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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 4 November 2004
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Compensation (Destroyed Animals)
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the percentage of compensation payments for animals destroyed because of (a) suspected foot and mouth and (b) bovine tuberculosis which may have been paid at above the level of average market values in each of the past five years. [192881]
Mr. Bradshaw: No estimate has been made of what percentage of the compensation payments for animals compulsorily slaughtered because of FMD in 2001 were above the level of average market values. The average value for each type of livestock increased during the epidemic, peaked in May 2001 and gradually declined. No compensation for FMD was paid in each of the other four years.
For bovine tuberculosis it is not possible to provide a meaningful assessment of the percentage of animals that might have received compensation over and above "average market values". However, there is evidence to show that the provision of above market value compensation has been a significant problem in England and Wales, particularly since the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in 2001. This is one of the reasons why my Department will shortly be consulting stakeholders on a proposed new compensation system.
Composting/Recycling
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of households in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley which (i) composted and (ii) recycled in the last period for which figures are available. [194623]
Mr. Morley:
Local authorities do not currently report on the number of households participating in recycling and composting schemes, or the numbers that carry out home composting. The 2002–03 Municipal Waste Management Survey established that 14.5 per cent. of household waste in England was recycled, about one third of which was centrally composted. Chorley borough council recycled and composted 16 per cent. of household waste, and Lancashire county council 20 per cent. The Government's Best Value Performance Indicators for local authorities show that in 2002–03, 86 per cent. of the population of Chorley were served by a kerbside collection scheme, or lived within 1 km of a recycling centre. The regional average for Lancashire was 80.3 per cent.
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Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK households are recycling and composting; and whether the national target is being met. [194165]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 1 November 2004]: Waste is a devolved issue. In England, the Government have set national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 2003–04 and 25 per cent. by 2005–06. The latest (2001) Defra survey of public attitudes to quality of life and to the environment found that in England, paper was recycled on a regular basis by 53 per cent. of households, glass by 42 per cent. cans by 30 per cent., plastic by 23 per cent. and kitchen waste by 20 per cent. Local authorities do not report on the number of households participating in recycling schemes or on the numbers that carry out home composting, but the 2002–03 Municipal Waste Management Survey identified that 14.5 per cent. of household waste was recycled in England, about one third of which was centrally composted. Audited figures for 2003–04 are expected in December.
Cormorants
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences to shoot cormorants have been (a) applied for and (b) granted since her Department announced its change of policy on obtaining such licences on 14 September. [194341]
Mr. Bradshaw: The announcement of new measures to help alleviate cormorant predation problems at fisheries was made on 16 September 2004.
Up until 22 October, the Department has received 195 applications for a licence to kill cormorants to prevent serious damage to fisheries. Of these, we have granted 104.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 695–96W, on cormorants, what non-lethal alternatives to culling she is considering to control the population of cormorants. [194810]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 1 November 2004]: There are a number of non-lethal methods that can be used to control cormorants. These include the use of enclosures, scarers, roost management, stocking control and fish refuges. Further details may be found in a technical advice note:
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 695–96W, on cormorants, what advice her Department has received from the Moran Committee regarding deterrents to predation by cormorants of fish stocks. [194812]
Mr. Bradshaw
[holding answer 1 November 2004]: The Moran Committee was set up in 1997 to provide a co-ordinated platform of organisations to address angling
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and fisheries issues. The Committee has recently forged links with other nature conservation groups such as the Environment Agency, English Nature and the RSPB in order to identify common ground on the bird predation issue and to ensure that a reasonable balance is struck between the need to conserve both fish and birds. The Group has also established a useful dialogue with Defra and CEFAS.
The Committee has provided advice through producing leaflets such as "Cormorants—The Facts" and "Protecting your Fisheries from Cormorants". Further information may be found on www.cormorants.info
Departmental Publications (Accessibility)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of publications issued by her Department are available in (a) Braille, (b) autoprint, (c) large print and (d) easy read format. [194295]
Alun Michael: Defra's policy is to follow best practice on diversity and to ensure that publications meet guidelines on type size, font clarity and general ease of readability.
We make all publications available on demand in Braille, large print format and audio. During the past year, we have fulfilled 20 requests for Braille publications and one for audio.
Eastern Irish Sea Fishery
Mr. Paterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether she plans to seek EU Commission approval for Fleetwood
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fishermen to use 110mm mesh in cod ends in the plaice fishery in the Eastern Irish Sea while retaining their full allocation of 22 days at sea per month; [192946]
(2) what representations she has received from Fleetwood fishermen on effects of the operation of the Cod Recovery Plan on the plaice fishery in the Eastern Irish Sea; and what action she has taken in response. [192953]
Mr. Bradshaw: I have met representatives of the Fleetwood fishing industry on several occasions this year. They expressed concerns that the EU days at sea scheme did not allow them sufficient days to use their preferred 100mm plus nets to target plaice and that they were therefore forced to use smaller mesh nets (which attracted a higher number of days) and thus increase their catches of undersized and juvenile fish. My officials explained that the scheme did, in fact, allow them to continue with their normal fishing patterns and offered to provide individual guidance, where required, to the fishermen concerned—which was subsequently taken up. Separately, we are discussing with the commission potential improvements to the operation of the scheme for the benefit of fishermen generally.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) quota allocations and (b) landings for cod were for the Fleetwood over 10 m fishing fleet in the last five years. [192949]
Mr. Bradshaw: UK fish quotas are managed by the allocation of shares of the national quota to fishermen's producer organisations for them to manage through the year. The quota allocations made to the Fleetwood Producer Organisation and their actual landings of cod in the years requested are given as follows. These data include activity by all vessels based in Fleetwood of over 10m overall length.
(1) End-year allocations of quota after incorporating swaps of quota with other producer organisations.
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