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Nappies

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how her Department is working to make new parents aware of the environmental implications of using disposable nappies. [159094]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 9 March 2004]: The Waste and Resources Action Programme has a waste minimisation programme which includes work to ensure parents are given sufficient information to make an informed choice on whether to use re-usable or disposable nappies. This involves, among other things, the employment of a health professional to undertake work in maternity units.

The Environment Agency is undertaking a Life Cycle Analysis to assess the environmental impacts of both re-usable and disposable nappies. The aim is to publish this in the spring.

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Radioactive Waste

Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish Executive, (b) the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and (c) the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority about proposals by the latter to transfer low level radioactive waste from Dounreay to Drigg; why the application for a licence was not advertised in England; and if she will make a statement; [160504]

(2) whether she has agreed to proposals by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to transfer radioactive waste from Dounreay to Drigg in Cumbria. [160505]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 15 March 2004]: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) or the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) about these proposals.

The low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal site at Drigg in Cumbria is owned by BNFL and is operated by the company on a commercial basis as a United Kingdom facility. BNFL hold an authorisation from the Environment Agency to dispose of LLW at Drigg. I understand that the proposed transfer of waste from Dounreay to Drigg could be accommodated within BNFL's existing authorisation for the site. I also understand that the consultation arrangements adopted in this case were consistent with those for other such transfers to Drigg from sites throughout the United Kingdom. It was not, therefore, considered necessary by the regulators to advertise this application in England.

I understand from the Environment Agency that they intend to carry out a comprehensive review of BNFL's authorisation for Drigg later this year. As part of this review, full public consultations will be undertaken.

The application by UKAEA to transfer LLW to Drigg has been made to SEPA, whose responsibility it is to determine the application under the provisions of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, subject to the powers of Scottish Ministers. Given that Drigg is operated as a United Kingdom facility and that its existing authorisation is sufficient to cover the proposed transfer, it is not necessary for the Secretary of State to be involved in determining UKAEA's current application.

Slaughtered Stock (Compensation)

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the cumulative savings that her Department will achieve over financial years 2003–04 to 2012–13 by changing the basis on which compensation is paid to farmers for animals slaughtered. [157951]

Mr. Bradshaw: The responses to the consultation document on the Rationalisation of Compensation for Notifiable Animal Diseases are still being considered and no decisions have yet been taken. It is therefore too early to determine whether any savings will be made.

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Radon Gas

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of UK housing stock has been tested for radon gas; [159891]

(2) how many houses have been tested for radon gas in each of the last seven years; [159892]

(3) what plans she has to encourage the testing of the remainder of UK housing stock for radon gas. [159893]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 11 March 2004]: Since 1987 successive Governments have run a radon measurement programme to identify the extent of the radon problem in the UK. During that time 450 thousand of the 25 million UK homes have been tested. Over the last eight years Government-funded measurement programmes have mainly focused on homes likely to be at most risk. In England and Northern Ireland, for example, that has meant every home with a greater than 5 per cent. probability of radon levels being at or above the National Radiological Protection Board's (NRPB) recommended radon "Action Level" (200 becquerels per cubic metre of air) has been offered a free radon test. In accordance with NRPB's recommendation, we advise that remedial action is taken to reduce radon levels in any home at or above the Action Level. It is estimated that over 100,000 homes in the UK are likely to be at or above the Action Level and, of those, around 43,000 have been found. Approximately 90 per cent. of the homes above the Action Level are likely to be in England.

The following table sets out the number of homes tested by NRPB for radon gas in the UK since 1996 up to the present date. The figures from 1998 onwards include radon tests that have been offered to householders as part of pilot studies and a wider on-going programme where the Government are working in partnership with nearly 30 local authorities in England to help householders in radon-affected areas to take action to cut levels of radon in their homes. This supports the Government's policy of encouraging more radon remediation amongst householders in order to reduce the risk that high radon levels pose to their health. The pilot studies run between 1998 and 2000 showed that working at a local level worked well and could double the amount of radon remediation. This success led to the rolling out of the current programme based on the experiences and lessons learned from the pilot studies. We shall be reviewing the initiative before it ends in March 2005 to allow us to determine how successful it has been. We will then make a judgment on the future direction of the Government's radon programme.

In Northern Ireland, the Department of the Environment is continuing to make free radon tests available to householders in areas where radon concentrations in homes have a 1 per cent. or greater probability of being at or above the Action Level. In addition, radon awareness campaigns will be conducted in selected areas of Northern Ireland in partnership with local authorities. These will target areas where there is a greater than 10 per cent. probability of radon levels in a home exceeding the Action Level.

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Plans to encourage the testing of dwellings for radon in Scotland and Wales rest with the Scottish Executive and National Assembly for Wales respectively.

	Number of Tests
1996	70,500
1997	54,000
1998	25,800
1999	9,600
2000	6,800
2001	8,000
2002	10,000
2003(1)	11,100
2004(1)	14,100

⁽¹⁾ All the Government-funded tests have used detectors that need to be in place for 3 months. Some tests in 2003 and all those so far commenced in the first two months of 2004 are therefore still to be completed.

Note:

Totals rounded to three significant figures.

Sakhalin Oil and Gas Project

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultation has been undertaken by her Department and the Export Credits Guarantee Department on the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project in relation to its potential impacts upon the Western Gray Whale. [158234]

Mr. Morley: I have discussed the Sakhalin II project, particularly in relation to its potential impacts upon the Western Gray Whale population, with the Minister for Trade and Investment, Mike O'Brien.

The Export Credit Guarantee Department has consulted with the Sakhalin Energy Group at all stages of the project application. In addition, ECGD officials have met and corresponded with a range of stakeholders and NGO's from both Sakhalin and the UK. Defra has been kept informed of these consultations.

Voles/Hedgehogs

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated population was of (a) voles and (b) hedgehogs in Great Britain in 1990; and what the current estimate of the population is. [158010]

Mr. Bradshaw: Very few data are available on national populations of many mammal species, including voles and hedgehogs. Perhaps the best recent estimates are those made in a publication by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in 1995 ¹ . At that time they made the following estimates:

Species	GB population estimate	Reliability of estimate	Changing status
Field vole	75,000,000	Low	Possible decline
Bank vole	23,000,000	Within 50 per cent.	Probably stable
Hedgehog	1,555,000	Low	Possible decline

Since that time, no further national population estimates have been published for these species.

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The Tracking Mammals Partnership has now been set up to instigate long-term monitoring of all mammal species, but this will focus on detecting trends rather than estimating absolute abundance (www.jncc.gov.uk/species/mammals/trackingmammals).

¹ A review of British mammals: Population estimates and conservation status of British mammals other than cetaceans by Stephen Harris, Pat Morris, Stephanie Wray and Derek Yalden (1995) JNCC, Peterborough (ISBN 1573701683).

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