---

 
15 Jun 2004 : Column 789W
 

Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 15 June 2004

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Initiatives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) budget, (b) expenditure and (c) amount spent on administration was for each area-based initiative for which her Department and its predecessors have been responsible in each year since 1997. [177108]

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:

1. Warm Zones

DEFRA and DTI jointly contributed £0.5 million each towards the pilot programme of five Warm Zones to run from 2001–04, which brings together a range of public and private sector funding. An independent evaluation of the pilots is being carried out by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of DEFRA. Final results of the evaluation are expected at the end of 2004.

2. Market Towns Initiative

£37 million has been provided to the Regional Development Agencies and the Countryside Agency since 2000 to reinvigorate small rural towns, help them meet the needs of local people and provide access to a wide range of retail, leisure, professional and public services and enables regional partnerships to target towns in their region according to selection criteria agreed regionally. A full assessment of this initiative is under way.

3. Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Programme

The Department is to provide £10 million over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06 for capacity building in the voluntary sector in rural areas. During 2003–04 £86,000 has gone toward developing Voluntary and Community Sector consortia across the existing or former shire county areas. The remainder will be spent during 2004–05 and 2005–06 on the delivery of generalist and specialist support to the Sector frontline bodies in rural areas. The first strand will go towards priorities identified by these county consortia, the second will be to increase the uptake of financial entitlements among pensioners in some rural areas and the third will be go towards researching the potential for sustainable income generation through trading by rural voluntary and community organisations.

Horse Passports

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to implement a system of horse passports; and if she will make a statement on her strategy for increasing public awareness of the need for such passports prior to their implementation. [177705]

 
15 Jun 2004 : Column 790W
 

Alun Michael: Legislation on requirements for horse passports came into effect on 30 November 2003. This has been updated by the Horse Passports (England) Regulations 2004, which came into force on 10 June.

We have worked alongside the horse industry and passport issuing organisations to publicise this requirement. Bearing in mind the diversity of the target audience, our strategy has been to concentrate on specialist and regional media for news and advertising activity, and providing information direct to a full range of horse establishments (including riding stables, retail and service outlets.)

Moorland Fires

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial and other support her Department (a) has given, (b) is giving and (c) plans to give to the use of helicopters in fighting moorland fires. [178099]

Alun Michael: No support is given to this activity, nor has support been given in the past but officials will review the position as part of a forthcoming review of policy concerning moorland management.

Orchards

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the acreage of (a) apple, (b) pear, (c) plum and (d) cherry orchards is in active production in England; and whether that has varied over the last 10 years. [177782]

Alun Michael: The following figures show the total estimated area of orchard fruit from 1994 to 2003 in England and Wales.
Crop area (hectares)

	Apples (dessert and culinary)	Pears	Plums	Cherries
1994	14,477	3,032	1,669	611
1995	12,797	2,941	1,588	604
1996	11,993	2,739	1,444	592
1997	12,783	2,665	1,672	645
1998	12,506	2,500	1,596	578
1999	12,013	2,360	1,367	591
2000	11,457	2,355	1,213	459
2001	9,970	2,330	1,072	473
2002	8,373	2,041	947	428
2003	7,796	1,742	1,003	381

Notes:
1. Data for 1994 and 1995 relates to England only.
2. Data for 1994 to 2000 inclusive excludes minor holdings.
3. The Orchard Fruit Survey is conducted on a sample basis with estimates made for non-responders and those holdings not surveyed.
Source:
Orchard Fruit Survey (England and Wales)

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money was paid to English apple growers under the Countryside Stewardship scheme in each of the last 10 years. [177786]

 
15 Jun 2004 : Column 791W
 

Mr. Bradshaw: Annual payments to Countryside Stewardship agreement holders, for the restoration of traditional orchards in each of the last 10 years were as follows:
£000

	Amount
1994	99
1995	133
1996	146
1997	192
1998	220
1999	265
2000	294
2001	343
2002	387
2003	470

These orchards can be apple, pear, cherry, plum or damson, or cider and perry orchards, or cob nut platts.

Water Technologies

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications have been received for products to be included in the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme for Water Technologies; and how many have been refused. [175276]

Margaret Beckett: Since the launch of the scheme, 366 applications for inclusion of products have been received. Of these applications, 147 have been refused inclusion in the scheme, as the products failed to meet the relevant technical specifications.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost is to date of the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme for Water Technologies. [175277]

Margaret Beckett: When the Government announced the introduction of the scheme in 2003, it published estimated Exchequer costs of £20 million in 2003–04, £30 million in 2004–05 and £25 million in 2005–06.

Actual Exchequer costs will depend upon take-up of the qualifying technology products. It is too early to comment on the actual take-up.

Working Time Directive

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees in her Department have (a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in her Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available. [178363]

Alun Michael: Currently 13 staff in DEFRA have signed voluntary agreements to disapply the 48 hour limit set by the Working Time Regulations. The Department has determined that none of its staff is exempt from their provisions. The Department does not have centralised records to show how many staff have worked in excess of the maximum in the last month. The Regulations require that the 48 hour limit is measured
 
15 Jun 2004 : Column 792W
 
over a 17 week period but a flexibility to the Regulations introduced in 1999 removed the requirement for employers to keep records of the hours worked by staff who voluntarily agree to disapply the limit. DEFRA has stated its commitment to keep to an absolute minimum the numbers of staff who regularly work more than 48 hours per week and continually reviews this including staff who are working close to but may not actually exceed the limit.

Wyevale Garden Centre (Birds)

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason her Department granted a licence to Wyevale Garden Centre near Thornbury to shoot robins; and if she will make a statement. [176392]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 27 May 2004]: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes provision for a system of licensing to allow certain persons to undertake actions against birds which would otherwise be illegal in terms of the Act.

Section 16(1)(i) gives powers to the Secretary of State to grant licences for the purpose of preserving public health or public or air safety, subject to there being no other satisfactory solution.

An application was received by the Department to kill a small number of robins that were persistently fouling a cafeteria located within a garden centre. The application was considered by one of the Department's wildlife management advisers and based on the adviser's recommendation the licensing unit granted a licence to allow up to four robins to be killed to preserve public health and safety. An investigation of this case, showing that the shooting of the birds by a pest control company was legal and proper procedures were followed, was published on the DEFRA website (www.defra.gov.uk) on 11 June.

---