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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 5 November 2003

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Stamp Duty

Mr. Prisk: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what study has been made of the impact of increases in stamp duty land tax on the commercial holdings of the Church of England; and if he will make a statement. [135607]

Mr. Bell: No such study has been made in respect of the Church Commissioners' commercial property investment portfolio. I understand that changes to this tax come into effect on 1 December 2003: whether or not these will have an impact upon the amount of rent tenants will offer for new leases remains to be seen. The Commissioners take independent professional advice regarding the rental values of their properties and these are reviewed regularly.

SCOTLAND

Common Agricultural Policy

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the implications for tenant farmers in Scotland of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. [134845]

Mrs. McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Liddell-Grainger) on 9 September 2003, Official Report, column 328W.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what statutory investigatory powers the Department has; which ones will be superseded by use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and what plans he has for removing these legacy powers. [136131]

Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office has no statutory investigatory powers.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when she will publish guidance to those wishing to dedicate their land as access land under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; [135813]

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(3) what measures she will take to encourage public bodies to dedicate suitable landholdings as access land under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; [135815]

(4) what steps she will take in promoting to landowners the opportunities available to them to dedicate their land under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; [135816]

(5) what measures she has taken to inform other Government Departments about the possibilities of dedicating land as access land under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and what response there has been. [135817]

Alun Michael: I expect to publish guidance and model dedication instruments for those wishing to dedicate their land by the beginning of December 2003. I have discussed with the Forestry Commission what funds might be needed to ensure that they are able to meet their commitment on dedication of their freehold estate.

We are developing a strategy for promoting dedication to landowners, which will highlight the benefits of dedication, including the reduced liability that owners will incur and the opportunities to realise the potential that increasing visitor numbers has on the rural economy. This will build on the work undertaken by the Forestry Commission in 2001 when it ran seminars to encourage dedication by woodland owners.

I wrote to Ministers in all Departments in February 2002 about the scope for dedication of land held by Government Departments and sponsored non-departmental public bodies. I have also pursued this point with some commercial organisations that are significant landowners. Now that the dedication regulations have been laid, I will be following this correspondence up, not least to encourage all Government Departments to actively consider the extent to which their landholdings can be dedicated under section 16 and to ensure that the option is widely understood by private sector landowners.

Consultancy Contracts

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the contracts for (a) consultancy and (b) work carried out by Bechtel in each year since 1997, stating in each case (i) the nature of the work, (ii) the value of the contract and (iii) the duration of the contract; and if she will make a statement. [134732]

Alun Michael [holding answer 29 October 2003]: Defra was formed in 2001. From information held centrally, Defra has let no contracts with Bechtel.

Dairy Farms

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements she intends to put in place to improve the opportunity for United Kingdom dairy farmers to compete in European and global markets. [134377]

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Mr. Bradshaw: We are helping the UK dairy sector to compete better in European and global markets by promoting supply chain efficiency. My noble Friend Lord Whitty, has been chairing the Dairy Supply Chain Forum to consider, among other issues, ways in which the sector can improve its efficiency through collaborative action, and we have made a grant of nearly £0.5 million to the Food Chain Centre to study how the efficiency of the dairy supply chain might be improved. We have also supported the establishment of English Food and Farming Practices, a new industry-led body that has been set up specifically to support and encourage collective activity across all agricultural sectors. In addition to this, we are actively considering bringing decoupling forward to 2005 to give dairy farmers the freedom to restructure their businesses for the more competitively market orientated environment. Furthermore, the Milk Development Council has been working with Food from Britain to identify potential export markets for UK dairy products.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives from the dairy industry on the dispute over the price per litre of milk paid to liquid milk producers. [134380]

Mr. Bradshaw: Price negotiations between producers and processors, or processors and supermarkets, are a private commercial matter in which the Government cannot and should not get involved, as long as competition rules are respected. While the Government share producers' concerns over the low farmgate price of milk, they do not support protests.

The Secretary of State has had no formal meetings with representatives of the dairy industry to discuss milk prices or the current protests. However, Ministers frequently meet with representatives from all parts of the dairy sector and are therefore aware of the issues. In addition, matters affecting the whole dairy supply chain are regularly discussed at the forum chaired by my noble Friend Lord Whitty.

Environment Council

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the outcome was of the Environment Council on 27 October 2003; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including their voting record; and if she will make a statement; [135372]

Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I represented the UK at the Environment Council on 27 October 2003. The Council reached a political agreement on one legislative measure, and also considered a number of other important issues.

The Council reached a political agreement on a Directive on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paints. This measure aims to reduce emissions from paints of these organic solvents, which are precursors of ground-level ozone which can be harmful to human health and the environment. We retained a reservation on the proposal as parliamentary scrutiny is not yet

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complete. Greece asked for further time to implement limits for decorative paints and varnishes, but its request was turned down.

The Council agreed conclusions on the Commission's proposed structural indicators for reporting on progress on employment, innovation, economic reform, social cohesion and environmental protection to the spring European Council. There was general support for the proposed set of 14 headline indicators of which three would be environment-related. Some delegations proposed including new indicators on biodiversity and public health. I stressed the importance of using robust and meaningful indicators. I pointed out that any biodiversity indicator should be able to measure progress towards the EU's target of halting loss of biodiversity by 2010, for example, along the lines of an index proposed by Birdlife International. The current proposal, on protected areas, was not adequate. The Council agreed that the three proposed environment-related indicators, on climate change, energy intensity and transport, should be reformulated in order to focus on the most significant environmental impacts and that good quality indicators on biodiversity and health should be included as soon as possible so as to cover all of the priority areas identified in the EU sustainable development strategy.

The Council agreed conclusions on the Commission's proposal for a European strategy on environment and health. This strategy is intended to reduce the disease burden caused by environmental factors in the EU, to identify and prevent new health threats caused by new environmental factors. We also agreed conclusions on the Commission's proposal for an integrated product policy, aimed at reducing the environmental impacts that arise in the supply chain and life-cycle of products.

The Presidency noted a presentation from the Commission on the results of its public consultation on a legislative proposal for an EU chemicals strategy. The Council also noted a presentation from the Commission on proposals for implementing the provisions of the Aarhus Convention in the EC and on access to justice in environmental matters. We heard a report from Sweden on a ministerial conference they had hosted on environment and sustainable development in northern Europe, and the Commission circulated a report on progress on thematic strategies under the 6th Environment Action programme. Portugal gave a presentation about the devastating forest fires they had experienced this summer, stressing the importance of tackling this issue for the future.

Belgium and France gave short presentations calling for member states' co-operation to reduce ozone levels. The Commission indicated its readiness to help and drew attention to existing measures that might facilitate co-operation and exchange of information.

Belgium presented a short paper on decommissioning of ships, expressing concern in particular about the export of vessels to developing countries for disposal. I supported Belgium's concerns, stressing the need to ensure that first class and environmentally sound dismantling facilities are available in the EU.

The Commission then called upon member states to support a protocol on sustainable development to the Treaty being considered by the Inter-Governmental Conference.

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We also discussed preparations for the 9th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP9) and the Kyoto project mechanisms. After an exchange of views, we agreed to reconvene on 8 December 2003, immediately preceding COP9, to discuss the outstanding issues.

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