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5 Jul 2004 : Column 443W—continued
Rural Housing
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance
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the Department has provided to individual rural housing schemes in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority area. [180390]
Alun Michael: Financial assistance in support of housing is a matter for the Deputy Prime Minister whose Department provided £85 million in 2003–04 (through the Housing Corporation) in support of affordable housing schemes in local authority areas with rural districts.
Defra, through the Countryside Agency and ODPM through the Housing Corporation have financed Rural Housing Enablers. These enablers work with rural communities, housing associations, local authorities and landowners to help increase the supply of affordable housing in rural settlements.
The full breakdown of ODPM support allocated through the Housing Corporation to local authority areas with rural districts for in 2003–04 is detailed as follows. We are not able to breakdown the figures below the level of district to show which units are in rural settlements in the district:
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Self-storage
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Environment Agency has received representations concerning the storage of waste in self-storage sites; and if she will make a statement. [179737]
Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency have not received any representations about the storage of waste at self-storage sites.
Storage of waste independent from the site of production is an activity requiring a permit or Waste Management Licence.
Any producer of waste who needs to alter the arrangements for temporary storage of waste, pending disposal or recovery may either, (i) apply to the Agency to modify an existing permit or Waste Management Licence; or (ii) make suitable arrangements for the waste management contractor for off-site storage. The Agency has been urging businesses to check that their waste management arrangements remain secure as the ban on landfill co-disposal approaches.
Thames Barrier
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 June 2004, Official Report, column 291W, on the Thames Barrier, what assessment she has made of the Chief Scientific Adviser's statement of 31 March that climate change is a reason for increased use of the Thames Barrier. [180287]
Mr. Morley: I am not aware that the Chief Scientific adviser made a statement on 31 March that climate change is a reason for increased use of the Thames Barrier. However, this issue was raised when he provided evidence to the EFRA Committee on Climate Change, Water Security and Flooding on 12 May, when he said that increased use of the Barrier is an indication of the influences of global warming.
The Barrier is closed to protect London from extreme high tidal waters generated by storm surges in the North Sea and to provide storage for extreme freshwater flows, which would threaten west London, and combinations of these phenomena.
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It is true that recent years have seen an increase in frequency of Barrier closures but whether this is attributable to changes in operational procedures, increased fluvial flows or climate change is difficult to accurately measure. One factor is that mean sea level and extreme tidal waters are expected to increase as the South East of England continues to fall relative to sea level. This was factored into the design of the Barrier.
Water Treatment
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which UK water treatment works are provided with (a) activated carbon filtration systems, (b) ozone filtration systems and (c) both activated carbon and ozone filtration systems; and where each is located. [180615]
Mr. Morley: Water treatment works in the UK which use either activated carbon filtration, or ozonation, or a combination of both processes are not readily identifiable. Granular activated carbon filtration is a standard part of the treatment process at many of the larger water treatment works in England and Wales, particularly where the raw water is derived from river and other surface water sources. In most cases ozonation may be used, either continuously or intermittently, in combination with the activated carbon filtration. A number of groundwater sources are also treated by activated carbon filtration alone, or ozonation followed by activated carbon filtration, depending on the type of contaminants that need to be removed.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of UK water treatment works is provided with (a) activated carbon filtration systems, (b) ozone filtration systems and (c) both activated carbon and ozone filtration systems. [180616]
Mr. Morley: The percentage of water treatment works in the UK which are provided with either activated carbon filtration, or ozonation, or a combination of both processes is not readily identifiable. The treatment cycle at many of the larger water treatment works in England and Wales includes ozonation followed by activated carbon filtration, particularly when treating water derived from river and other surface water sources. Some works use granular activated carbon filtration in combination with other processes. A number of groundwater sources are also treated by activated carbon filtration alone, or by ozonation followed by activated carbon filtration.
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