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Green Landlord Scheme

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on the elements of a green landlord scheme; and if she will make a statement. [162955]

Margaret Beckett: Defra and HM Treasury officials have been working together closely on a consultation on the use of economic instruments to promote household energy efficiency. As part of this process, the green landlord scheme was discussed at Ministerial level prior to the Budget.

Green Minister

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work her Department's Green Minister has undertaken in an official capacity in the last three months. [165654]

Mr. Morley: My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, is Defra's Green Minister and, as part of this role, is a member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. I chair the Sub-Committee. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of   the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Sustainable development is the overarching aim of Defra. Therefore, the work of all Defra's Ministers, including the Green Minister, contributes to this aim. Consequently, it is not possible to separate the role of the Green Minister from Lord Whitty's other work over the last three months.

An important piece of work within the Department over the last year has been the review of the 1999 UK Strategy on Sustainable Development. This work is culminating in a consultation on a new strategy which is to be launched at an event on 21 April 2004.

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings her Department's Green Minister has attended in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [165655]

 
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Mr. Morley: My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, is Defra's Green Minister and, as part of this role, is a member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. I chair the Sub-Committee. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

With regard to other meetings attended over the last 12 months, sustainable development is the overarching aim of Defra. Meetings attended by Lord Whitty over the last 12 months, whether or in his capacity as Green Minister, contribute to this aim. Therefore, it is not possible to differentiate from meetings attended in the official capacity as Green Minister or in other roles.

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the meetings at which a representative of her Department was present regarding the delivery of sustainable development across Government as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-committee of Green Ministers. [165656]

Mr. Morley: My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, is a member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

There are many meetings held to take forward the business of sustainable development at which officials are present. It would take disproportionate resources to gather this information from across the Department.

Greenhouse Gases

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the use of contraction and convergence to reduce global levels of greenhouse gas emissions; and if she will make a statement. [165270]

Mr. Morley: At the UN climate change negotiations in Milan last December the UK, as part of the EU, sought to open a technical dialogue on Contraction and Convergence and other approaches. The purpose was to start technical discussions on different methodologies to promote better understanding and build capacity. Unfortunately, we were not able to secure the necessary support to take this forward. In bilateral discussions, the UK continues to exchange views with other countries on how to promote further action post-2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she has made of the emissions of greenhouse gases in million tonnes of carbon equivalent from UK coal-fired power generation in the last three years for which figures are available; and what estimate she has made of emissions for the next three years. [165453]

 
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Mr. Morley: Greenhouse gas emissions from UK coal fired power stations were 26.6, 29.3 and 27.4 million tonnes of carbon equivalent in 2000, 2001 and 2002 respectively. These data include emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide weighted together using global warming potentials. Provisional data suggest that emissions from coal fired power stations were 30.6 million tonnes of carbon equivalent in 2003. Emissions projections are not available by individual year and are currently being revised. Initial results made available in July 2003 suggest that emissions from coal powered power stations will be about 26 million tonnes of carbon equivalent in 2005. Further results will be available soon.

Hazardous Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1620W, on hazardous waste, how the predicted number of 750,000 active producers of hazardous waste following the implementation of the revised European hazardous waste list was reached; and how she will alert the newly included producers to the inclusion of their waste arisings on the new list. [164078]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency commissioned work from consultants to inform work on the transition from the current Special Waste regime to the Hazardous Waste regime. The predicted number of 750,000 active producers of hazardous waste was derived from an analysis of the available data on the expected types of newly hazardous wastes correlated with an assessment of the numbers of those businesses likely to produce such waste.

The Department is working with key stakeholders in   the Hazardous Waste Forum including the Environment Agency the Department for Trade and Industry and Federation of Small Businesses to ensure that awareness of these changes will be brought to the attention of affected businesses.

HFCs

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the effect of the voluntary policy of reducing leakage of hydrofluorocarbons. [165274]

Mr. Morley: The voluntary policy on reducing leakage of hydrofluorocarbons has had a positive impact in terms of raising awareness. Industry stakeholders are now much more aware of the environmental threat posed by these gases, and they are actively pursuing a strategy of emission reduction.

A recent study commissioned by Defra, (AEAT/ED50090/R01) calculated projected hydroflurocarbon emissions for the period 2005–25. The study estimated that the voluntary leakage reduction policy could reduce    emissions of fluorinated gases, including hydrofluorocarbons, by approximately 3 millions tonnes of carbon equivalent over this period.

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to reduce leakage of hydrofluorocarbons. [165275]

 
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Mr. Morley: The UK is currently negotiating with other European Union Member States a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases. This Regulation is a key part of the first phase of the European Climate Change Programme. It will put in place a legislative framework to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), which are powerful greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol.

The Regulation will introduce specific measures related to the containment, use and recovery of fluorinated gases, together with a general obligation to take all abatement measures that are technically feasible and cost-effective. In addition the Regulation will provide for restrictions on the placing on the market of some products and equipment that contain fluorinated gases, and a reporting regime for producers, importers and exporters.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the emissions of hydrofluorocarbons in each year since 1995 from mobile and vehicle air conditioning; and what the forecasts are for future years. [165452]

Mr. Morley: A 2003 report commissioned by Defra indicated that emissions of hydrocarbons (MFC 134a) rose steadily from 1995–2000, from approximately 140 tonnes in 1995 to approximately 600 tonnes in 2000. This rise was due to the rapid growth of MFC-based mobile air conditioning (MAC) systems in new passenger vehicles from 10 per cent. in 1990 to 50 per cent. in 2000.

The report forecast that MFC based MAC systems would be fitted to approximately 75 per cent. of new cars by 2010, and associated emissions would continue to rise to a peak of approximately 1,270 tonnes of MFC 134a in 2010.

The proposed new EC Regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases includes provisions which would lead to a phase out from 2009 of air conditioning systems with fluorinated gases with a global warming potential higher than 150.

The Government have made it clear that they welcome the overall aim of the draft Regulation to reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gases that it covers and the environmental benefits that will be delivered. These reductions in emissions will form part of the wider efforts being taken to combat climate change.

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