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Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of urban foxes which were (a) trapped, (b) poisoned and (c) otherwise destroyed by local authorities in England as part of their pest control or public health functions in the last year for which figures are available. [223141]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has not made any assessment of the number of urban foxes which were (a) trapped, (b) poisoned and (c) otherwise destroyed by local authorities in England.
However, there are no pesticides approved for poisoning foxes so to do so would be unlawful. Any foxes suspected of being poisoned should be reported to Defra's Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme on freephone 0800 321 600.
Mr. Roger Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what methods local authorities in England are permitted to use to dispose of (a) dead foxes that have been poisoned or
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otherwise destroyed and (b) live foxes which have been trapped as part of pest control or public health procedures. [223142]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are no specific controls on the disposal of either (a) dead or (b) live foxes.
However, dead foxes could be considered 'waste' within the Waste Framework Directive. As such they should be disposed of in ways which protect the environment and human health.
Any wild foxes that are suspected of being infected with diseases communicable to humans or animals must be disposed of in accordance with the Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002.
Defra does not condone the live capture of foxes and their release elsewhere, although the practice is not unlawful. There are no controls on specific methods regarding the translocation of live foxes but the methods used must not contravene animal legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Protection of Animals Act 1911 or Abandonment of Animals Act 1960.
There are no pesticides approved for poisoning foxes therefore to do so would be unlawful. Any foxes suspected of being poisoned should be reported to Defra's Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme on freephone 0800 321 600.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities in England which manage or control urban fox populations as part of their pest control or public health functions. [223143]
Mr. Bradshaw: There is no obligation on local authorities in England to control urban fox populations or to report any such control to Defra. Therefore the Department has no such list.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the Department has made of the population of urban foxes in England. [223144]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has not made any estimate of the population of urban foxes in England.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many kilometres of greenways there are in England; how many greenways and similar projects are planned; and if she will make a statement. [222058]
Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency set up six 'pilot greenway projects' in England between 1999 and 2002, which together totalled a distance of approximately 60 km (37 miles). The Countryside Agency defined Greenways" as a
"network of largely car-free, off-road routes connecting people to facilities and open spaces in and around towns and counties and to the countryside. For shared use by people of all abilities on foot, bike or horseback, for commuting play or leisure".
The Agency's aim was to build on existing facilities and routes and was aimed at providing:
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The Agency wished to link Greenways" to other networks for non-motorised users such as the National Cycle Network, towpaths beside inland waterways, and National Trials. They include stretches of 'quiet' minor roads designed to be more attractive for people on bikes, horseback or walking.
The Countryside Agency has suggested to local authorities that through the introduction of their 'Rights of Way Improvement Plans', they could identify further routes and develop further integration with public transport, as part of the effort to reverse the trend for increasing reliance on the private car for the journey to work.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the (a) viability, (b) social impact and (c) economic impact of quality requirements for Middle Eastern produce imports; when this assessment was last reviewed; and if she will make a statement. [213234]
Mr. Bradshaw: Defra has not carried out any such assessment.
Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the 15,000 homes to be built under the First Time Buyers Initiative he expects to be completed by 31 March 2008. [223278]
Keith Hill: Current estimates suggest that there could be up to 4,000 completions under the First Time Buyers Initiative by the end of 2008.
English Partnerships are continuing to develop the business model that will underpin the delivery of homes under the scheme, and this estimate is subject to revision.
However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, in conjunction with English Partnerships, is committed to delivering 15,000 starts on site under the First Time Buyers Initiative by 2010.
Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to publish the consultation paper on the Social Homebuy scheme. [223283]
Keith Hill:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plans to publish a consultation paper on low cost home ownership, including proposals for an expanded Homebuy scheme, shortly.
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Mr. Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimates have been made of the (a) expenditure on and (b) number of homes to be built under the Department's housing programmes in (i) the London borough of Enfield, (ii) Greater London and (iii) England in each year from 200506 to 200910; and if he will make a statement. [223495]
Keith Hill: For 200506 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister currently estimates that around 45,000 homes will be provided for rent or low cost home ownership in England. The principal source of funding is the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme which will spend around £1.65 billion.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to provide around £782 million for new rent and low cost home ownership homes for London in 200506 this will assist in providing around 8,000 homes. Estimates for Enfield are not available.
The regional allocations of the £5.5 billion for Regional Housing Pot for spending in 200607 and 200708 were announced yesterday. Nearly £2.3 billion has been allocated to London. Decisions on the amount of these resources to be used for affordable housing will be taken in the summer in the light of advice from Regional Housing Boards. Allocations for individual authorities will be agreed in early 2006 following the ADP bidding round.
Future funding and delivery of outputs from 200809 will be dependent upon the outcome of the next Spending Review in 2006.
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the capital receipts generated from the Right to Buy in with-debt local authorities in 200304 and available to spend on capital investment was (a) spent on refurbishing existing housing and (b) loaned to a registered social landlord to build new social housing under the Local Authority Social Housing Grant mechanism. [223287]
Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold information on the way in which with-debt local authorities used the proportion of the capital receipt arising from a Right to Buy disposal which they retained.
Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2005, Official Report, columns 9092W, how many of the homes to be provided for rent in 200506 will be funded through (a) the Approved Development Programme, (b) the Approved Development Programme Challenge Fund, (c) Transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant, (d) the expanded Private Finance Initiative, (e) planning gain without public subsidy and (f) other funding streams. [223297]
Keith Hill:
The following table shows current estimates of the number of homes to be provided for rent in 200506 by the various categories requested.
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Estimates for sections (a) -(c) are based on Housing Corporation data as at 18 March. The reduction in the total estimate is due solely to a lower estimate in Transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant completions for 200506 and reflects detailed timing of outputs.
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