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Consultation on the Environment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will list the names of attendees present at the consultation on the environment on 8 December; and in what capacity each attended; [206032]

(2) what conclusions were reached following the consultation on the environment on 8 December; and if she will make a statement. [206033]

Mr. Morley: Defra hosted a number of events on 8 December, in connection with the publication of Delivering the Essentials of Life, Defra's Five Year Strategy, and the launch of the consultation on the UK Climate Change Review. These events involved a number of stakeholders. Further events involving stakeholders will take place during the course of the consultation on the UK Climate Change Review.

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 16 November, ref: 207829. [206163]

Alun Michael: I responded to the hon. Member on 21 December.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to date has been of implementing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [205392]

Alun Michael: Defra is funding the Countryside Agency, National Park Authorities and the Planning Inspectorate for the part each is playing in implementing Part I of the Act throughout the whole of England by the end of 2005. . The Countryside Agency has so far spent £37.59 million, consisting of £0.75 million in 1999–2000; £0.92 million in 2000–01; £5.17 million in 2001–02; £8.30 million in 2002–03; £13.25 million in 2003–04 and £9.2 million to date in 2004–05. The Agency expects to spend a further £5.8 million in the current financial year. National Park Authorities have been allocated an additional £4.725 million, consisting of £0.875 million in 2002–03; £2.0 million in 2003–04 and £1.85 million in 2004–05. We have also funded the Planning Inspectorate to deal with appeals against the inclusion of land on provisional maps and restriction appeals of £0.11 million in 2001–02; £0.84 million in 2002–03 and £1.20 million in 2003–04. The Planning Inspectorate
 
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expect to spend no more than £2 million in the current financial year. Local authorities have been funded to establish local access forums under Part V of the Act.

Further, the Government have announced funding of £2 million for 2004–05 towards an access management grant scheme to support local authorities in implementing the new right of access.

Decontamination and Radiation Service

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce a decontamination and radiation service. [205587]

Mr. Morley: As I announced on 25 March 2004, the Government are actively considering setting up a decontamination and recovery service. A further announcement will be made as soon as is appropriate.

To date the priority has been to build on the wide range of experience and expertise which is already available in the UK, rather than to focus on the administrative task of setting up a new organisation. This has included assessment of and engagement with the existing capability and the identification of appropriate technologies.

Departmental Credit Cards

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many credit cards for official expenditure are held by her Department. [206445]

Alun Michael: There are two forms of credit card held by the Department. One is the Government Procurement Card which is a Visa purchasing card that operates in the same manner as a normal charge card. It is designed to streamline the purchase and payment processes associated with the purchasing of low value goods and services. The other is the Barclaycard Visa Corporate Card which is a Visa charge card. It has a monthly expenditure limit and an individual transaction limit. It is designed to support Defra staff by providing the vehicle for payment for business expenditure associated with their duties. The number of cards held for official business by Defra is as follows:

171 Government Procurement Cards

255 Corporate Credit Cards.

Departmental Properties

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise. [206496]

Alun Michael: Defra currently holds 197 properties which have a total floor area of 336,763 square metres.

Seven of these properties are currently vacant, which have a floor area of 61,351 square metres. They comprise four former emergency food stores, one ex-laboratory site formally occupied by a Defra agency, a former HRI International site and a London site currently being refurbished.
 
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Documents

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206751]

Alun Michael: The Department continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act. Defra has not introduced any new policies on the storage of documents or the use of shredders in the past 12 months.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206750]

Alun Michael: E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Defra's guidance on e-mail management emphasises the importance of capturing all significant e-mail messages—this policy has not changed in the past year. Further email guidance is available on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing_emails.pdf

Emissions Trading

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the British ceramics industry on exemption from phase one of the EU emissions trading scheme. [206048]

Mr. Morley: The Government intend to make an application to the European Commission early in the new year for the temporary exclusion from the first phase of the EU emissions trading scheme of some installations that are parties to Climate Change Agreements. Operators of installations will be given the opportunity to decide whether they wish to be part of the application once they have been told of their allocation under the scheme. Officials have had regular discussions with representatives of industry, including the ceramics industry, about the Government's plans for an application for temporary exclusion.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the European Commission on the UK's application for exemption from phase one of the EU emissions trading scheme. [206049]

Mr. Morley: The Government made an application to the European Commission earlier this year to temporarily exclude direct participants' installations that are included in the UK emissions trading scheme from the EU emissions trading scheme. This application has now been approved by the Commission. The Government intend to make a further application to the European Commission early in the new year for
 
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the temporary exclusion from the first phase of the EU scheme of some installations that are parties to Climate Change Agreements.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she plans to take to ensure the opt-out from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for British companies applying to the climate change agreements are successful; and what measures she plans to take to ensure that British companies are not exposed to double regulation of (a) the UK climate change agreement and (b) the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the event that the opt-out application fails. [205470]

Mr. Morley: The Government successfully negotiated an opt out provision in the Emissions Trading Directive. The Government intend to make an application, under this provision, to the European Commission early in the new year for the temporary exclusion from the first phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme of some installations that are parties to Climate Change Agreements. The application will set out the Government's case that CCAs, with minor modifications, meet the criteria for equivalence set out in the Directive. We have discussed an outline application with the Commission.

CCAs cover a wider range of emissions than does EU ETS, in particular indirect emissions through electricity use. Continued operation of the CCAs will therefore maintain the incentives to reduce these emissions, and continue to provide access to the reduced rate of Climate Change Levy for all energy use covered by the Agreements. The basic data required to report under both schemes is the same. The Government intend to consider the future policy mix of measures impacting on business as part of the review of the Climate Change Programme.

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