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7 Apr 2005 : Column 1640W—continued
Burnley
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [214693]
Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp. In addition the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Burnley constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
The following information may help provide a word picture" of the way Defra's work benefits Burnley.
Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 2003–04 and 25 per cent. by 2005–06. Since 2001, Defra has established a number of funding mechanisms to help local authorities achieve their targets. As a result of allocations from these funds the residents of Burnley should reap the benefits over the next few years. Since 2001 a total of £1,131,245 has been awarded to the borough to expand kerbside recycling schemes.
In March 2005 1 announced that Lancashire has been selected as the rural pathfinder in the North West—one of eight rural pathfinders in different regions of England. The pathfinder initiative is a key part of Rural Strategy and reflects the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making and resources to the local level. The Lancashire rural pathfinder will ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses.
In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the common agricultural policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 1149–50W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
Payments to farm-based schemes in the Burnley constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to £780,824.36.
The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).
CAP Payments
Mr. Wills:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the
7 Apr 2005 : Column 1641W
Government will press for the introduction of a ceiling on Common Agricultural Policy payments to individuals. [224710]
Alun Michael: The Government are committed to further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy but does not intend to press for a ceiling on individual payments since this could actually slow the process of reform. Only cutting CAP payments to the EU's largest farms would penalise those which would tend to be better able to compete in a less subsidy dependent market. The measure could, therefore, have the counter-intuitive effect of disproportionately supporting those EU farm businesses most likely to resist further reform. A ceiling on CAP payments would also penalise the UKin relation to most other EU member states, as UK farms tend to be larger than the EU average.
Cattle Birth Notifications
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress officials in her Department have made since 11 December 2004 on reviewing arrangements for enforcing the deadline for birth notifications of cattle. [224959]
Mr. Bradshaw: Discussions between Defra, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly officials are continuing. Unfortunately legal issues have proved more difficult to resolve than was initially hoped. Officials are currently considering whether an administrative solution can be found. If this is not possible legislative changes will benecessary. Industry representatives continue to be involved in informal discussions.
Civil Servants (Relocation)
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants in her Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom. [223899]
Alun Michael: The information is as follows.
(a) In financial year 2004–05, Defra relocated 124 members of staff from London and the south east. This figure can be broken down as follows:
(b) Defra's overall target is to relocate at least 390 members of staff from the south east by the end of financial year 2007–08: This will be achieved through a number of major change programmes. Most of these relocations are expected to be to York and Worcester.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the EU Agriculture Commissioner on the degree of control over agricultural policy available to the Governments of member states. [224662]
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Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, has had discussions with the EU Agriculture Commissioner formally and informally on a number of occasions since the Commissioner took office in November. In particular, they have discussed the proposal for a new Rural Development Regulation, and the possibilities within it for greater simplification and flexibility for member states.
Contaminated Land
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department has allocated to the Environment Agency for the development and delivery of training to local authority staff working on land affected by contamination in each year since Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 was brought into effect; how much has been allocated to the Environment Agency for this purpose in 2005–06; what output her Department agreed with the Agency; and what has been delivered to date. [224097]
Mr. Morley: From the grant-in-aid from my Department for its activities the Environment Agency spent £150,000 and £108,000 in 2003–04 and 2004–05 respectively to develop and deliver training events with places for local authority staff, with supporting materials, in connection with Part IIA (contaminated land). Specific costs for earlier years are not readily available but are of similar order of magnitude to 2003–04. The Agency has not currently allocated any sums for such training in 2005–06.
Training events in 2004–05 covered Model Procedures" (Contaminated Land Report 11, published in October 2004), Site investigation for the regulation of contaminated land" (nine events), Part IIA Documentation" (four events), and Evaluating Human Health Risk Assessments" (one event).
Correspondence
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will provide a response to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw regarding odour emissions from Mission mushroom farm. [224902]
Alun Michael: My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, replied to my hon. Friend on 31 January 2005 and wrote again with an update on the 10 March 2005. Officials are now re-drafting the relevant statutory guidance for mushroom substrate manufacturing prior to a wider consultation.
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