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Shellfish

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when she expects to agree a management plan for scallops, crabs and lobsters in the Western Channel; [187425]
 
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(2) what measures she is taking to assess (a) historic shellfish landings that will form the basis of a management plan and (b) current shellfish landings. [187426]

Mr. Bradshaw: The European Commission indicated in October 2003 that it would bring forward proposals for a management plan for scallops, lobsters and crabs in the Channel. It has not yet done so and we are not aware that such proposals are imminent.

Data on shellfish landings by UK vessels and into UK ports are collected annually and published in the United Kingdom Fisheries Statistics series. They are not collected specifically for the purpose of agreeing management plans.

Environment Agency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what back-office improvements will be made within the Environment Agency to achieve the efficiency savings announced in the spending review. [185893]

Mr. Morley: The agency is developing an efficiency strategy which builds on its current targets for efficiency savings and addresses operational changes in the organisation. The strategy will reflect the spending review announcement. The key activities that underpin the strategy include:

Review of property and facilities owned and leased by the agency;

Improving procurement: reducing the unit cost of goods and services through aggregation of services;

Transactional services: ensuring that the handling of inquiries and invoicing is handled in the most efficient way;

Productive time: examining new ways of working and reducing the scale of support services;

Implementation of the National Document Imaging Strategy: rationalising photocopiers, printer and fax machines throughout the agency;

Implementation of the Financial and Human Resources management information system (IBIS): an activity based recording system that will provide management information on the use of agency resources across the business.

Waste Incineration

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are economic disincentives for waste-to-energy incinerators to burn source separated waste. [187069]

Mr. Morley: There are no direct economic disincentives for waste-to-energy incinerators to burn source separated waste. Incentives to recycle source separated waste exist and these act as indirect disincentives to burn source separated waste. Examples of these incentives include local authority statutory performance standards for recycling and composting and the recycling targets set out in the European directive on packaging and packaging waste.

Government announced in Budget 2002 that the case for an economic instrument for incineration would be considered. As there is a range of issues associated with developing an effective waste management and disposal mix, the Government commissioned a study to identify the environmental and health impacts of all
 
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waste management and disposal options (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/health-effects/health-report.pdf). A second, related study seeking to identify the economic values of the impacts and pollutants identified in the first study is currently under way.

The case for using economic instruments for incineration will be considered in light of this work and in consultation with other stakeholders.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AIDS Vaccine Research

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what resources he plans to commit to AIDS vaccine research in the next 10 years; [187466]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with the pharmaceutical industry regarding funding and facilities for the production of AIDS vaccine once developed. [187467]

Hilary Benn: In line with the recently published DFID Research Funding Strategy, we are committed to the global effort to find a vaccine for AIDS. DFID has committed £14 million in support of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) up to the end of this year and I recently met Dr. Seth Berkeley, who is president and chief executive the of IAVI, to discuss its work. The UK is also committed to work with our G8 colleagues. DFID supports the aims of the Global HIV and AIDS Vaccine Enterprise and are developing areas for UK engagement with the enterprise including potential financial support during the UKS G8 Presidency. Over the coming months DFID will be considering the resource framework for the three years commencing April 2005, including further support for IAVI and support for the Global Vaccine Enterprise.

In addition to this direct support, the UK has tax relief for investments in research into vaccines and other medicines for HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The Vaccines Research Relief is effective on expenditure from April 2003. It is too early to report on the success of the Vaccines Research Relief since company tax returns are retrospective in nature. The first claims are not expected until later this year. However, a programme of evaluation will be implemented once data begins to be received. It is important to bear in mind the long-term nature of research decisions and outcomes and the fact that the impact of the relief is likely to appear over the medium to long term.

DFID officials have been meeting regularly with pharmaceutical companies and business associations as part of our work on increasing access to medicines in developing countries. These meetings have dealt with issues such as the affordability of existing medicines and other health technologies, and the need for increased research and development into new technologies—including vaccines—for diseases disproportionately affecting developing countries.
 
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Beijing +10

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his plans are for his Department's involvement in the Beijing Platform for Action known as Beijing +10. [187534]

Hilary Benn: The review of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action will be an integral part of the UK Government's work on gender equality in 2005. The 49th Session of the Commission for the Status for Women (CSW) at the United Nations in March 2005 will review and appraise the implementation of Beijing over the last 10 years. A cross-Whitehall UK Government delegation will actively participate at CSW, working to ensure that the gains achieved at Beijing in 1995 are upheld. DFID has already begun contributing to this process, completing a United Nations questionnaire on progress made in the UK since 1995, which will feed into the UN Secretary-General's report.

DFID is also working closely with the European Union Gender Group and other donors through the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee's (DAC) Gender Network, to develop a contribution to the review. We are attending regional preparatory meetings and working with civil society organisations. These include the UK Gender and Development Network, to whom DFID has provided support on a study examining the links between the Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Gender equality is relevant to the achievement of all the MDGs, not only that specifically aimed at gender equality and the empowerment of women. The review will be an opportunity to underline the continuing relevance of the Beijing Platform for Action to the achievement of gender equality.
 
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Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department's policy on taking risks of natural and man-made disasters into account will change following the report by his Department's Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department. [186721]

Hilary Benn: A reduction in the impact of natural and man-made disasters is an important precondition for poverty reduction in many countries.

DFID is in the process of reviewing how we might step up our work in this area. A scoping study, commissioned by DFID's Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department and undertaken by the Overseas Development Group, will soon report. The study will examine the relationship between development and disasters so as to help the development community and DFID better understand how we might tackle disasters risk most effectively. It will also consider how to better integrate disaster risk reduction into development. We intend to develop a forward strategy for DFID on disaster reduction in the light of the findings of this study. The findings will be disseminated to interested parties.

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