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21 Jul 2004 : Column 254W—continued
Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money raised under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme has been diverted from local environmental trust distributors to the Treasury. [184644]
Mr. Morley: As part of the reform of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, approximately £84 million, £92 million and £92 million was allocated to a new public expenditure programme in England (the Waste Implementation Programme) for the financial years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06. The purpose of this programme is to take action to enable local authorities and others to meet the requirements of Article 5 of the EU Landfill Directive to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled.
Under the reformed Landfill Tax Credit Scheme approximately £47 million a year continues to be available for spending on local community environmental projects in England.
Mobile Phones/Printer Cartridges
Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) mobile phones and (b) printer cartridges were
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(i) recycled, (ii) reused overseas and (iii) disposed of within the UK waste stream in the most recent year for which figures are available. [184858]
Mr. Morley: The Government do not currently collect data on the numbers of mobile phones and printer cartridges that have been recycled, reused or disposed of in the UK waste stream.
The Government will be collecting data on the amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), including IT and telecoms equipment, reused and recycled to report to the European Commission when the producer responsibility obligations of the WEEE Directive come into force from August 2005.
National Trails
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many National Trails there are in the UK. [185095]
Alun Michael: There are 15 National Trails in England and Wales and four Long Distance Routes in Scotland.
Orchards
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional assistance will be available for orchards following the introduction of single farm payment; and if she will make a statement. [183830]
Alun Michael: The Commission has confirmed that it will carry over into the single payment scheme land in dual use such as traditional grazed orchards to be considered as forage rather than orchard land, subject to some conditions still to be clarified, and so that they qualify for payments. We are in the process of drafting detailed guidelines for the application of this guidance with the assistance of English Nature and the Forestry Commission.
Subject to approval by the European Commission, grants to farmers and other land managers for the conservation and restoration of traditional orchards will also be available under the new Environmental Stewardship Scheme, which is to replace the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Schemes in 2005.
Packaging Regulations
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to incorporate companies that fall below the minimum requirements only because of their franchise arrangements within the working of the packaging regulations. [183503]
Mr. Morley:
This is a matter currently being considered by the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) and subject to their advice, the Government may
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include proposals for amendments to the packaging Regulations in a packaging consultation document that we expect to issue next year.
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to ensure that free videos are incorporated into the working of the packaging regulations. [183504]
Mr. Morley: This is a matter currently being considered by the Advisory Committee on Packaging's (ACP) "Free Rider" Task Force. The Task Force will submit a best practice document for the identification and detection of free riders to the ACP later this year. Subject to the Committee's advice, the Government will consider what further action is needed.
Pay Systems
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library the most recent review of (a) her Department's pay systems, (b) the pay systems of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible and (c) the departmental equal pay action plan. [181346]
Alun Michael: Defra completed an Equal Pay Review and submitted this together with an action plan to Cabinet Office in April 2003. The review covered core-Defra and two of its agencies, Pesticides Safety Directorate and Veterinary Medicines Directorate, for which the core-department has pay remit negotiating responsibility.
The review found that there were no significant pay gaps within the department provided that Defra's multi-year pay settlement was fully rolled out for future years up to and including 2005–06. Defra is now entering the third year of the four-year settlement.
The Equal Pay Review has been published within Defra and has been accessible to staff via the departments' intranet, Defra Online. A copy will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Senior managers will be considering the implications of Defra's Equal Pay Review Action Plan in conjunction with developing new pay arrangements for Defra for 2006 and beyond, following the end of the current multi-year pay settlement.
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) submitted an Equal Pay Review and action plan to Cabinet Office in 2003 in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. A further Equal Pay Review has now been completed together with a revised action plan. This review and implications of the action plan on RPA pay systems is currently being considered by senior managers and the Trade Unions. Senior managers will be asked to consider placing the review and action plan in the House of Commons Library when the action plan is agreed.
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The Central Science Laboratory completed its Equal Pay Review in April 2003 and the resultant action plan was submitted to the Cabinet Office in May 2003. The contents continue to be subject to consultation with the Trade Unions.
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
In line with Cabinet Office guidance, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) completed an Equal Pay Review and submitted this together with an action plan to Cabinet Office in April 2003.
The review found that there were no significant pay gaps as a result of gender difference. There were individual problems as a legacy from earlier pay arrangements; these were addressed in the action plan.
The Equal Pay Review has been published within CEFAS and the results made known to staff. Implementation of the action plan is the subject of on-going discussions with the Trade Unions.
A copy of the Review will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Veterinary Laboratories Agency
The Veterinary Laboratories Agency completed its Equal Pay Review in April 2003 and the resultant action plan was submitted to Cabinet Office in May 2003. The review found that there were no significant pay gaps as a result of gender difference. Implementation of the action plan is the subject of ongoing discussion with the Trade Unions. A copy of the review will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Non-departmental public bodies
Non-departmental public bodies were not included in the Government commitment to carry out equal pay reviews by April 2003, although several have done so.
Pesticides
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to extend post-marketing surveillance to pesticide products in the same way as for new medicinal products. [184449]
Alun Michael:
The pesticide approvals process requires all approval holders to report any adverse effects to the Pesticides Safety Directorate. In addition a range of monitoring activities are carried out to ensure that pesticide products are formulated and used correctly. These activities include formulation analysis of pesticide products, label checks, and the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme. In addition a number of investigations are carried out by the Health and Safety Executive and local authority Trading Standards officers. Therefore, the Government have no plans to extend the post marketing surveillance of pesticide products.
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