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Pollution Indicators (Castle Point)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the key pollution indicators are within Castle Point constituency; and what the monitoring systems are for these indicators. [188434]

Mr. Morley: For water quality, the General Quality Assessment scheme (GQA) is the Environment Agency's (EA's) national method for classifying rivers and canals. The scheme provides a way of comparing water quality from one river to another and for looking at changes through time. The EA assesses water quality in four separate ways; chemistry (based on water samples), biology, nutrients and aesthetics. Water samples are collected from about 8,000 monitoring sites monthly. These represent over 40,000 kilometres of rivers and canals. To each sampling site, the Agency assigns a stretch of river that the site characterises. In the Castle Point constituency there are 2 km of monitored river; the Prittle Brook watercourse.
 
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In terms of emissions of air pollutants with reference to sources in a local neighbourhood, the Environment Agency has developed a reporting system for industrial facilities that it regulates, whereby they report emissions of key chemical compounds from their facility to air, water or sewer. Within the Castle Point Constituency, two sites currently report to the Environment Agency's Pollution Inventory; Benfleet Sewage treatment works owned by Anglian Water and Oikos Storage Ltd.'s hazardous waste treatment facility at Hold Haven Wharf, Haven Road, Canvey Island. The specific details of emissions from these sites and more detailed water quality information can be downloaded from the EA's website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk

In terms of air quality, Defra monitors air pollution at two locations in the Castle Point Constituency. There is automatic continuous monitoring of ozone, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM10), sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide at Chalkwell Park, Westcliffe-on-Sea and at London Road, Grays. These sites are included in the national Automatic and Rural Network (AURN) of air quality monitors and hourly information on concentrations of these pollutants is published on Defra's air quality website at www.airquality.co.uk. Local authorities in the constituency carry out additional assessment of air quality as part of their responsibilities under Local Air Quality Management.

REACH

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the latest estimate is of the cost of REACH to industry in (a) its phasing-in period and (b) the first 30 years; [189034]

(2) what further impact assessment is being carried out on the REACH proposals; and when this will be published. [189035]

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:

(a) The UK partial Regulatory Impact Assessment primarily reflects the direct costs to industry of REACH which are estimated at £515 million over the 11 year phase in period. This is equivalent to total direct costs across the EU of approximately £2.4 billion. This is in line with European Commission estimates published in October 2003 of a maximum overall cost of the revised proposal to be £7.5 billion.

This is clearly an important issue and one we will continue to develop as the proposal develops through the negotiation process. We have recently let a contract to carry out further impact assessment work to assess the indirect costs passed down the supply chain. The results of this will be published January 2005.

The European Commission has also indicted that it will perform further impact assessment work on three key areas: the withdrawal of substances, the impact on Accession States and the impacts on innovation. We welcome the Commission's further work. The results are expected to be published in December 2004.

(b) The costs to industry following the phase in period will depend upon the number of new substances developed and registered. REACH is fully expected to have a positive impact on this by reducing the testing
 
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requirements for new substances, providing exemptions for research and development, raising the threshold for regulation from 10kg to 1 tonne and by simulating innovation into safer alternatives. Although the exact cost of registering a substance is still to be established, the current cost of notifying a new substance between 1–10 tonnes would be in the region of £100,000. Under the testing proposal put forward by the European Commission, these costs could be reduced to around £30,000.

Refrigerator Recycling

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 5 July 2004, Official Report, column 443W, on refrigerator recycling, why the deadline for the publication of the Environment Agency's report auditing the refrigerator recycling scheme has been missed; and when she expects the report to be published. [188750]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency expects to publish the report shortly. An early draft of the report has been shared with the operators of the facilities concerned and meetings with these operators took place in August. A final draft of the audit report has been prepared and is being checked to ensure, amongst other things, that it will not compromise any further enforcement action that the Agency may wish to take.

Renewable-sourced Electricity

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of electricity used by buildings in her Department and its agencies came from renewable sources in each year from 1997. [188159]

Alun Michael: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created on 8 June 2001.

The proportion of electricity used in buildings for which Defra and its agencies has a contractual responsibility that came from renewable sources was:

	Percentage
2001–02	19
2002–03	40
2003–04	57

River Thames (Radioactive Discharges)

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discharges of radioactivity to the river Thames and its tributaries are permitted. [187717]

Mr. Morley: Discharges of radioactivity to the river Thames and its tributaries are authorised under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 by the Environment Agency from four licensed nuclear sites and 260 other non nuclear sites, such as hospitals, medical and veterinary establishments, universities and general industry. Discharges are made via effluent treatment plant or via sewage treatment works. The sites which are authorised and the levels of radioactive discharges are
 
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included in the Environment Agency's Pollution Inventory, which can be found on its web site, www.environmentagency.gov.uk.

RSPCA

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what extra powers, duties and responsibilities will be available to the RSPCA as a result of her agreement that they should become approved prosecutors under section 1(3)(e) of the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 2000. [188458]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 13 September 2004]: The RSPCA's written agreement with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, which allows them to perform the functions of an 'approved prosecutor', under Section 1 (3) (e) of the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 2000, took effect from 1 September 2004 and applies in England only. The Amendment Act supplements the Protection of Animals Act 1911, by allowing a magistrates court to make an order relating to the temporary care or for the disposal, sale or slaughter of animals kept for commercial purposes, that are the subject of a prosecution brought under the 1911 Act by a 'prosecutor'.

The RSPCA is the first body to enter into a written agreement with Defra. The agreement only allows the RSPCA to intervene in cases in which they are already prosecuting under the Protection of Animals Act 1911. The court will only be able to grant an order if it appears necessary for the welfare of the animals, taking account of the evidence of a veterinary surgeon. Once the RSPCA has obtained a court order, they then have the power to enter premises to mark the animals concerned and to carry out the order.

The written agreement requires the RSPCA to issue guidance and provide proper training to ensure that the appropriate level of expertise is achieved and maintained by the staff operating under the agreement. The State Veterinary Service and local authorities will perform a full 'audit' function for every case in which the RSPCA makes an application to the courts for an order under the 2000 Act.

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