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Fallen Stock

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who provides a fallen stock service free of charge to the farming industry. [176781]

Mr. Bradshaw: One would normally expect those providing such a service to make a charge. However, there may be examples where charges are waived or are negligible for certain types of livestock and where farmers and those providing the service have other informal arrangements, e.g. some hunt kennels may collect calves at no cost in return for farmers allowing hunts to use their land.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to (a) farmers and (b) the Government are of the fallen stock disposal scheme; whether the deadline for the scheme has been met; and if she will make a statement. [179596]

 
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Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 21 June 2004]: The cost to farmers will be a small annual subscription fee to cover administration costs, likely to be around £25 in the first year, and thereafter will depend on their usage of the Scheme. The Government, including devolved administrations has said it will put £20 million into the Scheme over its first three years. The Scheme is scheduled to start in the autumn of this year.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the pre-testing of fallen stock; and if she will make a statement. [179597]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 21 June 2004]: I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to plans for testing of fallen stock that enter the proposed National Fallen Stock Scheme in which case the government has no plans to do so. There are already arrangements in place for testing for TSEs in fallen cattle and sheep.

Fish Stocks

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the impact on fish stocks of the rise in sea water temperature; and if she will make a statement. [179404]

Mr. Bradshaw: Changes in sea temperature could potentially affect stock distribution, spawning, migratory patterns and survival of very young fish but the effect of long term temperature trends on fish stocks is not easy to predict. Defra has commissioned a range of science to improve our understanding of the processes and predictions. Our monitoring of sea fish stocks allows for an appropriate management response as we begin to observe changes. Fishing rates on many stocks remains high, and if those stocks are also under pressure due to ecosystem change, then this reinforces the need for effective fisheries management.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 24 May; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [176229]

Margaret Beckett: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary and I represented the United Kingdom at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 24 May 2004.

The first agenda item, held as a public debate, was the Council Decision for the establishment of Regional Advisory Councils (RACs). RACs will enable the fishing industry and other stakeholders to have an input in the Common Fisheries Policy management process. The Council Decision provides the basic principles and guidelines for setting up RACs, and should enable interested parties to take forward their proposals quickly. We in common with most other member states stressed the importance of RACs as a key part of CFP reform, marking a step change towards more inclusive and regionally-focused fisheries management. There was unanimous support for the Decision, which incorporated important amendments on transparency,
 
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increased Community funding for RACs and provision for a seventh RAC to cover stakeholder interests in non-EC waters. The other six RACs will cover the North Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic, South Western Waters, North Western Waters and the pelagic fishery (species such as herring and mackerel).

We explained to colleagues in the Council that the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit had recently published a report of recommendations for a sustainable and profitable UK fishing industry. We noted that the report was relevant at EU level, and indicated that we were looking to engage with colleagues on these issues.

The Council agreed a number of changes to the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) to make funding available at the discretion of member states: for the implementation of the strategy for the sustainable development of European aquaculture (part of CFP reform); to increase support to those in the catching sector subject to stock recovery plans, and to support the fitting of acoustic devices (pingers) on fishing nets to reduce by-catches of small cetaceans.

The Council received a report from Commissioner Fischler on developments in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations following the recent Lamy-Fischler letter to WTO Trade Ministers amplifying the EU's negotiating position, and on the negotiations on a possible EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. A number of Ministers stressed the importance of the Commission playing its hand carefully in these talks, avoiding the risk of giving concessions that were unreciprocated. I and several other colleagues endorsed the Commission's negotiating strategy and emphasised the importance of securing a framework DDA agreement before the summer break if at all possible.

Slaughter (Regulation)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to change the regulation of animal slaughter in respect of (a) Halal and (b) Shechita practices in order to improve animal welfare. [179451]

Mr. Bradshaw: Our draft response to the 94 recommendations in the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report on the welfare of red meat animals at slaughter was issued for public consultation on 1 April. We will carefully consider all the comments received before issuing our formal response. This will include our response to the recommendation on slaughter without prior stunning.

TREASURY

Civil Service Relocation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants and what percentage of the total Civil Service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the West Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire. [180171]

Mr. Boateng: The Lyons report gives details of Department's relocation plans, which are being taken forward and refined as part of the Spending Review. The
 
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Government will announce proposals for implementing and monitoring the dispersal plans in the review. It will be for departments themselves to determine their own dispersal strategies in the light of their particular business needs and priorities.

Corporate Taxation

Mr. Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential impact on UK corporate taxation of European Court of Justice decisions relating to the profits and losses of UK companies operating in other EU countries. [179403]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government closely monitors all cases referred to the ECJ that might affect the UK taxation of corporate profits. Where decisions have affected the UK position, the Government have always taken swift action to address the issues and will do so in the future.

Performance Indicators

Mr. Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish (a) new performance indicators and (b) a table of performance rankings for (i) Departments and (ii) Ministers. [179605]

Mr. Boateng: No. Spending Review 2002 set Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets for all main Departments, which set out the key performance priorities for each area of Government. Ministers are publicly accountable for the delivery of PSAs, and Departments report progress on PSAs regularly. However, the measures in PSAs are specific to each policy area, and as such are not comparable between Departments.

Tax Credits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the reasons for the methods of payment of back payments for (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit. [179774]

Dawn Primarolo: Payment of any tax credits arrears is made direct into bank, building society or Post Office card accounts—or, where that is not possible, by cheque.

This minimises delay and follows the normal method of payment of awards for child tax credit and the child care element of working tax credit. Paying direct into accounts assures a safe, modern and efficient way of paying tax credits that meets people's needs. Where account details have not yet been provided to the Inland Revenue—perhaps while an account is still being set up—payments are initially made by cheque to help minimise any delay.

Currently the non child care elements of working tax credit are paid indirectly by employers alongside wages, wherever possible; although, as my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the Budget, the Government are currently consulting with a view to moving to direct payment.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many awards of child tax credit in respect of 2003–04 have (a) been finalised and (b) not yet been finalised. [172898]

 
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Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Richard Burden) on 19 November 2003, Official Report, columns 1099–1100W.

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