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Nuclear Power Stations

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the impact of coastal erosion on the safety of coastally-sited nuclear power stations; and if she will make a statement on the (a) cost and (b) effectiveness of measures being taken in relation to this issue. [152970]

Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.

The Health and safety Executive (HSE) license all nuclear power stations under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. Flood risks, which are enhanced by coastal erosion, are one category of external hazards that HSE require to be addressed in safety cases for nuclear plant.

Safety cases are prepared by the plant operator. They are scrutinised and then reviewed periodically (at intervals not greater than 10 years) by HSE. This provides an opportunity to ensure that operators are updating their predictions. The cost of HSE reviewing safety cases is recovered from the industry.

The Office of Science and Technology (OST) is currently performing a major study on the future of flooding and coastal erosion as part of its Foresight programme. The study is looking 30–100 years ahead and is considering the drivers of future risks from flooding and coastal erosion; the magnitude of those risks if existing policies remain unchanged; and possible policy choices which could mitigate future risks.

The project has evaluated future erosion rates and has found that these are likely to increase in many parts of the UK, although the changes will be very location specific, and are likely to be extremely variable. The project has noted that major assets and infrastructure, including certain nuclear power stations, are on stretches of the coast where the increased erosion could be substantial. However the precise change in risk of such coastal assets will be very dependant on the details of the location. Such analysis is beyond the scope of the project. The Foresight project is due to report its findings in April 2004.

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Rural White Paper

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress her Department has made in implementing the Rural White Paper. [152617]

Alun Michael: The recent review of progress on implementation shows that considerable progress has been made on the programme set out in the Rural White Paper. The creation of Defra, with a clear remit for rural policy, and a Cabinet Committee on Rural regeneration has strengthened the rural agenda significantly.

Copies of the recent White Paper Review are available in the Library of the House. It show that the vision continues to command widespread support. Evidence from our Rural Research Centre—established by Defra and led by Birkbeck College—provides a clean and firm basis for refreshing our rural policy.

Progress in delivering the commitments in the Rural White Paper is set out at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruralwp/timetable.htm. The present plan shows progress to 31 August 2003. An updated plan showing progress to 31 December 2003 will shortly be on the Defra website at the same address.

Details of the Rural White Paper Review can be seen at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rwpreview/default.htm

Further information about the Rural Research Centre is available at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2004/ruralwhite-0104.htm

Scottish White Fish Fleet

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what measures may be taken, in terms of gear design, to enhance selectivity when fishing in a mixed white fish fishery to (a) optimise the haddock catch, and (b) minimise the cod by-catch; [149120]

(2) what escape strategy is adopted by (a) cod and (b) haddock in the North Sea grounds when confronted by a trawl net; [149139]

(3) what technical measures, in terms of fishing gear design and operating procedures, can be applied to minimise cod by-catch in prawn fisheries; [150297]

(4) what assessment her Department has made of raised footrope trawls as a means of reducing cod by-catch in mixed fisheries where the target species is haddock. [150488]

Mr. Bradshaw: Considerable research is going on in Europe to find solutions to the mixed fishery problem. Depending on the season and area, species such as cod, haddock, whiting, saithe, flatfish and Nephrops can be caught at the same time. In the waters round the UK, different solutions in terms of gear design may be required in Scottish, Irish, English or Danish fisheries, depending on the species present and their commercial importance to the fishermen.

Observations of fish reactions in and around trawls by research scientists have shown that there are species specific behaviours and characteristics which may provide mechanisms for separation or exclusion.

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Haddock and, to a lesser extent, whiting tend to rise in the mouth of a trawl as they tire. Cod, flatfish, monkfish and Nephrops keep low. Raising the footrope of the trawl or the use of semi-pelagic fishing gear may allow cod to escape under the net but other species may also be lost.

The European Commission is currently funding two major research projects which aim to find solutions in mixed whitefish fisheries and in mixed whitefish/Nep/irops fisheries in the North Sea and Irish Sea. A key feature of this work is the close collaboration between fishermen's organisations, commercial skippers, netmakers and the UK fisheries institutes. The aim is to create solutions to these complex problems which are effective, practical, enforceable and acceptable to fishermen.

Sudden Oak Death

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to ensure that plant and timber imports are free from sudden oak death. [149113]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Plant Health (Great Britain) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1320, as amended) sets out the controls on the import, movement and keeping of plants within the EU. The Order requires all plants entering the UK from third countries to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and are subject to inspection at import. For trade within the EU, specific disease control measures are applied at the place of production and plant passports may be issued that travel with consignments allowing their free movement between member states. From May 2002 measures to control the movement of plants susceptible to Phytophthora ramorum into and within the UK where introduced under the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) Order 2002. Following the agreement of community wide measures this Order was superseded in November 2002, by the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 2573). The latter applied specific disease control measures at the place of production to rhododendrons and viburnums, the two types of plant which have been most often found to be infected in Europe.

Findings of Phytophthora ramorum in imported and UK origin plants are of concern and inspections at UK nurseries and ports of entry are to be stepped up to ensure that all consignments of plants moved into and within the UK are free from Phytophthora ramorum and meet plant passport requirements. Any consignment found to be infected, or not to have the correct documentation, will, as now, be destroyed.

The regulations controlling imports of wood and wood products are set out in the Plant Health (Forestry) (Great Britain) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1283, as amended). These require that imports of wood of oak from North American countries are treated to protect against, in particular, another fungal organism Ceratocystis fagacearum, the cause of Oak wilt disease. The Forestry Commission concluded that these controls are effective against Phytophthora ramorum but that they needed to be extended to bring under regulation wood from other trees that are known to host this pathogen and which originate in the USA. The Forestry Commissioners therefore implemented emergency measures in June 2002 by way of the Plant Health (Phytophthora

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ramorum) (Great Britain) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 1478). This Order was superseded in November 2002, to implement the European Community measures against Phytophthora ramorum, by the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (Great Britain) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 2589).

The Forestry Commission enforces the controls on wood and wood products through its system of import inspections carried out at ports of entry.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) businesses, (b) landowners and (c) others have had all or some of their plant or tree stocks destroyed as a result of an outbreak of sudden oak death in the last two years. [151952]

Mr. Bradshaw: To categorise businesses, landowners and others would be misleading as there may be a cross over in some areas. For example a private landowner may also open their property to the public as a business. In the last two years, there have been 302 outbreak premises in England and Wales, 263 at nurseries and other retail outlets and 39 at established gardens, woods and other wild planting areas. All those on whom notices have been served have destroyed infected material. Others have done so voluntarily.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many claims, and of what total value, her Department has received for compensation for outbreaks of sudden oak death from (a) commercial nurseries, (b) landowners and (c) others in each of the last 24 months for which records are available; [151953]

(2) how many claims for compensation for sudden oak death have been settled; and what payments have been made during the last two years. [151954]

Mr. Bradshaw: Only one claim for compensation as been received in respect of destroyed stock following the finding of "Phytophthora ramorum" at a commercial nursery. We are unable to disclose precise details of this claim for legal reasons, but we can confirm this claim is still under consideration. Plant disease campaigns over many years have not incorporated compensation for the destruction of affected plants. Our position has been that the limited resources of the plant health service are better deployed in detecting and identifying outbreaks, and in carrying out research on risks and risk management measures. However, we have recently received an approach from industry organisations wishing to discuss possible risk-sharing mechanisms to avoid disproportionate losses to individual enterprises when action has to be taken against plant pests or diseases. We welcome this opportunity to explore the available options. The outcome of these ongoing discussions could have an effect on any individual claims we receive.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) staff and (b) resources of (i) the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate and (ii) other departmental bodies are deployed to detect and control outbreaks of sudden oak death in the UK. [151955]

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Mr. Bradshaw: Defra's 75 Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors are already employed for about 20 per cent. of their time on inspection and surveillance duties related to Phytophthora ramorum, known in the USA as sudden oak death. Therefore, although there is no specific budget allocation, this amounts to an expenditure of approximately £1.8 million in 2003–04.

In response to the growing number of findings of this pathogen in England and Wales, Defra is redeploying around 20 additional staff to assist the Inspectorate in undertaking extra inspections at production nurseries, wild areas and ports of entry. They will be supplemented by the recruitment of six additional full-time Inspectors for 2004–2005. This is part of a package of measures announced on 4 December.

Defra is also funding a substantial increase in sample diagnoses undertaken by the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), an executive agency of Defra, which is estimated to cost in excess of £750,000 to the end of 2004–2005. CSL is also involved in ongoing research into "Phytophthora ramorum" to the value of £370,000.

The Forestry Commission (FC) has redirected about 23 staff onto a woodland survey in England and Wales, to be completed by April 2004, which will help us to assess whether Phytophthora ramorum is present in the wider environment. FC will be contributing £50,000 to CSL to fund diagnostics in support of this survey. Resources have also been redirected within the Forest Research Agency (FRA) into projects designed to help us better understand the disease. From January 2004 FRA is responsible for the co-ordination of an EU funded research project on "P. ramorum".

In the devolved administrations the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) 5 Plant Health Inspectors already spend approximately 20–25 per cent. of their time on "Phytophthora ramorum" inspection and sampling duties. From January 2004 this team has been brought up to complement with a newly trained inspector. Although there is no specific budget dedicated to Phytophthora ramorum inspections, the total amount to an expenditure for 2003–04 is approximately £90,000.

Seven Forestry Officers have been trained and, from January 2004, are spending approximately 10 per cent. of their time on Phytopthora. ramorum inspection and sampling work, primarily on DARD Forestry Service and private woodland sites with a budget of approximately £65,000. In addition, a Principal Scientific Officer is spending approximately 25 per cent. of his time in analysing samples for "P. ramorum". The budget for this work is approximately £50,000.

For 2003–04 the number of Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department staff spending part of their time on detection and control of "Phytophthora ramorum" is seven, including one scientific officer. The total management plan resource employed in this work for 2003–04, to date, is £37,626.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures her Department has taken to ensure that plants and seeds infected with sudden oak death are not imported into the UK. [151956]

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Mr. Bradshaw: The Plant Health (Great Britain) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1320, as amended) sets out the controls on the import, movement and keeping of plants within the EU. The Order requires all plants entering the UK from third countries to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and are subject to inspection at import. For trade within the EU, specific disease control measures are applied at the place of production and plant passports may be issued that travel with consignments allowing their free movement between member states. From May 2002 measures to control the movement of plants susceptible to Phytophthora ramorum into and within the UK where introduced under the Plant Health "(Phytophthora ramorum)" (England) Order 2002. Following the agreement of community wide measures this Order was superseded in November 2002, by the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 2573). The latter applied specific disease control measures at the place of production to rhododendrons and viburnums, the two types of plant which have been most often found to be infected in Europe.

Findings of "Phytophthora ramorum" in imported and UK origin plants are of concern and inspections at UK nurseries and ports of entry are to be stepped up to ensure that all consignments of plants moved into and within the UK are free from Phytophthora ramorum and meet plant passport requirements. Any consignment found to be infected, or not to have the correct documentation, will, as now, be destroyed.

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