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16 Sept 2004 : Column 1662W—continued
Combined Heat and Power
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which combined heat and power plants she has visited in her official capacity. [187579]
Mr. Morley: None. Ministers and officials all meet regularly with the Combined Heat and Power Association and members of the industry. Departmental Ministers have visited a number of CHP schemes.
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will give further details of the very serious challenges to be overcome highlighted in her foreword to the Combined Heat and Power Strategy. [187580]
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Mr. Morley: The Strategy details a range of interventions in the market to help support CHP which, by their very nature, are needed to overcome the challenges ahead. We recognise the current unfavourable economic climate for CHP, which largely results from high gas prices and low electricity prices. We are therefore not complacent and will continue to monitor progress towards the CHP target and work in active partnership with industry to ensure delivery of the Strategy.
Cormorant Predation
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2004, Official Report, column 1084, on cormorant predation, what additional measures will be introduced to help angling clubs and fishing owners protect fish stock in freshwater fisheries from cormorant predation. [189283]
Mr. Bradshaw: After careful consideration of cormorant population dynamics and modelling I am announcing a new strategy to help fishery owners and angling interests deal with the problems caused by cormorants.
A revised licensing system will make it simpler to apply for licences to cull cormorants where serious damage to fisheries can be shown. The new system will presume that where significant numbers of cormorants are present at a site, and it is clear that these are feeding on fish stocks, serious damage is occurring, or there is a risk of serious damage. However this will continue to be confirmed on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that Defra is satisfied that there is no other solution in accordance with the law, and to ensure that there are significant numbers of cormorants feeding which are causing, or are likely to cause, serious damage, Defra will continue its research into non-lethal methods of managing cormorant populations. Further work will be undertaken, in the near future, to test the applicability of fish refuges, optimise their design and to determine their most cost-effective spatial arrangement for them in still waters, as well as looking at ways to resolve problems in rivers.
The licensing system will be made simpler in the following ways Licences will be:
Issued for a period of up to two years;
Revoked or amended by Defra as necessary;
Issued between 31 August and 15 April;
Issued in advance to prevent problems occurring;
Issued without an assessor's visit unless it is a new licence application or where circumstances have significantly changed. Every site will be visited at least once every two years, with site visits being undertaken more often if this is considered necessary;
Licences can be amended by telephone, fax or by email
We will also ensure that the Environment Agency and other Defra agencies are aware of the changes and encouraged to follow permitted procedures where appropriate.
In addition to the measures above, where it is necessary to protect salmon and sea trout smolts, we will be prepared to issue licences to kill birds during the smolt run up to 1 May This extension will also apply to
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protect designated spawning sites, such as gravel shallows on rivers, for appropriate species of fish and fisheries. In addition those sites planning fresh stockings of fish in still waters will be able to obtain licences where such fish would be particularly vulnerable to attack.
The new licensing system is expected to lead to an increase in the number of cormorants culled. Mathematical modelling by the Central Science Laboratory suggests that the overall cormorant population would be reduced but would stabilise at a number significantly higher than its historic level. We will ensure that the cormorant population will be monitored through a refined Wetland Bird Survey count and, if necessary, the number of licences reduced in future years to ensure the stabilisation of the population.
The consequences of the new policy will be assessed on an annual basis and the number of cormorants allowed to be killed under licence adjusted as necessary to ensure stabilisation of the population. Defra will cease to issue licences for a period, and may consider revocation or suspension of licences currently issued, should the cormorant population not respond in the manner predicted. This will provide an added safety mechanism and will protect the conservation status of the bird, (as required under the Birds Directive), while providing enough flexibility to resolve fishery problems.
Council of Ministers
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a written ministerial statement outlining the key points on the agenda for each of the Council of Ministers' meetings at which her Department is represented in advance of each meeting; [188190]
(2) if she will make a written ministerial statement outlining for each meeting of the Council of Ministers at which her Department is represented as soon as is practicable following that meeting of (a) the key items of discussion, (b) the positions of the Government on those items, (c) the key positions taken by other member states that Ministers consider should be noted by hon. Members and (d) any preliminary discussion on the timing and the agenda of the following meeting. [188191]
Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1451W.
Designated Accommodation
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which her Department is responsible. [187317]
Alun Michael:
The implementation of these policies is decentralised so details are not readily available for the whole Defra estate. But the information for the Department's major headquarters sites in London,
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Guildford and York and for the site of the Rural Development Service at Reading is as follows:
| Smoking | Worship | Nursing/pregnant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Millbank | (2)— | First aid room | First aid room |
| Cromwell House | 1 | First aid room | First aid room |
| Eastbury House | 1 | First aid room | First aid room |
| Ergon House | 1 | First aid room | First aid room |
| 1a Page Street | 1 | First aid room | 1 |
| Nobel House | 1 | First aid room | First aid room |
| Whitehall Place East | 1 | First aid room | First aid room |
| Guildford | 4 | 1 | First aid room |
| Reading | 1 | On request | — |
| York | 3 | On request | 1 |
(2) Shares facility with Nobel House.
In the interests of providing a healthy working environment, Defra pursues a non-smoking policy in the workplace but provides smoking rooms wherever possible. The Department is committed to policies of equal opportunity and tolerance and responds to the needs of religious worship where this is required (for the Christian Fellowship, for Ramadan or for private contemplation for example). Also any conference room or meeting room can be booked for the purpose of religious observance. Similarly Defra seeks to serve the needs of nursing and expectant mothers. At smaller sites, provision for worship and nursing mothers is often combined with other facilities such as quiet rooms or first aid rooms for reasons of practicality and cost effectiveness.
Farming
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the farms in Essex which are predominantly (a) dairy and (b) cattle and sheep. [188726]
Alun Michael: As at the June 2003 Agricultural Census there were 33 holdings that were predominantly dairy and 396 that were predominantly cattle and sheep in Essex.
These figures include the unitary authorities of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. The Agricultural Statistics Act 1979 prevents the disclosure of the addresses of these holdings.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance will be offered to farmers who have suffered crop loss and crop value loss owing to weather conditions during harvest this year; and if she will make a statement. [187970]
Alun Michael:
It is clear that there have been difficulties during one of the wettest harvest periods on record, particularly in some parts of the country. Defra officials had a detailed meeting with representatives of the NFU on 1 September where it was agreed that the position is still evolving and it would not be possible to establish an overall position for another 10 to 14 days. Until there is a fuller picture, it is not clear whether any measures to alleviate the situation would be warranted. Follow-up meetings are planned between my officials and industry representatives to discuss the issue.
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Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the single farm payment on (a) dairy farmers, (b) cattle farmers and (c) sheep farmers in farms located within land designated as (i) moorland within the upland severely disadvantaged area and (ii) other land within the upland severely disadvantaged area; and if she will make a statement. [186559]
Alun Michael: Defra's assessment of the likely impact of the Single Payment is available on the website at: www.defra.gov.uk/farm/capreform/implementation/docs/webnoterev16.pdf
This includes information concerning the impact on farms of different types and farms within the Less Favoured Areas and I am placing a hard copy of the information in the Library of the House.
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