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4 Apr 2005 : Column 1085W—continued
Farmers (Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers there were in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997. [223152]
Alun Michael: The following figures show the number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses on holdings in the Shrewsbury and Atcham local authority area.
Notes:
1.Figures prior to 2000 show main holdings only. From 2000 minor holdings are included. A holding is defined as a minor if it meets all of the following conditions:
the total area is less than 6 hectares
the labour requirement is estimated to be less than 100 standard person-days
there is no regular full-time farmer or worker
the glasshouse area is less than 100 sq m
the occupier does not farm another holding.
2.Due to the introduction of new questions in 1998 figures prior to this year are not directly comparable with earlier years' results.
3.Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
Source:
June Agricultural Census
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Food Miles
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned on methods of reducing food miles. [222987]
Alun Michael: The Government are working with the industry on practical measures to reduce food miles in a way which is sustainable. The industry, particularly food retailers, has a crucial role to play in helping to reduce food miles. There are encouraging signs, notably in development of logistics planning and preparation of advice, but more could be done. Defra has commissioned research that is due to report this spring, analysing available data and making recommendations for indicators for measuring improvement.
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many previously paid invoices for (a) direct compensation and (b) associated activities connected with the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease are being re-investigated. [221943]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to pages 6, 35, 36 and 37 of the National Audit Office Report Foot and Mouth Disease: Applying the Lessons—Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General HC184 Session 2004–2005 2 February 2005".
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many ongoing claims and invoices for work connected with the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak have not been settled by her Department. [221944]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to pages 36 and 37 of the National Audit Office Report Foot and Mouth Disease: Applying the Lessons—Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General HC184 Session 2004–2005 2 February 2005".
Home Energy Efficiency Schemes
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in Leicester South constituency have benefited from the (a) home energy efficiency and (b) warm front schemes. [222901]
Mr. Morley: Between the start of the warm front scheme in June 2000 and the end of February 2005, approximately 2,950 households were assisted in Leicester South.
Under the previous home energy efficiency scheme information was collected by local authority rather than parliamentary constituency. Between April 1991 and
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May 2000 the number of households assisted by the scheme in the Leicester city council area were:
| Number of households assisted | |
|---|---|
| 1991–92 | 1,280 |
| 1992–93 | 1,350 |
| 1993–94 | 1,850 |
| 1994–95 | 1,950 |
| 1995–96 | 5,100 |
| 1996–97 | 2,770 |
| 1997–98 | 3,200 |
| 1998–99 | 2,960 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,110 |
Multiple Retailers
Mr. Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with multiple retailers regarding their commercial treatment of primary producers; and if she will make a statement. [223235]
Alun Michael: No meetings have been held with multiple retailers specifically to discuss their treatment of primary producers, though the subject will have arisen in the course of the Department's ongoing contacts with multiple retailers and other representatives of the food retail industry.
The Department considers that it is in the long term interests of all buyers within the food chain to deal with their suppliers in a fair and straightforward way.
Public Bodies
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) Departments, (b) agencies and (c) public bodies she expects will be affected by the proposed merger of English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency. [223529]
Alun Michael: English Nature and the Countryside Agency are both statutory non-departmental public bodies. The Rural Development Service is part of core Defra. The new statutory non-departmental public body announced in the Rural Strategy 2004 will comprise all of English Nature, the landscape, access and recreation elements of the Countryside Agency and the environmental land management functions of the Rural Development Service. No other Departments, agencies or public bodies will be involved in the merger.
In the Rural Strategy my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, also announced that the advocacy and advice role of the Countryside Agency would be refocused on a small expert body providing advice to government and advocacy on behalf of rural people. The establishment of the Commission for Rural Communities, initially within the legal framework of the Countryside Agency, but in due course as a statutory NDPB in its own right, was announced on 9 March. The socio-economic funding currently disbursed by the Countryside Agency is being devolved to the regional development agencies, together with control of the EU social and economic schemes of the England Rural Development Programme currently administered by the Rural Development Service while funding for Rural
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Community Councils will be continued, along with help for the rural voluntary and community sector, via Government offices.
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of jobs which will be lost in the Grantham and Stamford constituency following the proposed merger of English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency. [223530]
Alun Michael: English Nature currently has an office in Grantham. Work is currently being undertaken on the structure, precise numbers of staff, and the potential future locations of offices of the new agency. As decisions have yet to be taken, it is not yet possible to know whether there will be an impact on jobs in the hon. Member's constituency.
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the merger of English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency on (a) the services they provide and (b) the general public. [223545]
Alun Michael: The rural strategy set out the benefits of creating a new agency to champion integrated natural resource management, nature conservation, biodiversity, landscape, access and recreation. These were:
coherent promotion of the wider social benefits of the environment across rural, urban, urban fringe and coastal areas;
better opportunities to promote and exploit the part that a high quality environment plays in delivering social and economic benefit;
a clearer framework for resolving potentially conflicting objectives between conservation and the use and enjoyment of our natural environment;
more effective and simpler relationships with land managers, through the development of a single 'shop window' for customers for environmental schemes and advice; and
Further work is currently under way to ensure that the impact of these changes can be measured against an agreed baseline.
The new agency will be accountable to Parliament through the Secretary of State for the exercise of its functions. Its annual report and accounts will be laid before Parliament and its performance will be monitored by Ministers as part of the corporate planning and reporting cycles.
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