accounts for approximately 4 per cent. of the increase.

⁽¹⁹⁾ In 2000–01 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office brought back into use the Old Admiralty Building, progressively relocating staff from 8 Cleveland Row, Cromwell House, 1 Palace Street and 20 Victoria Street. It retained reporting responsibilities for the vacated buildings until March 2001.

⁽²⁰⁾ It was not possible to report consistently on a small proportion of prisons throughout the three years This was mainly due to missing or incomplete data on those specific prisons.

⁽²¹⁾ Inland Revenue 1999–2000 data was fell to be too inconsistent to be used in the comparison, therefore 2000–01 has been used in its place.

⁽²²⁾ The Army included energy consumption from overseas bases other than Germany for the first time in 2001–02; therefore this is entered separately

⁽²³⁾ For the new campaign the financial year 2001–02 is the baseline for the Army and this figure has been applied retrospectively to 1999–2000 and 2000–01 but with energy consumption from 2 sites of the Joint Helicopter Command (Odiham and Benson) removed from the 1999–2000 and 2000–01. This therefore takes into account the fact that these two sites were transferred from the RAF to the Army in April 2001.

Actual figures for these two sites have been used since they were recorded by the RAF prior to their transfer, hence the Army retrospective figure is not the same across these three years.

⁽²⁴⁾ The Civil estate of the MOD figures do not include the London offices, with the exception of 3–5 Scotland Yard This is due to difficulties in obtaining the data as these buildings are run under PFI contracts.

⁽²⁵⁾ The civil estate of the MOD have not been able to provide figures prior to 2001–02, therefore this is being used in previous years to allow comparisons 1997–98 and 1998–99 have been entered using figures from the last year the Civil estate completed a return

⁽²⁶⁾ Defence Logistics Organisation were not in existence prior to 2000–01, therefore the figures for 2000–01 have been used in 1999–2000 to allow comparison

⁽²⁷⁾ In July 2001 the Defence Research Agency was split into DSTL and a private company, QinetiQ Therefore since July 2001 consumption in buildings used by QinetiQ have not been included

⁽²⁸⁾ The RAF have made significant savings in 2001–02 in part due to the transfer of two Joint Helicopter Command sites (Odiham and Benson) to the Army in April 2001

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