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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 20 July 2004

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Job Losses (Civil Servants)

Mr. Evans: To ask the Leader of the House how many of the reductions in the numbers of civil servants in his Office announced in the comprehensive spending review will be of special advisers. [185467]

Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave today.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Climate Change

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the terms of reference are for the review of the Government's climate change strategy; what procedures she has established for the conduct of the review; and when she expects to publish the final report. [183680]

Mr. Morley: The Government remain committed to reviewing the UK climate change programme this year. We will be making an announcement shortly on our plans for the review.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has commissioned on the implications of Common Agricultural Policy reform; and when she next plans to meet her European Union counterparts to discuss Common Agricultural Policy reform. [184007]

Alun Michael: Defra commissioned several analyses of the likely impacts of the reform proposals before they were agreed, to help inform the Government's negotiating position. In addition analysis of the redistribution of subsidy and other effects arising from implementation of the Single Payment Scheme in England was carried out in-house. These studies are all published on Defra's website. A programme to monitor and evaluate the CAP reforms is also being put in place. This will include a CAP Environmental Observatory to monitor the environmental impacts of changing farm practices and production levels, and a project to analyse the economic linkages of the agricultural industry, including the Single Payment Scheme, with the wider rural economy.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, met her European counterparts at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 19 July, where she set out the UK's views on reform of the CAP sugar regime and on
 
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proposals to review the EU's Rural Development Regulation—an increasingly important element of the CAP.

Health and Pesticide Exposure

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the report of the survey of Health and Pesticide Exposure, undertaken by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to be published; and if she will make a statement. [184612]

Alun Michael: The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine sent a preliminary report to Defra on the afternoon of Tuesday 13 July 2004.

This is a preliminary draft that has not yet been subject to peer review, as is usual prior to the publication of any scientific report. We are currently seeking independent experts to carry out such a review. We will send their comments to the researcher at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, inviting him to address them in his final report. This may necessitate redrafting the report. We hope that this process will be completed by the end of October.

Defra is also continuing to seek the contractor's co-operation with an independent audit of the clinical phase of the study. This was described in my answer to the hon. Member's previous question given on 26 May 2004. It is hoped that this will be completed by late autumn this year.

Landfill Gas

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many megawatts of renewable energy were generated from landfill gas in each year since 1998; and what projections she has made of how much renewable energy will be generated from landfill gas in each year from 2005 to 2010. [181223]

Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.

Electricity generation from landfill gas in the UK in each year since 1998 is as follows:

	MWh
1998	1,185,000
1999	1,703,000
2000	2,188,000
2001	2,507,000
2002	2,679,000
2003	3,276,000

Source:
Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2004

Forecasts of renewables are not giving for individual technologies because the Renewables Obligation is market led and therefore the precise make up in the future will be decided by the market.

Milk

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many litres
 
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of liquid milk were imported into the UK from EU countries in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin. [172935]

Alun Michael [pursuant to his reply, 20 May 2004, c. 1110W]: My answer referred to a table showing UK imports of liquid milk from the EU 15 member states in
 
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each of the last five years to 2003, broken down by country of despatch and a footnote made clear that the figures were provisional and subject to amendment. It has since been established that a figure under the 2003 entry for the Irish Republic was incorrect. The figure should have read 19,494 thousand litres. The rest of the answer remains correct and the amended table is as follows:
UK imports of liquid milk from EU15 countries, 1999–2003 Thousand litres

Country	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	Grand total
Irish Republic	60,342	60,199	54,835	26,233	19,494	221,103
Denmark	30,334	25,166	9,421	795	425	66,140
Germany	17,078	19,531	11,196	5,629	3,888	57,323
France	13,288	8,514	9,667	10,299	8,600	50,368
Belgium	6,786	6,922	3,811	2,345	3,759	23,624
Netherlands	3,620	462	919	2,198	1,027	8,227
Austria	2,844	1,355	—	—	—	4,200
Italy	114	214	91	101	70	590
Portugal	—	0	—	—	40	40
Spain	23	14	—	—	—	37
Sweden	1	—	—	—	—	1
EU 15 total	134,431	122,378	89,940	47,600	37,303

Single Farm Payments

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what conclusions she has reached about the future prospects for (a) tenant farmers, (b) livestock farmers, (c) arable farmers, (d) horticulture producers, (e) moorland farmers, (f) non-moorland, severely disadvantaged area farmers, (g) traditional family farms and (h) all other farms following her Department's published assessment of the likely impact of her plans for the future disbursement of single farm payments. [184759]

Alun Michael: By decoupling subsidy and implementing the Single Payment Scheme in England, as announced on 22 April, the Government are providing a policy framework conducive to encouraging enterprise and market orientation in line with the Strategy for Sustainable Food and Farming. Future prospects for agriculture depend on various factors but the Government are optimistic that farmers and growers will rise to the challenges and opportunities that present themselves.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire representing the House of Commons Commission if he will review the workings of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978 in the light of progress with the implementation of the Braithwaite Report on the structures and procedures of the House, with particular reference to the recommendation contained in it that there should be a further review in about five years from July 1999. [184408]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: Almost all the recommendations of the 1999 Braithwaite Report have been implemented by the House of Commons Commission. There has been continuing follow-up, including review of estates and works, and reporting services. The Commission frequently discusses House governance issues; most recently, at its June and July meetings, considering the recommendations of a major review of IS/IT governance, which will be taken forward in consultation with the Information Committee and the authorities of the House of Lords. In the circumstances, I see no current need for a broader review.

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