---

4 Oct 2004 : Column 1915W—continued

Tetra

Ms. Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the take-up of TETRA by each police authority in England; and what cost there has been to each police authority in addition to the costs met by his Department. [187431]

Caroline Flint: Airwave will be available to all police forces in England, Wales and Scotland. Currently Airwave is available to 40 forces, and it has more than 68,000 users. Initial feedback suggests that police users are delighted with the new system. Airwave will be available to all forces by the end of April 2005. Costs over and above those met by the Home Office are a matter for individual police authorities.

Vehicle Clamping

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations govern the activities of vehicle clamping companies; what recent correspondence he has received regarding such activities; and what action he plans to take to restrict those activities. [187950]

Ms Blears: The number of letters received on the issue of wheel clamping is not available centrally.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) was created under the powers of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 to regulate this and other areas of the private security industry.

On current plans it will become an offence to engage in wheel clamping activities without an SIA licence with effect from 28 February 2005.

There will be three checks on individuals applying for licences:

An identity check of the licence applicant.

A criminal record check to see if they have any relevant previous convictions.

A check on professional competence to do the job.

The requirement to show professional competence will include sections on proper payment procedures; correct identification and use of signs, lines and enforcement vehicles; and discretionary parking and customer care skills.

Visas

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Government Department is responsible for altering the terms of a seasonal agricultural worker's visa issued at the British embassy in Bulgaria. [188449]

Mr. Browne: I understand that the matter has now been resolved with the hon. Member.
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1916W
 

Witness Protection

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have entered a witness protection programme in each year for which figures are available, broken down by police force. [184962]

Paul Goggins: This information is not currently available. The Home Office, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers, has appointed an independent consultant to carry out an assessment of witness protection arrangements nationally. The assessment is covering all cases where witness protection is afforded by UK law enforcement agencies including the police. It will provide us with valuable information about the numbers and circumstances in which witness protection is provided.

The assessment commenced on 2 January; it was announced in the White Paper 'One Step Ahead—a 21st century strategy to defeat organised crime' which I published on 29 March. The assessment is due to be completed over the summer, and a final report will be available in the autumn.

However, even after completion of this assessment, we are not intending to make available publicly any of this information below national level. Such information broken down by individual police force is obviously operationally sensitive and could compromise the integrity of witness protection programmes and the officers who work on them.

999 Services

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the centralisation of the 999 police service in Essex; and if he will make a statement. [184512]

Ms Blears: The Home Office has not received any representations recently on emergency call-handling by Essex police.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity Action Plan

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definitions of the 45 priority habitats identified under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan have been established and agreed within the statutory nature conservation agencies in each county of the UK; and where such definitions have been, or will be, published. [189284]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 16 September 2004]: Initial definitions for each of the 45 priority habitats are provided in the relevant priority habitat action plans on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan website (www.ukbap.org.uk). These have been agreed by the statutory nature conservation agencies in the UK. The Countryside Council for Wales published a technical guide to the priority habitats of Wales in 2003. Work to produce a comprehensive interpretation manual for priority habitats at a UK level is well advanced and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee aims to publish this document by the end of this financial year.
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1917W
 

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has taken pursuant to the Biodiversity Action Plan to integrate biodiversity considerations into policies and programmes affecting (a) agriculture, (b) water and wetlands, (c) woodland and forestry, (d) towns, cities and new developments and (e) coasts and seas; and if she will make a statement. [189285]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 16 September 2004]: In October 2002 the Government published 'Working with the grain of nature', a biodiversity strategy for England. The strategy aims to facilitate implementation of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) in England, and to ensure that biodiversity is an integral consideration of all policies and programmes. It sets out work plans for integrating consideration of biodiversity into the main economic areas that affect it including agriculture, water and wetlands, woodland and forestry, towns, cities and development and coasts and seas.

Implementation groups have been established to take forward the work plans for these key sectors. They include representatives from government, the agencies, conservation NGOs, and other relevant organisations. A first annual stock take on progress with the strategy was published in October 2003 and a full report will be published in 2006.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of assessments made in 2002 in relation to UK status and trends for the Biodiversity Action Plan priority species were based on (a) survey data and (b) estimates. [189286]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 16 September 2004]: There are currently 391 species action plans (SAPs) being implemented as part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). In 2002 Lead Partners were asked to report on progress with targets set in the plans and to estimate the current status and trend of the species.

71 per cent. of the status assessments received were based on survey data and 29 per cent. were either based on estimates (17 per cent.) or no source was given for the assessment (12 per cent.). For trends, 59 per cent. of the assessments received were based on survey data and 41 per cent. were either based on estimates (32 per cent.) or no source was given for the assessment (9 per cent.).

The UK Biodiversity Reporting and Information Group has been investigating the gaps in survey coverage revealed by 2002 reporting and expects the next BAP reporting round in 2005 to show a substantial improvement.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has taken to improve the (a) surveillance and (b) monitoring of biodiversity since the 2002 biodiversity reporting round; what plans she has for new measures; and if she will make a statement. [189287]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 16 September 2004]: Defra and the statutory nature conservation agencies have an extensive ongoing programme of biodiversity surveillance and monitoring mostly undertaken in partnership with the voluntary sector. Since 2002 these
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1918W
 
programmes have produced: a new atlas of the British flora; annual trends in populations of wild birds; new partnerships for surveillance of bats and other mammals; the first complete assessment of the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England; and, an internet gateway providing access to over 15 million species records in the National Biodiversity Network. We are also contributing funds to a major new project to assess the abundance of whales, dolphins and porpoises in European Atlantic waters.

As part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan a Biodiversity Reporting and Information Group has been established with a mandate to improve the monitoring and reporting of status and trends in priority habitats and species. The Group is currently planning to undertake a major review of status and trends in 2005.

---