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4 Oct 2004 : Column 1922W—continued
Departmental Car Use
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes there have been in (a) road transport vehicle carbon dioxide emissions and (b) single occupancy car commuting in her Department against the baseline year. [188258]
Alun Michael: The baseline year for collecting these figures in Defra was 2002–03. Figures for 2003–04 show:
(a) an 11 per cent. reduction in road transport vehicle CO 2 emissions
(b) a 1 per cent. increase in single occupancy car commuting.
Departmental Estate
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what total floor space area of buildings was owned or leased by her Department and its agencies in each year from 1997. [188161]
Alun Michael: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created on 8 June 2001. The total floor space area of buildings owned or leased by the Department and its agencies, including space occupied by other Government Departments or let to external organisations is:
| Square metres | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 415,939 |
| 2002–03 | 388,810 |
| 2003–04 | 383,184 |
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most significant sustainable development impacts are which she has identified in relation to the operation of her Department's estate. [188162]
Alun Michael:
The most significant negative sustainable development impacts have been identified as:
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Environmental—Use of land and associated landfill impacts (such as leachate and methane gas production) from waste disposal; Use of non-renewable resources; Contributions to global warming due to utility use and project management practices; Contributions to ground level ozone and greenhouse effects from the use of refrigerants and materials during maintenance of buildings; Land take for the development of new properties; Atmospheric emissions contributing to global warming associated with business travel, fleet cars and staff commuting.
Social—Impact of landfill on local community from leachate and methane gas production, noise and visual impacts; Local and global health impacts associated with air emissions, global warming and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); Health, Safety and Welfare impacts of work practices and procedures.
The most significant positive impacts have been identified as:
Environmental—Reduced air emissions from effective green travel and transport planning; Protection of biodiversity through land and ground management; Reduced need for landfill and associate emissions due to increased recycling and recovery of materials; Reduced use of non-renewable resources through appropriate procurement specification and management.
Social—Reduced health, noise and visual impacts from waste disposal due to increased recycling and recovery of materials; Improved staff welfare and health benefits from effective green travel planning.
Economic—Local job creation and improvements to local transport provision resulting from office location, relocation and co-location projects.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what parts of her Department's estate will not be covered by the commitments set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. [188255]
Alun Michael: Our aim is for as much as possible of the Defra estate to be covered by the Framework commitments. This means that different approaches may be appropriate for each part of the Framework.
Environmental Management Systems are being introduced at Defra sites except where there are plans for disposal, where we are a minor occupier sharing with another department, or where there are very few staff.
The waste targets currently apply to sites where Defra is the major or sole occupier and there are more than 50 staff.
The entire Defra estate is covered by Framework commitments on travel, energy, water, and biodiversity.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes there have been in water consumption by her Department in each year from 1997. [188260]
Alun Michael: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created on 8 June 2001.
Total water consumption in buildings for which Defra has a contractual responsibility is shown below with details of performance against the Government target of 7.7 m 3 per person per year.
| Consumption | Percentage change | m(32) per person p.a. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 434,613 | — | 8.11 |
| 2002–03 | 417,343 | -4 | 8.00 |
| 2003–04 | 416,180 | -0.28 | 7.54 |
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1924W
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the non-office sites within the Department's estates which have been identified as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings. [188261]
Alun Michael: A detailed survey of Defra's non-office sites was conducted in 2000–01 to establish baselines against which water saving opportunities could be measured. The contractual nature of the work in the Department's laboratories precludes simple year-on-year savings, but during 2003–04 three non-office sites were identified as providing opportunities for significant water savings. They were the Veterinary Laboratories Agency Regional Laboratories at Winchester, Bristol and Exeter.
Departmental Services
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which services within her Department will be (a) affected by and (b) subject to job losses consequent on the cuts in the civil service announced in the Spending Review. [189635]
Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 16 September, Official Report, column 1659W.
Departmental Water/Sewerage Charges
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department and its agencies spent on water and sewerage services in each year from 1997. [188160]
Alun Michael: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created on 8 June 2001. Expenditure on water and sewerage services in buildings for which Defra and its agencies have a contractual responsibility was:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 543,004 |
| 2002–03 | 546,333 |
| 2003–04 | 508,339 |
Diet (Environmental Impact)
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will carry out a lifecycle analysis of the environmental impact of typical (a) vegetarian and (b) non-vegetarian diets; and if she will make a statement. [188081]
Alun Michael:
The Government's broad approach to the challenges of sustainable consumption and production is set out in the framework document, "Changing Patterns", published last year. Part of the approach is to base policy development on evidence about the whole life-cycle of products and services in the economy, to help optimise the use of natural resources and minimise overall environmental impacts. Production and consumption patterns in the food chain have significant implications for resource use and for the environment, so this area will be an important part of my Department's work to build up a robust evidence
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base for future policy. Officials are reviewing the body of research presently available, to help us reach a view on what further work may be desirable.
Environmental Targets
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out the Government's performance against its main environmental targets since May 1997. [189343]
Mr. Morley: The latest outturn of all Defra's outstanding Public Service Agreement targets and other targets can be found in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Departmental Report 2004 published on 29 April 2004, Cmd. 6219. Copies are available from the House Library, The Stationary Office or on Defra's website at http://defraweb/corporate/deprep/default.htm
Defra will report its next outturn against its targets in its 2004 Autumn Performance Report, which will be published later this year.
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