| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Jan 2005 : Column 728W—continued
Honey Production
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the contribution of honey production to the agricultural economy. [207745]
Alun Michael: In 2003 the UK produced 7,500 tonnes of honey worth £35 million, a significant increase over previous years. Part of this increase is attributable to the EU ban on imports of honey from China between 2002–04. British honey is produced by about 200 commercial bee farmers and some 43,000 private beekeepers. Their contribution to the agricultural economy is difficult to measure but the value of pollination as a service to agriculture has been estimated as at least £120 million a year.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on funding for the National Bee Unit; [207747]
(2) what discussions she has had with colleagues in the Welsh Assembly Government on funding for disease inspection programmes in the bee industry. [207748]
Alun Michael: The bee health programmes in England and Wales are implemented by the National Bee Unit under separate contracts funded by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government respectively. In 2004–05, the unit will receive funding of £1.235 million from Defra and £0.283 million from the Welsh Assembly.
The Department has informed officials of the Welsh Assembly Government about plans for refocusing the English programme over the next three years. The Welsh Assembly Government was represented at a meeting between Defra officials and beekeepers on 26 November.
17 Jan 2005 : Column 729W
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had with the National Bee Unit on future disease threats faced by beekeepers; [207749]
(2) what assessment she has made of the disease threat faced by bee colonies. [207750]
Alun Michael: Part of the role of the National Bee Unit is to advise the Department on the development of its programme to control notifiable pests and diseases of bees in England and to minimise the risk of introduction of potentially serious exotic pests. There are regular discussions between the Department and the unit on these matters.
In the light of the National Bee Unit's assessment of the disease threats faced by bee colonies, the Department has concluded that statutory enforcement provisions for the control of varroa are now of low priority since this pest has become endemic. Plans are being made to remove varroasis from the list of notifiable diseases. Similar action is contemplated in respect of European foul brood in 2007–08, subject to satisfactory results from continuing applied research. This will allow the National Bee Unit to devote more of its resources to novel pests and diseases, including tropilaelaps and the small hive beetle, for which contingency measures are currently being developed.
Newspapers/Periodicals
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals taken by her Department in each year since 1997; and how much the Department spent on each in each year. [207638]
Alun Michael:
The Department currently takes eight newspaper titles and 219 periodical titles through its library services. I am placing a copy of the full listing of these in the Library of the House of Commons. Newspaper and periodical requirements are reviewed annually to ensure their continuing relevance to the Department's changing business needs. As a result, some titles are cancelled and new ones subscribed to.
17 Jan 2005 : Column 730W
Defra was established in June 2001. Its expenditure on newspapers and periodicals since then through its library services is set out as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 118,160 |
| 2002–03 | 91,095 |
| 2003–04 | 60,480 |
These figures exclude the spend on newspapers and periodicals by Defra local offices and the Department's Executive Agencies. These figures could be compiled only at a disproportionate cost.
Pesticides
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what processes are in place to ensure that advice from the Advisory Committee on Pesticides considers economic issues relating to the pesticides industry. [208309]
Alun Michael: The remit of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) requires that they are able to advise Ministers on all aspects of pesticide use. To this end, the committee includes within its membership independent experts on a wide range of relevant subjects, including economics.
Stolen Property
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the property belonging to her Department that has been (a) stolen and (b) reported lost in each year since 1997, broken down by type of article. [206376]
Alun Michael: The information supplied within the following tables excludes property lost or stolen by executive agencies, and is only available from 2001–02, as the Department did not exist prior to that year.
In addition to the data, a number of cage traps have been damaged or lost as a result of action by animal right activists. Details are unavailable, although the calculated value since 2001–02 amounts to circa £60,000.
The following three tables comprise a summary sheet for the three years since the Department's inception supported by a workings sheet and detailed inventory of individual items.
17 Jan 2005 : Column 731W
17 Jan 2005 : Column 732W
17 Jan 2005 : Column 733W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |