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7 Jun 2004 : Column 230W—continued
Milk (Lancashire)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to retain milk processing facilities in Lancashire. [172450]
Alun Michael: The structure and location of dairy processing is a matter for individual dairy processing enterprises to determine in line with their business needs. There are currently over 100 dairy processing establishments in Lancashire, as well as many more in the adjoining counties.
Parliamentary Questions
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the Question tabled by the hon. Member for Croydon, South on 5 May, reference 171778, on energy efficiency. [176547]
Mr. Morley: I replied to the hon. Member on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1484W.
Pollution Control
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what functions local authorities discharge under the Local Authority Pollution Control Regime; and (a) what guidance her Department gives to and (b) what assessment she has made of the performance of local authorities in carrying out these functions. [175348]
Mr. Morley: Local authorities are responsible for regulating air emissions from some 17,000 industrial and other installations and regulating a wide range of environmental impacts from up to 1,000 industrial and other installations. These responsibilities involve deciding whether to issue permits to the specified installations and, if so, imposing conditions which represent the best available techniques to minimise pollution. As part of this, local authorities' functions include inspecting regulated premises and maintaining a public register.
The Department issues statutory guidance on what constitutes the best available techniques for the different sectors regulated under these regimes. We are currently reviewing the 80 air pollution control guidance notes and have issue seven guidance notes for sectors regulated for wider impacts with three more in preparation. We published last year a detailed manual on policy and procedures for these regimes. In addition, guidance is issued as the need arises to address specific
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issues. Officials meet and speak regularly with local authority representative bodies and individual local authority officers to assess guidance needs.
We commissioned an independent review of the performance of local authorities in implementing these regimes last autumn and published the report earlier this month which can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/performreview0304/index. htm. Officials will be meeting with local authority representative organisations to draw up a joint action plan in response to the review recommendations.
Private Sewers
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to report on the consultation process on the W. S. Atkins report about private sewers. [175544]
Mr. Morley: Since the consultation period ended, we have analysed responses and worked with stakeholders to identify the issues which will need to be resolved before a decision on the way forward can be made. We plan to publish a Government response to the consultation in early summer.
Recycling (Plastics)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much plastic per person was recycled in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) England in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [175634]
Mr. Morley: The 2002–03 Municipal Waste Management Survey return completed by Shrewsbury and Atcham district council, showed no record of any collections of plastics from kerbside schemes, bring sites or private/voluntary schemes.
The same 2002–03 Municipal Waste Management Survey for England shows that 3,742,000 tonnes of household waste was recycled or composted, 13,000 tonnes (or 0.347 per cent.) of which, was plastic. Per capita figures are not recorded.
Although the figures are collected on a different basis, records show that in England, 170,915 tonnes of plastic packaging were recycled in 2003. Figures for recycling plastic packaging are not available by district council area.
Sea Walls (Essex)
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many miles of sea wall on the Essex coast have been improved in each of the last 20 years; [175021]
(2) what account is taken in calculating the cost of saltwater flooding of agricultural land of (a) the impact of saltwater on cropping, (b) the cost of gypsum, (c) the cost of digging out ditches and replacing drainage and (d) the cost of additional fertilisers and sprays; [175023]
(3) what estimated yield of wheat is used in calculating the land value for cost benefit analysis of the maintenance of sea walls in Essex; [175024]
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(4) what the total cost is of (a) the Roach and Crouch Estuary Strategy study, (b) the Blackwater and Colne Estuary Strategy Study, (c) the Stour and Orwell Estuary Strategy Study, (d) the Coast Habitat Management Plan for Essex, (e) the Essex Shoreline Management Plan and (f) the Geomorphical Study for the Roach and Crouch Estuary. [175031]
Mr. Morley: The total length of seawalls in Essex is 275.6 miles (441km). A total of 63.77 miles has been raised and improved in the last 20 years. This equates to 23 per cent. of seawalls.
The following table details from Environment Agency data how many miles of seawall on the Essex coast have been improved in each of the last 20 years.
| Financial Year | Length raised and improved (miles) |
|---|---|
| 1984–85 | 8.86 |
| 1985–86 | 7.08 |
| 1986–87 | 2.17 |
| 1987–88 | 3.31 |
| 1988–89 | 1.88 |
| 1989–90 | 2.88 |
| 1990–91 | 3.50 |
| 1991–92 | 3.82 |
| 1992–93 | 4.63 |
| 1993–94 | 2.73 |
| 1994–95 | 5.30 |
| 1995–96 | 10.31 |
| 1996–97 | 3.00 |
| 1997–98 | 1.62 |
| 1998–99 | 2.06 |
| 1999–00 | Nil |
| 2000–01 | Nil |
| 2001–02 | Nil |
| 2002–03 | 0.62 |
| 2003–04 | Nil |
| Total 1984–85—3003–04 | 63.77 |
Notes:
Only lengths that have been raised to improve resistance to overtopping are included. Face protection schemes are not included.
Maintenance repairs and drainage improvements are not included.
The length protected by the Colne Barrier has been included as length improved although the walls themselves are not raised.
The impact of saltwater flooding was considered in flood damage calculations. It was determined through the appraisal of the independent land valuation agent and through consultation with local land owners:
For the application of gypsum to arable land in the first year following a flood event, a cost of £109 per hectare has been used in calculations.
For desilting and digging out ditches in the first year following a flood event, a cost of £340 per hectare of arable land and grassland has been used in calculations.
For replacing drainage in the first year following a flood event, a cost of £1,111 per hectare of arable land (assuming 100 per cent. drainage) and £555 per hectare of grassland (assuming 50 per cent. drainage) has been used in calculations.
For additional fertilizers and sprays on arable land, a cost of £91 per acre of wheat land, and £85 per acre of oil seed rape land, has been used in calculations.
For additional fertilizers and sprays on grassland, a cost of £59.50 per acre has been used in calculations. However, these costs for additional fertilizers and sprays are factored into calculations incrementally, and at different rates depending on the type of land under consideration. Four years after a hypothetical flood event on arable land, 25 per cent. of the
- fertiliser costs and 100 per cent. of the spray costs will have been factored in; whereas the same percentages will have been factored into calculations only two years after a hypothetical flood event on grassland.
The estimated yield of wheat has not been used in calculating the land value. The land value has been calculated by an independent Essex-based land valuation agent based on the prices received during recent land sales.
The yield of wheat has been used to calculate gross margins and flood damages and is dependent on the grade of arable land. The yield for poor/medium, good/heavy and good/ease working arable land, has been taken as 2.75, 3.50 and 3.62 tonnes per acre respectively.
As to the costs of studies, the expected total cost of those referred to is £1,450,000, broken down as follows:
Roach and Crouch Estuary Strategy study—£400,000. This includes an estimated £35,000 dedicated to the Geomorphological Study for the Roach and Crouch Estuary.
Colne and Blackwater Estuary Strategy study—£400,000.
Stour and Orwell Estuary Strategy Study—£350,000.
The Coastal Habitat Management Plan (CHAMP) for Essex formed part of a package of seven other CHAMPs (Norfolk and Suffolk, East Kent etc.)—the approximate cost for the Essex CHAMP was £50,000.
Essex Shoreline Management Plan—approximately £250,000.
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