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Unsolicited Departmental Mail
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list consultation documents and mailings that were sent unsolicited by her Department or its agencies in the most recent 12 months for which information is available that contained general information; how many of each publication were printed; and what the cost was per copy. [200321]
Alun Michael:
During the period we issued 117 consultation documents. These include some very specific and narrow proposals regarding animal welfare, farm products and secondary legislation to the transposition of European legislation, amendments to environmental regulations and draft guidance consequent on domestic legislation. They also include major initiatives such as the Clean Neighbourhoods consultation, implementation of CAP reform, Rights of Way and Pollution Control. I am placing a copy of the full list in the Library of the House of Commons. It is also available on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/
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corporate/consult/default.asp. Information on the cost per copy of each mailing is not available and to establish the information would incur the Department in a disproportionate cost. The extent of the circulation will depend on the issues involved and the range of people and organisations likely to be affected by it.
Veterinary Services
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many overseas temporary veterinary officers were employed in the public sector to assist in her Department's veterinary work in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [200687]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold statistical data for overseas Temporary Veterinary Inspectors (TVIs) for the period outside of Foot and Mouth disease. During this disease, the Number of Overseas TVIs who were appointed to assist the State Veterinary Service (SVS) was 706.
The figures do not include vets employed outside the SVS whether in Defra or other Government Departments.
Temporary Veterinary Inspectors are appointed to carry out specific functions on behalf of Defra. They are not employed by the Department.
These figures are referenced from: Smith, L (2002) Foot and Mouth Disease: Veterinary Resource Issues. State Veterinary Journal 12 (1) 3–5.
Warm Front Scheme
Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discretion her Department allows Warm Front Scheme managers to (a) repeat grants for households which have already benefited from Warm Front and (b) fast track exceptionally vulnerable households. [200448]
Mr. Morley: Under the current scheme applicants are entitled to assistance once at the same address. However, in cases where heating measures are not recommended the Scheme Managers will review any further application within a twelve month period.
A Fuel Poverty Action Plan, including proposals for the future development of Warm Front is expected to be published shortly.
We are currently funding a project to assess the feasibility of fast-tracking applicants with particular medical conditions to the scheme. The project is being delivered by the National Energy Action, the Warm Front Scheme Managers and local health practitioners. Results will be reported to the Department during 2005.
Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to monitor private landlords' compliance with the requirement to freeze rents for a one or two year period after a Warm Front improvement. [200449]
Mr. Morley:
Where measures are to be installed by Warm Front in a privately rented property, prior to work going ahead landlords sign an agreement that they will not increase the rent for either one or two years.
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However depending on the measures provided, where a property is regulated under a fair rent agreement or is subject to an annual rent review, landlords can increase the rent providing it does not take into account the impact of any Warm Front measures installed.
The Warm Front Scheme Managers do not have any formal requirement to check whether these arrangements are being complied with but would act if contacted by a tenant on this issue.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Bullfighting
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (1) if she will make representations to Ofcom to prevent the exposure of children to graphic pictures of bullfighting in late afternoon transmissions; [200705]
(2) what controls there are on the content of satellite transmissions by Sky television. [200706]
Estelle Morris: Responsibility for what is broadcast on television rests with the broadcasters and the appropriate regulator and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State therefore has no plans to make specific representations to Ofcom about this issue.
Broadcasters established in the United Kingdom and licensed by Ofcom must comply with their programme code which is intended, among other things, to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate material.
Some of the channels on the Sky platform are not licensed by Ofcom but by other jurisdictions in Europe. Under EU law, in the Television Without Frontiers (TVWF) Directive, licences granted in EU countries are recognised throughout the EU and stations which hold a licence can also be carried on other countries' domestic satellite platforms. In these circumstances they are subject to regulation by their country of origin only, and not by the second country on whose satellite platform they also appear.
The TVWF Directive provides minimum standards for the protection of minors. The UK Government would intervene only if those standards were manifestly, seriously and gravely breached and Ofcom had recommended intervention.
European Constitution
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of her Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions. [200166]
Mr. Caborn:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe on Monday 29 November, Official Report, columns 10W-11W.
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Legislation (Enactment)
Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment. [200444]
Mr. Caborn: The pieces of primary legislation passed since 1997, for which the Department is responsible, and which remain to be brought into force, are listed in the table. The information requested for the period prior to 1997 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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