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Sluice Gates (Queenborough)

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who owns the   sluice gates that lead into the tidal pond at the bottom of Borough Road, Queenborough, Isle of Sheppey. [171383]

Mr. Morley: I understand that Swale borough council are currently in the process of establishing the ownership of the land on which the sluice gates are located. These investigations will enable the council to establish, among other things, who is responsible for their maintenance. The council expect to conclude their investigations within a few weeks and I have asked them to inform my hon. Friend of the outcome.
 
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Supermarkets

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the regulation of prices paid to farmers by supermarkets. [174208]

Alun Michael: The price that supermarkets pay for their supplies, including those purchased direct from farmers, is a commercial matter. We have no plans to regulate this.

Two Tree Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for    Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from English Nature regarding (a) contaminated materials on Two Tree Island and (b) the management of the site. [171534]

Mr. Morley: No representation have been made by English Nature to the Secretary of State in respect of Two Tree Island landfill site. Since 2001, English Nature, as a statutory consultee on planning applications, has attended meetings about proposed developments to repair sea wall defences at two locations (NE corner & south) within the perimeter of Two Tree Island. English Nature has made formal representations to a planning application by Southend-On-Sea Borough Council in respect of the NE corner in 2004. No formal planning application has yet been received for the areas within Castle Point Borough Council.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions the Water Resources Act 1991 has been breached by release of contaminated material from Two Tree Island. [171535]

Mr. Morley: Since 1991, The Environment Agency and its predecessor body (The National Rivers Authority) have only had one report (12 October 1993 Councillor Peter Wexham, Borough of Southend-On-Sea) of a suspected breakout of landfill leachate in the area of Two Tree Island. The investigating officer at the time of the incident indicates in the file note, that he was unable to substantiate the report, as he could not pin point the exact location of the suspected leachate breakout.

The Agency does not routinely monitor Two Tree Island, but would investigate reports and concerns from external bodies including members of the public, as it normally does.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis she relies for refusing to answer questions relating to the responsibilities of the Environment Agency in respect to (a) public safety and (b) contamination from reaching the closed Two Tree Island landfill site into the Thames estuary; and if she will make a statement. [174127]

Mr. Morley: The licence for the disposal of waste on Two Tree Island was held by Essex county council until 1994 when the licence was rescinded. The land was owned by, and continues to be owned by, Southend- on-Sea borough council, who is also responsible for monitoring emissions from the site.
 
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As land-owner, the council has public safety responsibilities and must ensure that contamination does not leave the site.

The Environment Agency is not responsible for monitoring the site, but would wish to liaise with the land-owner if pollution was identified.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) short-term and (b) long-term solutions she plans to protect the (i) public and (ii) environment from leachate from the closed Two Tree Island landfill site. [174228]

Mr. Morley: As noted in the response I gave on 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 344W, Southend-on-Sea borough council and Castle Point district council are responsible for the Two Tree Island landfill site. I understand, however, that the local authorities are planning to implement the recommendations contained in the report prepared by Halcrow Fox.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the results of the Environment Agency investigations into leachate from the closed Two Tree Island landfill site. [174229]

Mr. Morley: Detailed results of the Environment Agency's investigations into leachate from the closed Two Tree Island landfill site are already publicly available on the Agency's public register that is held at Swift House, Frimley Business Park, Camberley, Surrey, GU16 5SQ.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the landfill site on Two Tree Island was closed. [174236]

Mr. Morley: The Two Tree Island waste disposal site was used for landfill operations, reportedly from the 1930s until the 1980s. The licence for the activity was rescinded in 1994.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Statutory Instruments

Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House if he will propose a change to the standing orders of the House to make provision for statutory instruments to be amended; and if he will make a statement. [175551]

Mr. Hain: A change to the standing orders of the House would not be sufficient to allow amendment of statutory instruments: an amendment of each enabling power would be needed.

In its 1996 report on Delegated Legislation, the Procedure Committee considered whether statutory instruments should be made amendable and recommended against, on the grounds that it would involve excessive complication, run directly counter to the past intentions of Parliament, and would frustrate the very purpose for which delegated powers were given.

Very little legislation currently in force allows for secondary legislation to be amended. An exception is proposed to be made in respect of emergency regulations under the current Civil Contingencies Bill.
 
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This reflects the exceptionally broad scope of the delegated powers conferred by the Bill and the circumstances in which those powers are likely to be exercised. A similar exception is made in the Emergency Powers Act 1920, which the Bill supersedes.

TRANSPORT

Speed Cameras

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money raised in fines from speed cameras during the last year for which records are available was spent in (a) West Sussex and (b) the East Worthing and Shoreham constituency. [175039]

Mr. Jamieson: The Sussex Safety Camera partnership joined the cost recovery scheme in October 2002. Details of partnership operations for 2002–2003 will be published shortly.

Blackpool Light Rail

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the impact of (a) Blackpool borough council's previous relations with light rail contractors and (b) the lack of need to divert utilities as part of the proposed Blackpool light rail upgrade on the overall risk assessment of the Blackpool light rail bid in the light of the conclusions of the National Audit Office report, "Improving public transport in England through light   rail", on cases of cost overruns in light rail schemes. [175504]

Mr. McNulty: The Department will be taking both of these factors into account in its assessment of the level of 'optimism bias' to apply to the estimated capital costs of the project, to reflect possible cost overruns.

Capital and Revenue Expenditure

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for   Transport what research his Department has undertaken to assess the relative costs and benefits of capital expenditure and revenue expenditure on transport. [173313]

Mr. McNulty: The Secretary of State assesses each scheme on its merits, capital or revenue, against a range of appraisal criteria under the New Approach to Appraisal before taking individual investment decisions. Decisions must be consistent with the Government's overall spending allocations determined as part of the budgetary process. The Government meet their golden fiscal rule, so over the economic cycle, we only borrow to invest.

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