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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 24 June 2004
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Dee Estuary
14. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the environmental impact of dredging in the Dee estuary. [180219]
Mr. Morley: Dredging in the Dee estuary is regulated by the Environment Agency in Wales with additional consents being required from both the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department for Transport.
As there is an English component to the conservation interests on the Dee, I would expect to be consulted regarding any decision to allow dredging to take place should it affect English interests.
Fisheries
15. Mr. Lazarowicz : To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks around the UK. [180221]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are a range of national and EU measures in place to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks in our waters. The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit has made far-reaching recommendations for new measures and we will be spending fully to these proposals by the end of the year.
Wild Animals
16. Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to simplify the legislation relating to the keeping of wild animals. [180222]
Mr. Morley: The Department will be publishing a consultation paper on 28 June setting out proposals for improvements to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, which regulates the keeping of dangerous wild animals by private individuals, and will also soon be publishing a draft Animal Welfare Bill.
Housing
17. Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is planning to take to mitigate the impact of building new homes upon underground aquifers. [180223]
Mr. Morley:
Water companies have a duty to supply water to domestic customers. As part of this they develop 25 year water resource plans to meet future demands of water, including those arising from new housing development.
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It is crucial that new housing and other developments incorporate water efficiency measures, and the Government encourage planners to consult with the Environment Agency and water companies at an early stage.
Greyhounds
18. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many representations she has received this year on the welfare of racing greyhounds; and if she will make a statement. [180224]
Mr. Bradshaw: I regret that the Department is unable to provide such detail because of the many different ways in which representations are made, including by letter, e mail, petitions and postcard campaigns.
There has been a large number of representations on greyhounds this year, encouraged, no doubt, by a campaign run by a major animal welfare organisation.
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been prosecuted under the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 with regard to greyhounds in each of the last 10 years. [179232]
Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
It is not possible to identify those prosecutions under the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 that relate to greyhounds because details of the circumstances of the offences are not collected centrally.
Civil Servants
19. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the implications of the Gershon Review for levels of staffing in her Department. [180225]
Margaret Beckett: The settlement for the 2004 Spending Review, including the outcome to the efficiency review, has not been finalised yet. Once it has been concluded, the potential impact on staff will be identified.
Coastal Defence
21. Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the priority score criteria used in assessing coastal defence schemes. [180227]
Mr. Morley: Defra funds projects based on a published priority score system which applies equally to all projects, coastal or otherwise. The score takes account of the number of people protected, benefits as compared to costs, and environmental protection and enhancement. Eligible projects which score at or above the announced threshold will be funded. The threshold score for projects to start in 2004–05 is 20.
Single Farm Payment
22. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the proposed cross-compliance conditions for the single farm payment. [180228]
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Margaret Beckett: The deadline for responses to the consultation on proposed and possible measures for cross compliance ended on 20 June. We have received 451 presentations from a wide range of stakeholders and officials are now considering the responses.
Aluminium Powder
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the trends have been since 1997 in respect of the concentration of aluminium powder in air. [179457]
Alun Michael: Defra monitors ambient aluminium concentrations at three locations: Chilton, Oxfordshire; Styrrup, Yorkshire; and Wraymires, Cumbria. The following table shows annual mean air concentrations from 1997 to 2002 (the latest year that data are available). Details of the monitoring data are available in reports published on Defra's Air Quality Archive at www.airquality.co.uk.
| Chilton | Styrrup | Wraymires | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 110 | 145 | 54 |
| 1998 | 92 | 137 | 58 |
| 1999 | 68 | 110 | 67 |
| 2000 | 100 | 140 | 49 |
| 2001 | 76 | 110 | 42 |
| 2002 | 82 | 120 | 40 |
Beef Exports
Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met officials from the European Commission to discuss beef exports. [180226]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, meets Commissioner Byrne regularly at Agriculture Councils to discuss various issues, including beef exports. DEFRA officials also have regular meetings with officials from the Commission.
Cetacean By-catch
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what conclusions she has drawn from this season's monitoring of cetacean by-catch. [179267]
Mr. Bradshaw: I have not yet received the report of this season's monitoring of cetacean by-catch. However, as soon as I receive it I shall give careful consideration to whether any further regulatory measures are necessary to reduce cetacean by-catch caused by interactions with fisheries.
Cod Recovery Programme
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of multi-rig trawls on the cod recovery programme. [180220]
Mr. Bradshaw:
We are concerned about the increased catching efficiency of multi-rig trawls. They have the potential to undermine restrictions on fishing effort in the cod recovery programme.
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Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on payments for orchards under Common Agricultural Policy reform, with particular reference to the eligibility for payments of different types of orchards. [178200]
Alun Michael: Under the CAP reform agreement reached last year, the new Single Payment will not normally be payable on land under permanent crops, including orchard fruit. This rule applies throughout the European Community. The scope of a possible exception for traditional grazed orchards, in line with current provisions, is being explored with the European Commission.
Entitlements to subsidy under the new scheme will be established in 2005 on the basis of eligible land declared in that year, which includes having the land at his disposal for at least a 10 month period. The start of this period may be any date from 1 October this year to 30 April next, at the grower's discretion.
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