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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 10 November 2003
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Church Repairs (VAT)
28. Miss McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent representations the Church Commissioners have made on the reduction of VAT on church repairs. [137050]
Mr. Bell: The hon. Lady will be interested to hear that I am going to Brussels tomorrow with members of the Church of England VAT Group for meetings with UK representative officials and with Commissioner Frits Bolkestein.
I have also had a meeting with the Economic Secretary, who has been most helpful and supportive.
Clergy
29. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners when the McClean review of clergy terms of service is expected to deliver its final report. [137051]
Mr. Bell: The review group will submit its first full report to the Archbishops' Council in December. It will look at ways of improving security for clergy who do not have freehold of office or employment contracts. The group hopes to submit its final report, which will consider the future of the freehold, by the end of 2004.
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Parliamentary Boundaries
26. Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when he expects the Commission to absorb the functions of the bodies responsible for reviewing parliamentary boundaries. [137048]
27. Mr. Steen: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission will absorb the functions of bodies responsible for reviewing parliamentary boundaries. [137049]
Mr. Malins: I have been asked to reply.
I understand that the Government have not yet announced a date for the transfer to the Electoral Commission of the functions of the Parliamentary Boundary Commissions, as provided for in section 16 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
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Postal Voting
30. Mr. Allen: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if he will make a statement on progress with extension of postal voting. [137052]
Mr. Malins: I have been asked to reply.
It is for the Government, not the Electoral Commission, to take steps to extend the availability of all-postal voting. However, the Electoral Commission submitted recommendations to Government on the future use of postal voting at local elections in their report "The shape of elections to come" in July 2003. It has also been directed by Government to recommend up to three European Parliamentary regions where all postal pilots would take place at the European Parliamentary elections in 2004.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Packaging
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to require fast food outlets to use only biodegradable packaging. [134847]
Mr. Morley: We have no plans at present to require fast food outlets to use only biodegradable packaging. The concept of degradable plastics that are made from mineral oil (a fossil fuel resource) and specifically designed for disposal with no beneficial recovery potential, runs counter to the aim to increase recycling. In addition, if disposed of in landfill rather than, for example, being composted, biodegradable waste breaks down to release greenhouse gases. It is for this reason that the Landfill Directive requires member states to significantly reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill.
The Government do support the development of biodegradable plastics from non-fossil sources. The Government-Industry Forum on Non-Food Uses of Crops has concluded that there is a opportunity to produce compostable packaging materials in the UK. Defra is currently drawing up a Non-Food Crops Strategy. A draft is expected to be issued for consultation early in 2004.
The Government are also committed to reducing the incidents of fast food litter. We recently launched a consultation document entitled "Voluntary Code of Practice for the Fast Food Industry—Options for Reducing Fast Food Litter and Waste in the Local Environment". The consultation closes on 30 January 2004.
Climate Change
Mr. Hancock: 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 ensure that the Kyoto Protocol becomes legally binding. [136111]
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Mr. Morley: When the Kyoto Protocol enters into force, the targets it sets will become binding on the parties involved. In order for the Protocol to enter into force it must be signed by at least 55 countries including Annex 1 (developed) countries representing 55 per cent. of developed countries carbon dioxide emissions in 1990. Currently 119 countries representing 44.2 per cent. of emissions have ratified. Following withdrawal of the US from Kyoto in 2001, ratification by Russia is crucial to meet the 55 per cent. target and bring the Protocol into force.
The Prime Minister has written to President Putin twice this year to stress the importance of Russian ratification in the near future, and other ministerial colleagues press their Russian counterparts on the issue whenever appropriate. Officials also meet regularly with Russian counterparts and we have highlighted the significant economic, as well as environmental benefits to Russia if they ratify. We are confident that the Protocol will come into force in 2004.
Commercial Lobbyists
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department has issued on the (a) formal and (b) informal interaction between civil servants and commercial lobbyists. [137267]
Alun Michael: Matters of propriety and conduct such as formal and informal interaction between employees of Defra and commercial lobbyists are covered by the general requirements of the Civil Service Code. The Code, along with further detailed guidance and advice is reproduced in the department's staff handbooks. The Cabinet Office also issued formal guidance on contact with lobbyists and this was made available to ex-MAFF staff via Office Notice and is replicated in the ex-DETR Staff Handbook.
Crop Spraying
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department plans to introduce crop spray buffer zones for land next to housing. [137567]
Alun Michael: No decision has been taken to introduce crop spray buffer zones for land next to housing. A public consultation on the viability of no spray buffer zones closed on 31 October. A copy of the consultation paper will be placed in the House of Commons Library shortly.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on farmers of the introduction of crop spray buffer zones for land next to housing. [137568]
Alun Michael: The public consultation on the viability of the introduction of no spray buffer zones closed on 31 October. The responses will help to inform a full Regulatory Impact Assessment including a cost/benefit analysis of effects on farmers.
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Export Health Certificates
Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many export health certificates have been issued since 1 February. [135928]
Mr. Bradshaw: Since 1 February 2003, 207 export health certificates have been issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for exports of sheep. 145 of these certificates have been certified to enable exports to take place. Details of the number of certificates issued for exports to each country are set out in the following table. These figures are derived from the computer system used to issue export health certificates and are subject to updating and amendment. Figures for certificates issued by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland (DARDNI) for exports of sheep will follow shortly.
| Country of destination | Breeding | Fattening | Slaughter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 12 | 49 | 0 |
| Germany | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Ireland | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 11 | 19 | 0 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Isle of Man | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Oman | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Helena | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 75 | 70 | 0 |
Flooding
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the flood defence budget will be in the next three financial years. [136555]
Mr. Morley: The Government is committed to maintenance and improvement of flood and coastal defences, including those to reduce the risk of coastal erosion as well as flooding. Central Government's spending plans for flood and coastal defence remain as announced following the 2002 Spending Review:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 469 |
| 2005–06 | 564 |
These figures include Defra funding and funding from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister through local authority mechanisms as well as an estimated £20 million revenue from a new funding stream in 2005–06.
Provision for 2006–07 will be set in the Government's next Spending Review in 2004.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what fiscal contribution district councils are required to make to flood defence capital projects. [136556]
Mr. Morley: District councils are empowered under the Land Drainage Act 1991 to undertake works to manage flood risk on watercourses which have not been
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designated as "main rivers" (for which the Environment Agency has the requisite powers) and which are not in an internal drainage district (for which the relevant internal drainage board would have powers).
The district council is responsible for funding those projects which it directly promotes but Defra makes available grant aid at a rate of 45 per cent. for capital flood defence projects which meet the Department's criteria and (for those projects only) the council can also apply to the Department for a Supplementary Credit Approval to cover borrowing for the balance of expenditure after grant. The latter results in support from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) through its local authority funding mechanism.
The authority primarily responsible for managing flood risk in England is the Environment Agency. The Agency obtains part of its funding for capital flood defence projects along with other aspects of this activity from county councils and unitary authorities in the form of levies agreed annually by the relevant Flood Defence Committee. However, it is the intention that these levies should be largely replaced from April 2004 by direct funding from Defra as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 12 March. An appropriate transfer of resource from ODPM to Defra will take place to reflect this change in funding. A further change we are making is to transfer responsibility from district councils to the Agency of those ordinary watercourses identified as creating the greatest flood risk.
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