---

21 Mar 2005 : Column 535W—continued

Beekeeping

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons her Department has not issued a consultation document on its plans for the budget for the support of beekeepers in England. [222146]

Alun Michael: It is not our practice to issue consultation documents on expenditure plans. We plan to issue a consultation document on our proposal to
 
21 Mar 2005 : Column 536W
 
remove European foul brood from the list of notifiable diseases of bees in the winter of 2006–07, when further data on the effectiveness of the 'shook swarm' technique will be available.

Bird Control

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the new general licence WLF18 for the control of certain species of birds which came into effect on 1 March 2005. [220439]

Mr. Bradshaw: The general licence WLF 18 has been published and is available on the Defra website via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/regulat/forms/cons_man/wlf 18.pdf.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the circumstances in which controlling pigeons on growing crops by non-lethal methods wouldbe (a) less effective and (b) less practical than shooting. [220446]

Mr. Bradshaw: Defra have made no such specific assessment. However, in December 2003 the Central Science Laboratory published a report on the 'Review of international research literature regarding the effectiveness of auditory bird scaring techniques and potential alternatives'. A copy of this report can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise/birdscaring/birdscaring.pdf

This review, which was commissioned by Defra, did not include an assessment of shooting.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under what legal authority she transferred the responsibility given to her by S.16 (1A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to decide whether there is no other satisfactory solution other than killing certain birds, to the authorised persons under the terms of the General Licence WLF18. [220447]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Secretary of State has not transferred the responsibility given to her by S.16 (1A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to decide whether there is no other satisfactory solution other than killing certain birds, to the authorised persons under the terms of the General Licence WLF18.

The wording of three of the licences (prevention of damage/spread of disease, public safety and air safety) was changed to include reference to the authorised person satisfying himself regarding the effectiveness of alternative methods of control. The new condition was included in order to clarify that general licences properly meet our EC obligations by providing for an assessment of alternatives on a case by case basis.

However, the final responsibility as regards other satisfactory solutions rests with the Secretary of State.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish guidance to persons authorised under general licence WLF 18 on the criteria they should use to assess whether appropriate non-lethal methods of control are ineffective or impracticable. [221392]

 
21 Mar 2005 : Column 537W
 

Mr. Bradshaw: Defra issued a press release on 9 March 2005 announcing the latest revisions to the general licence condition regarding non-lethal methods of control. There are no plans to publish further guidance.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish advice she has received concerning the legal interpretation of condition 4 of general licence WLF18. [221393]

Mr. Bradshaw: It is necessary for Defra, and other Government Departments, to obtain legal advice in order to formulate policy. Without such comprehensive advice the quality of the Government's decision making would be much reduced since it would not be fully informed and this would be contrary to the public interest.

Disclosure of legal advice has a significant potential to prejudice the Government's ability to defend its legal interests—both directly, by unfairly exposing its legal position to challenge, and indirectly by diminishing the reliance it can place on the advice having been fully considered and presented without fear or favour. Neither of these scenarios is in the public interest

It is for these reasons that Defra will not publish any legal advice it has received in respect of condition 4 of general licence WLF18.

Cormorants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to amend its policy on the control of fish-eating wildlife other than cormorants. [222299]

Mr. Bradshaw: We have no plans to amend the policy on the control of fish-eating wildlife.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to ensure that the granting of licences for the control of cormorants does not lead to the killing of nesting birds. [222300]

Mr. Bradshaw: Licences to shoot cormorants are normally issued between 31 August and 15 April which avoids the main cormorant breeding season (eggs: 20 March to 1 July, unfledged young: 20 April to 1 September). Some licences are extended to 30 April if smolt runs are likely to be affected by cormorant predation.

The presence of a cormorant nesting site close to a proposed licensed site is taken into consideration when assessing the suitability of the site for licensed action; the licence period may be adjusted to avoid taking cormorants which may have dependent young.

English Nature is consulted on all applications for licences to shoot cormorants outside of t he normal" period of 31 August to 15 April. These applications may be refused on the basis of humaneness if nesting cormorants and their young are likely to be affected.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individuals of each bird species, other than cormorants,
 
21 Mar 2005 : Column 538W
 
have been killed as a result of licences granted to control cormorants since the change of policy on cormorant control. [222301]

Mr. Bradshaw: We do not hold data on the numbers of individuals of bird species which have been killed as a result of licences granted to control cormorants.

Licences are granted for the shooting of a specific number of cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) for a specific purpose (usually preventing serious damage to fisheries) and within a specified location and time frame. This is all clearly laid out on the licence. The shooting of any other species not identified on the licence, whether deliberate or by accident, is not authorised by the licence. A condition of a licence to shoot cormorants is to provide six-monthly returns of the number of cormorants shot under licence. Information on the accidental (or otherwise) shooting of other species is not requested.

Farm Holdings

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of farm holdings in England in each year from 1990 to 2004. [221956]

Alun Michael: The number of agricultural and horticultural holdings in England recorded for the years 1990 to 2004 are as follows:

	Number
1990	150,652
1991	150,966
1992	151,718
1993	153,422
1994	153,426
1995	146,109
1996	145,638
1997	144,777
1998	145,093
1999	147,220
2000	167,855
2001	177,934
2002	187,871
2003	190,687
2004	192,824

Notes:
1.Figures prior to 2000 are for main holdings only, from 2000 onwards main and minor holdings are included. A holding is defined as minor if it meets all of the following conditions:
(a)the total area is less than 6 hectares
(b)the labour requirement is estimated to be less than 100 standard person-days
(c)there is no regular full-time farmer or worker
(d)the glasshouse area is less than 100 square metres
(e)the occupier does not farm another holding
2.The number of holdings in later years reflects changes in administrative recording.
Source:
June agricultural census

---