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1 Sept 2004 : Column 800W—continued
BSE
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which countries have identified cases of BSE. [184234]
Mr. Bradshaw: In addition to the United Kingdom, the following countries have identified cases of BSE:
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
USA.
Cage and Aviary Birds
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 5 July 2004, Official Report, column 437W, on cage and aviary birds, what measures her Department takes to ensure that the Pet Animals Act 1951 is enforced at exhibitions of cage and aviary birds where sales take place; and if she will make a statement. [183290]
Mr. Bradshaw: Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the Pet Animals Act 1951 and how it should be applied to events where the selling of cage and aviary birds takes place.
Captive Birds and Animals
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to propose legislation to ban the sale of captive birds and animals at fairs and exhibitions; and if she will make a statement. [183444]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to specifically prohibit the selling of animals at fairs and exhibitions.
CITES Permits
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many permits for the (a) export and (b) re-export of species listed in Appendix II to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have been (i) approved and issued by UK authorities and (ii) received by UK authorities from other CITES member states since January 2001. [185889]
Mr. Morley: The number of CITES permits for Appendix II listed species issued by UK the Management Authority since January 2001 were as
17,418 exports;
76,74 re-exports.
The Management Authority does not record the number of export permits issued by other CITES member states for Appendix II specimens imported into the UK. However, the number of Appendix II import permits issued by the UK Management Authority for the period in question was 30489.
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Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many permits for the (a) export and (b) import of species listed in Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have been (i) approved and issued by UK authorities and (ii) received by UK authorities from other CITES member states since January 2001. [185890]
Mr. Morley: The number of CITES permits for Appendix I listed species issued by the UK Management Authority since January 2001 were as follows:
4,126 imports;
1,930 exports;
11,897 re-exports.
There is a corresponding permit issued by the exporting country for each Appendix I specimen imported into the UK.
Climate Change
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the UK Climate Change Programme targets. [185449]
Mr. Morley: The UK remains on course to achieve its Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008–12. Provisional estimates suggest that greenhouse gas emissions in 2003 were about 14 per cent. below the baseline.
The Government has a separate goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. Emissions of carbon dioxide for 2003 are provisionally estimated at about seven per cent. lower than in 1990.
Commercial Sea Fishing
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the financial contribution to the economy of commercial sea fishing. [184709]
Mr. Bradshaw: The recent report by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, "Net Benefits: A sustainable and profitable future for UK fishing", estimates the UK catching industry lands over £540 million in catches each year, resulting in between £800 and £1,200 million of directly related economic activity in the UK. This estimate does not include indirect expenditure arising from commercial sea fishing.
Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her attention was brought to recent e-mailed communications by individual members of the Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters critical of the work of the Committee prior to the completion of the Committee's work; and if she will examine the actions of these Committee members in respect of their compatibility with the commitments entered into as conditions of membership of the Committee. [185522]
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Mr. Morley: I have been made aware of the recent e-mailed communication by individual members of the Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE), although this was not sent directly to the Department. CERRIE held its last formal meeting on 24 June, and its report is currently being finalised by the Committee members, who anticipate that it will be ready for publication in the autumn. It is regrettable that members of the Committee have chosen to pre-empt publication by issuing a statement critical of the report and of other members of the Committee. We will welcome an informed debate on the scientific issues in the CERRIE report, once it is published. In the meantime, I have asked officials to consider with the Committee Chairman whether there are any lessons to be learned from the experiences with the CERRIE Committee that should be taken into account in the future.
Departmental Costs
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of printing departmental headed notepaper was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [185942]
Alun Michael: Defra came into being in June 2001. As part of the Department's information and communications strategy electronic templates were made available on desktop PCs enabling staff to generate letterheads from local laser printers, replacing the need for overprinting pre-printed stationery. There are occasional requirements for specialist headed paper which in the financial year 2003–04 totalled £4,297 in value.
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of running her Department's canteen facilities was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [185943]
Alun Michael: Defra came into being in June 2001. From information held centrally, the cost of running the Department's canteen facilities in financial year 2001–02 was £398,058 and in financial year 2003–04 the cost was £443,025.
Departmental Staff (Upper Age Limits)
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) her Department and (b) agencies for which it is responsible (i) have a set retirement age which applies to all or most personnel and (ii) have a maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered; and what the age is in each case. [186092]
Alun Michael: The normal age at which staff may retire with immediate payment of pension is 60. However, subject to continued organisational need and to their continued efficiency, staff other than those in the senior civil service may elect to stay beyond age 60 subject to a maximum retirement age of 65.
Applications for employment, again for all grades other than the senior civil service, are accepted from those over the age of 60, subject to the maximum retirement age of 65. In real terms this normally means that age 63 or 64 is the maximum age at which staff are
1 Sept 2004 : Column 804W
recruited. It would be uneconomic, in terms of payback on recruitment and training costs, to recruit closer to the age at which they would be required to retire.
All of the agencies also follow these rules with the exception of the Rural Payments Agency which has undertaken to apply them at the end of its change programme, scheduled for completion by the end of 2004.
Currently the normal age maximum for the senior civil service, as set by the Cabinet Office, is 60.
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