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Aircraft (Carbon Dioxide)

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she plans to put in place to reduce carbon dioxide output from aircraft entering or leaving the United Kingdom. [7416]

Mr. Morley: This Government are concerned about the contribution that UK aviation makes to global warming, which by 2030 could amount to about a quarter of the UK's total contribution to climate change. We are working hard domestically and in the EU to reduce the impact of aviation on climate change. Defra Ministers and officials worked closely with colleagues at the Department for Transport to ensure that this vital issue was addressed in the Government's Air Transport White Paper which was published in December 2003. As a result, the Government's long term aviation policy has repeated our commitment to taking a lead on climate change and recognises the need for aviation to take its share of responsibility for tackling the impact of air transport on global warming.

The preferred Government option for tackling the contribution that aviation makes to global warming is through a well designed emissions trading scheme. For an international industry, an international trading regime is the best solution, and we are working with the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) to achieve this. Within the EU we will be pressing for the inclusion of aviation into the EU emissions trading scheme, and have made this a top priority for the UK presidency of the EU, with a view to aviation joining the scheme in 2008, or as soon as possible thereafter. Officials from DfT and Defra have already approached other member states on the matter and are working closely with the European Commission.
 
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This provides a solid foundation for action in tackling aviation's global impacts. However, we recognise that this may not provide a total solution. In view of this, we will continue to explore and discuss options for the use of other economic instruments for tackling aviation's greenhouse gas emissions, building on the work in the March 2003 report Aviation and the Environment: Using Economic Instruments".

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much carbon was emitted in (a) 1990 and (b) 2004 from international aviation which (i) landed and (ii) took off from the UK. [4882]

Mr. Morley: Emissions from international aviation which took off from the UK in 1990 and 2003 (the most recent year for which the information is available) were 4.3 and 8.1 million tonnes of carbon per year, respectively. These emissions are estimated using the amount of fuel provided to aircraft in the UK. The estimates are consistent with guidelines developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and agreed internationally for the preparation of greenhouse gas inventories. Emissions from international aviation that landed at UK airports are not separately estimated.

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much carbon was emitted in the UK in (a) 1990 and (b) 2004 (i) excluding and (ii) including international aviation. [4883]

Mr. Morley: The following table shows UK carbon dioxide emissions with and without international aviation in 1990 and 2003, which is the most recent year for which full information is available. The data are expressed as million tonnes of carbon per year and were released by the Department in March this year.
Million tonnes carbon per year

	UK emissions excluding international aviation	Emissions including international aviation
1990	165.4	169.7
2003	156.1	164.2

Emissions from international aviation and international shipping are recorded as memorandum items in the UK greenhouse gas inventory but are not included in national totals. This is consistent with guidelines developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and agreed internationally for the preparation of greenhouse gas inventories.

Badgers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recentassessment she has made of the relationship between badger populations and the incidence of TB in cattle. [1507]

Mr. Bradshaw: There are no recent data on the relationship between badger population density and the incidence of TB in cattle.
 
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Investigation of the prevalence of TB in wild badgers is being carried out through the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) and the Road Traffic Accident survey of badgers found dead in seven English counties. The RBCT will provide some information on badger numbers within the trial areas, which could be related to cattle herd breakdown rates. However, badger density estimates may not be very reliable even in trial areas (they would be based on trapping returns and field survey information).

British Waterways Board

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will instruct the British Waterways Board to realise the value of its non-operational land in order to apply it to investment in the operational waterways or to fund other cost-cutting exercises elsewhere in Government. [4594]

Jim Knight: No. I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him on 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 250W.

Civil Servants

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what value for money procurement savings were identified and what reduction in civil service posts occurred in her Department in 2004–05. [4544]

Jim Knight: This information is as follows:

(a) Value for Money Savings

DEFRA's value for money procurement gains for 2004–05 are being calculated and will be published in the 2005 Treasury Autumn Performance report.

(b) Reductions in Civil Service Posts in 2004–05

In Budget 2005 the Chancellor announced a headcount reduction of 12,500 posts by the end of 2004–05, towards the Government's target of a gross reduction of 84,000 civil service and administrative posts by 2008.

DEFRA's target is to reduce its head count by 2,400 (measured as full-time equivalent posts) by the end of 2007–08. The programmes that make up DEFRA's efficiency portfolio contributed 340 posts to this target in financial year 2004–05. The majority of these post reductions were delivered through restructuring and the introduction of new working practices in the Rural Payments Agency (235 posts) and the human resources function (91 posts).

DEFRA's staff in post figures show a reduction of 445 posts between 1 April 2004 and 1 April 2005. This includes the transfer of 320 members of staff to IBM as part of the outsourcing of IT services in October 2004. However, these transfers cannot be counted as efficiencies, as the individuals continue to work on DEFRA's account. The reason that the balance does not match the reductions delivered through the efficiency programme is that DEFRA has taken on staff to meet new work areas arising from the Spending Review 2004 settlement, such as the world summit on climate change and the EU presidency.
 
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Common Agricultural Policy

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement on 20 June 2005, Official Report, columns 523–40, on the European Council, what estimate she has made of the likely increase in the UK net contribution to the EU budget if the Government's proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Project are accepted. [6779]

Jim Knight [holding answer 23 June 2005]: The impact of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform on the UK net contribution to the EU budget will very much depend on the outcome of the overall negotiations currently being held on the next Financial Perspective—not just that element which relates to the CAP.

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish a concise guide, in every recognised language of the EU, to British proposals for the reform of the CAP, indicating the benefits in each EU member state to (a) consumers, (b) taxpayers, (c) small farms, (d) the environment (e) animal welfare and (f) the benefits of reform to developing countries. [4797]

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.

There are no plans to publish a guide of this kind. However, the Government will continue to argue the case for further reform of the CAP, and will use every available opportunity for promote the benefits of reform.

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