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Radioactive Water Vapour

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department will take to ensure that the incident of radioactive water vapour emitted into the atmosphere on 9 June at Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station does not harm the environment. [180302]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 29 June 2004]: A small, unplanned release of radioactivity from the Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station occurred on 9 June as a result of a leak from a pump. It is not expected that the annual limits for this site for the radionuclides involved will be breached as a result of this incident. The Environment Agency has kept the releases to the environment under close review and an initial assessment indicates that the environmental impact has not been significant. The Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive are continuing to investigate the cause of the incident and are considering what further action, if any, may be necessary.
 
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Recycling

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the latest figures on recycling referred to by the Minister of State for the Environment on Newsnight on Tuesday 15 June. [180946]

Mr. Morley: The figures referred to were the initial results of the Municipal Waste Management Survey 2002–03 which were published on the Defra website on 28 April 2004. These are the latest figures on recycling and composting performance in England, and can be accessed through the following link:

http://defraweb/news/2004/040429a.htm

Full results from the Municipal Waste Management Survey 2002–03 will be published at the end of July 2004.

Rural Housing

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent Countryside Agency report on homelessness in rural areas, with particular reference to discussions she has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on steps to increase the supply of (a) affordable and (b) social housing. [180389]

Alun Michael: The Government have welcomed the Countryside Agency report showing that for many, rural England is a good place to live and giving useful pointers on the scale of rural housing need. The State of the Countryside Report has contributed greatly to our understanding of rural areas in England.

I have had a number of meetings with my ministerial colleagues in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the issue of rural housing. In recent months we have also taken part in open discussions including the Rural Affairs Forum for England, regional conferences on housing, a seminar organised by the Rural Group of Labour MPs and the Labour Party Spring Conference.

The Housing Corporation's rural target is to provide 3,500 affordable homes over 2004–06 in settlements below 3,000 people. This follows the Rural White Paper commitment to approve 1,600 homes in small settlements by 2003–04—double that in 2000–01.

In 2002–03, the Housing Corporation approved spending on 1,579 homes in small rural settlements (exceeding their target of 1,300) with local authorities funding 515 homes. In 2003–04 the Housing Corporation and local authorities approved a further 4,988 homes in larger rural areas and market towns.

We are also improving the ways in which homelessness is prevented and have provided rural authorities with over £4 million in each of the last three years to support homelessness prevention strategies.

Waste Management

Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what action the Government are taking in developing waste to energy schemes in the UK; [181788]

(2) what the Government's policy is on the usage of gasification techniques to convert waste into energy. [181789]
 
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(3) what plans she has to make a distinction in regulation between older technologies used for incineration of waste and newer, more environmentally friendly alternatives, with particular reference to (a) gasification and (b) pyrolysis. [181790]

Mr. Morley: The Government have no plans for any number of energy from waste facilities to be built. The choice of waste management options is a matter for individual Local Authorities to decide according to their local circumstances and needs as set out in their Waste Local Plans and waste management strategies.

We are aware of the new processes that are becoming available, such as pyrolysis, gasification and anaerobic digestion and the potential benefits for the environment and human health. Defra's Waste Implementation Programme is directing some of its funding to developing demonstration units in this country for a range of new technologies, which may include energy recovery processes.

Meanwhile the processes named above do qualify as eligible renewable sources for the purposes of the Renewable Obligation Order 2002.

The regulation of waste management processes is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. Processes involving the thermal treatment of wastes for the production of energy are regulated under the recently adopted Directive 2000/76/EC on the Incineration of Waste. Pyrolysis and gasification involving the production of energy are specifically included within the scope of this Directive and there is no latitude to differentiate between technologies.

Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether environmental legislation treats incineration in the UK in the same way as more environmentally friendly chemical and thermo processes of (a) gasification and (b) pyrolysis. [181791]

Mr. Morley: Directive 2000/76/EC on the incineration of waste applies to incineration plant new or substantially changed since 28 December 2002, and to pre-existing incineration plant from 28 December 2005. The Directive has been transposed into UK law by Regulations and Directions.

"Incineration plant" in the Directive and hence the UK transposition of it means

'any stationary or mobile technical unit and equipment dedicated to the thermal treatment of wastes with or without recovery of the combustion heat generated. This includes the incineration by oxidation of waste as well as other thermal treatment processes such as pyrolysis, gasification or plasma processes in so far as the substances resulting from the treatment are subsequently incinerated'

WALES

Dentistry

12. Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with National Assembly for Wales Secretaries on funding for dentistry in Wales. [181924]

 
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14. Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had since 9 June with National Assembly for Wales Secretaries on funding for dentistry in Wales. [181926]

Mr. Touhig: I discussed dentistry in Wales with the Assembly Health Minister on 16 June, at one of our regular bilateral meetings.

Departmental Websites

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total cost of his Department's websites was in the most recent year for which figures are available. [178788]

Mr. Touhig: Service provision for the Wales Office website for the year beginning 1 September 2003 cost a total of £5,000—costing £1,000 for provision of hardware and service, £1,000 for provision of connectivity and £3,000 for provision of service support.

Empty Houses

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales for how many empty houses his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement. [182240]

Mr. Touhig: None.

Milford Haven

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the proposals by Petroplus to upgrade the liquefied natural gas handling facility at Milford Haven on the wider Haven area, in terms of (a) commercial and (b) private development; and if he will make a statement. [179860]

Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office has no role in the assessment of such projects. Economic, social and environmental impacts will have been considered during planning process.

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