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22 Jul 2004 : Column 410W—continued
Fruit
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the proportion by (a) value and (b) quantity of fruit consumed in the UK that was produced in the UK in each of the last three years for which records are available. [185173]
Alun Michael: The following table provides details of the quantity and value of UK fruit production and supply.
| Quantity (Thousand tonnes) | Value (£ million) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| UK production | 330 | 290 | 242 | 238 | 253 | 281 |
| Imports | 2,868 | 2,988 | 2,979 | 1,482 | 1,612 | 1,712 |
| Exports(5) | 73 | 69 | 78 | 41 | 47 | 48 |
| Total supply(6) | 3,125 | 3,209 | 3,143 | 1,679 | 1,818 | 1,945 |
| Production as percentage of total supply | 11 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
(5) Exports includes imported fruit subsequently re-exported.
(6) UK production plus imports less exports.
Customs and Excise overseas trade information does not distinguish exports of fruit produced in the UK from re-exports of imported fruit. Also food consumption survey data does not distinguish UK and imported produce. This makes it difficult to provide accurate information on consumption of UK produced fruit. Therefore information has been presented to show the proportion of the total supply of fruit in the UK that is represented by UK production.
The main fruits produced on a commercial scale in the UK include apples (where the production as a percentage of total supply was 21 per cent. by quantity in 2003), pears (20 per cent.), strawberries (53 per cent.) and raspberries (63 per cent.).
For other fruits, for example oranges, bananas, peaches, nectarines, grapes, and pineapples, the UK is virtually entirely dependent on imports.
Fuel Poverty
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in eradicating fuel poverty. [185763]
Mr. Morley: The Government's Second Annual Progress Report highlighted the progress made in tackling fuel poverty. The outlook is encouraging. In 2002 it is estimated there was a drop in the number of fuel poor households in the UK to around 2½ million, from 3 million in 2001. We remain committed to tackling the issue of fuel poverty.
Green Minister
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the activities of the Green Minister in the Department in financial year 2003–04. [185112]
Mr. Morley: My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, is Defra's Green Minister and in this role is a Member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. I chair the Sub-Committee. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.
Sustainable development is the overarching aim of Defra. Therefore, the work of all Defra's ministers, including the Green Minister, contributes to this aim. Consequently, it is not possible to separate the role of the Green Minister from Lord Whitty's other work in the financial year 2003–04 .
Important pieces of work that Lord Whitty has been involved with over the last year include publication of a UK Framework for Sustainable Consumption and Production in conjunction with the DTI, the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy, the UK initiative on developing a global Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership and agreement on several chapters of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. Lord Whitty also represented Defra on the Ministerial Group for Implementation of the Energy White Paper and covers energy efficiency and fuel poverty.
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Greenhouse Gases
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the external costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions, with particular reference to the environmental costs. [184580]
Mr. Morley: A Government Economic Service working paper "Estimating the Social Cost of Carbon Emissions" was published as a joint Defra-Treasury publication, and this contains estimates of the external costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions. This paper is available on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/carbon- cost/index.htm along with other papers describing the Government's work on the social cost of carbon.
Hazardous Waste
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of hazardous waste produced in 2003–04, broken down by (a) quantity and (b) type. [183813]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 13 July 2004]: None. Data on hazardous waste (as consigned special waste) are reported by calendar year. That for 2003 is currently being processed by the Environment Agency and is expected to be available in September.
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
Mr. Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in Northampton have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. [184840]
Mr. Morley: The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme is now marketed as Warm Front. Between the launch of the scheme in June 2000 and the end of March 2004, approximately 873 households in Northampton received assistance from the Scheme.
Departmental Housing
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many empty houses her Department is responsible; and if she will make a statement. [182155]
Alun Michael: The Department is currently responsible for three empty houses. Our agents have been instructed to dispose of them by sale on the open market.
Kite Flying
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department issues to (a) local authorities and (b) others relating to the banning of kite flying in certain public places. [184120]
Alun Michael:
Our guidance notes on the procedures for making byelaws explain how to ban kite flying in the countryside. There is additional guidance in "Managing Coastal Activities: A Guide for Local Authorities". Both of these documents can be found on the Defra website. Hard copies of the general guidance may be
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obtained by writing to Defra's countryside recreation branch, Zone 1/03, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6EB. The guidance on coastal activities is available from Defra Publications, Admail 6000, London, SW1A 2XX, Tel: 08459 556000.
There are occasions, particularly in relation to public safety, when byelaws are the only answer to managing recreational activities; we encourage local authorities and others to look first at other solutions. Schemes for self-regulation can enable the public to continue to enjoy as wide a range of activities as possible.
Landfill
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much hazardous waste has been disposed of to landfill in each year since 1997. [183828]
Mr. Morley: Data for the fate of consigned special waste have been collated centrally by the Environment Agency from 1998 to 2002 and are as follows; 2003 data are in preparation.
Special waste consigned to landfill disposal for the years:
| Million tonnes | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 (combined) | 2.3 |
| 2000 | 2.1 |
| 2001 | 2.3 |
| 2002 | 2.0 |
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where funds diverted to the Treasury from the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme since 2003 have been spent, broken down by (a) region and (b) project. [184643]
Mr. Morley: As part of the reform of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme approximately £84/92/92 million has been allocated to sustainable waste management in England (£100/110/110 million to the UK as a whole) for the financial years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06. A new public expenditure programme, delivered jointly by Defra and the Waste and Resources Action Programme, has been established for England. The new Waste Implementation Programme is designed to accelerate progress towards meeting the landfill directive targets.
The Waste Implementation Programme is taking forward a package of strategic measures recommended by the Strategy Unit in "Waste Not Want Not", published in November 2002. Key areas of action so far (including indicative three-year funding allocations) include the following:
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In addition to these programmes, the Waste Implementation Programme contributed £29 million in 2003–04 and 2004–05 to boost Defra's Waste Minimisation and Recycling ("Challenge") Fund. This fund provides project-based funding to local authorities to enable them to roll out high-quality recycling and home composting schemes in their area.
The Waste Implementation Programme has also provided £20 million in targeted grants to local authorities in 2004–05. This grant is designed to reduce the pressure faced by councils to fund services such as waste management through increases in council tax.
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