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21 Jun 2005 : Column 887W—continued
Surplus Land
Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made with the sale and development of the surplus land on the Southlands hospital site in Shoreham, West Sussex. [4629]
Yvette Cooper: Following the announcement by my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health last year, the first tranche of 67 surplus hospital sites transferred from Department of Health to English Partnerships on 6 April 2005. Other surplus sites, including the Southlands hospital site in Shoreham, will transfer to English Partnerships in 2005–06 and 2006–07. The land will be used to help deliver growth and regeneration including the provision of more affordable homes. English Partnerships is now working up future plans for the sites in discussion with local planning authorities.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which of those surplus NHS sites transferred to his Department (a) have been sold for development, (b) have secured planning permission for development and (c) are to be developed by his Department. [4647]
Yvette Cooper:
The first tranche of 67 surplus hospital sites, out of a total portfolio of 96, transferred from the Department of Health to English Partnerships on 6 April 2005. All of the sites will be assessed by English Partnerships for their development potential. Appropriate plans will then be drawn up in consultation with local planning authorities. No sites have yet been sold by English Partnerships for development. A number of sites in the portfolio have existing planning consents. It is likely that all sites will be taken forward by or in partnership with the private sector.
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Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of houses to be built on surplus NHS sites transferred to his Department will be affordable homes. [4648]
Yvette Cooper: The first tranche of 67 surplus hospital sites transferred from the Department of Health to English Partnerships on 6 April 2005. Other surplus sites will transfer to English Partnerships. Residential housing development, including the provision for a mix of tenures, will take place where sites are assessed as suitable. Such decisions will be made on a site by site basis taking account of local development plans and local needs. It is estimated that the total portfolio of 96 sites transferring to English Partnerships has the potential to deliver about 15,000 new homes, at least 5,000 of them affordable.
Sustainable Communities Plan
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the Sustainable Communities Plan will amend green belt designation in each of the growth areas. [4283]
Yvette Cooper: Any proposals to change the general extent of green belt boundaries in the growth areas should be considered as part of a review of the regional spatial strategy or the London plan in the first instance, through the statutory development plan process. Government policy set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan is that every region should maintain or increase the area of green belt designated in local plans.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Air Transport (Emissions)
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) carbon dioxide emissions and (b) Kyoto basket emissions are estimated to have come from air transport flights taking off from and landing in UK airports in 2003. [694]
Margaret Beckett [pursuant to the reply, 26 May 2005, Official Report, c.179W]: The original answer mixed units of million tonnes carbon equivalent per year(MtCeq/yr) and million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year (MtCO 2 eq/yr). This resulted in an incorrect percentage to be calculated for the Kyoto basket emissions. All units are now presented as MtCO 2 eq/yr. A revised table is given as follows.
The original answer also contained an error in the units in the final sentence of text. The text referred to MtCeq/yr, this should have been presented as MtCO 2 eq/yr. The rest of the answer remains correct.
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Bovine TB
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that badgers killed in road accidents in North Yorkshire are tested to see whether they are free of tuberculosis. [4868]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Road Traffic Accident (RTA) survey is limited to seven counties in England (Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Dorset). We are awaiting the results of the validation of the survey before taking any decisions about extending the survey area further. There are also logistical and budgetary problems in extending the RTA survey.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to allow (a) land owners and (b) land occupiers to test badger setts humanely to ensure they are tuberculosis free. [4870]
Mr. Bradshaw: There is currently no reliable diagnostic test for TB in live badgers. We are funding research into the development of a number of alternative immunological assays for the detection of M. bovis infection in badgers at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Further evaluation is being undertaken and results should be available by the end of 2005.
Post-mortem inspection and laboratory culture of M.bovis remains the most sensitive method of diagnosis.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that areas, with particular reference to North Yorkshire, remain tuberculosis free in their cattle population. [4871]
Mr. Bradshaw: We announced new measures last November to tighten surveillance and reduce risk of TB spreading to new areas. These include changes to testing frequency and the imposition of movement restrictions immediately a test becomes overdue from February 2005.
The Government Strategic Framework for the Sustainable Control of Bovine Tuberculosis in Great Britain" was published on 1 March. Specific disease control policies will be tailored to reflect the regional variation in disease and risk, and adjusted to make best use of emerging scientific findings.
In addition, we are also considering a proposal for pre-movement testing in Great Britain, developed by a farmer-chaired stakeholder group. The group delivered its report on 29 April, and published on DEFRA website on 1 June. The group's recommendations will be carefully considered.
Great Britain's pre-movement testing policy would need agreement from the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly. We aim to consult later this year on the detailed proposal.
Apiculture
Lynne Featherstone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment
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has been made of the impact of the small hive beetle on the UK's bee population; and if she will make a statement. [4806]
Jim Knight: The small hive beetle is a notifiable pest of bees. It is indigenous to Africa and widespread in the USA. EU import controls have been extended to reduce the risk of its introduction. The beetle has not yet been reported within the Community beyond a single finding in a consignment of bees imported into Portugal last October.
The National Bee Unit's assessment of this pest is that if it became established it could have a serious impact on the sustainability and economic prosperity of UK and European apiculture. Accordingly, the unit has been providing advice to beekeepers to raise awareness, and has increased its surveillance programme to monitor for its presence. We are also developing contingency measures to deal with any future finding of the pest in England.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the National Bee Unit health programme; and if she will make a statement. [4807]
Jim Knight: The Department has received many written representations from beekeepers in recent months about our proposals to reduce expenditure with the National Bee Unit from 2008. Defra officials are maintaining a regular dialogue with representatives of the national beekeeping associations in England and have met them on three occasions so far this year to discuss their concerns and the possible impact of our proposals on future bee disease prevention and control.
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