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12 Jul 2005 : Column 950W—continued
Vandalism
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were for acts of vandalism in each year since 1997. [6423]
Hazel Blears: There is no specific offence of vandalism. Most behaviour, which we understand as vandalism, would probably be covered by the offence of criminal damage, although the two might not always be exactly the same. The available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database on the number of offenders found guilty of criminal damage is contained in the tables.
Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
(24) These data are on the principal offence basis.
Volunteering
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much financial support his Department made available to organisations which use time banking as a means of encouraging and rewarding volunteering in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [8000]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 30 June 2005]: In the last year, the Home Office has provided £175,371 to time banking organisations. This includes funding for Time Banks UK, the national umbrella organisation as well as individual time banks. The details of these organisations are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Amount |
| Time Banks UK | 58,488 |
| Gloucester City Time Bank | 47,341 |
| Fair share Regional Network in South West | 27,542 |
| Gloucestershire Neighbourhood Projects Network | 42,000 |
| Total | 175,371 |
Time Banks UK and Gloucestershire Neighbourhood projects Network's funding will continue in 2005–06.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Animal Testing
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the circumstances in which animal testing is (a) mandatory and (b) optional under (i) UK and (ii) EU law. [10811]
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Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 11 July 2005]: In order to provide the required human and environmental safety data on chemicals within the areas of Defra's competence in the UK, and in the EU, testing on animals is a mandatory requirement under the Existing Substances Regulations, the Notification of New Substances Regulations and Pesticide Authorisations. For veterinary medicines a certain amount of animal testing is required by Directive 2001/82/EC in order to demonstrate efficacy as well as human, animal and environmental safety.
Provision of animal test data is not optional but if sufficient information were available on a chemical through its historical use, through human exposure data, or from alternative non-animal testing methods, then expert judgment would be used by Regulatory Authorities to avoid unnecessary further testing on animals. Regulatory Authorities are fully cognisant of the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes and will not require unnecessary testing on animals. They welcome any proposals for non-animal testing that provide equivalent assurance of safety.
Bovine TB
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the pilot projects testing badger and cattle tuberculosis vaccines will report. [10328]
Mr. Bradshaw: Research into a vaccine for badgers and cattle has now reached a stage where field trials are necessary.
The field study for the badger vaccine is likely to commence in 2006 and run for three years. The cattle vaccine study is likely to commence in late 2005 and run for five years. Both studies will report after their respective completion dates.
Beef Imports
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she proposes to take in relation to the import of beef from the USA following the detection of BSE there. [10600]
Mr. Bradshaw: No additional action is proposed. Imports of beef from third countries including the USA, are subject to European Community rules. Each consignment has to come from an approved slaughterhouse or cutting plant and it must be accompanied by animal and public health certification signed by an official veterinarian.
The health certification has to confirm that the meat does not contain, and is not derived from, specified risk material (SRM). SRM are those parts of the animal that could potentially harbour BSE.
On arrival in the EU, each consignment is subjected to documentary and identity checks to ensure that import conditions have been met. At least 20 per cent. of consignments are also subject to physical checks.
In recent years the UK has imported little beef from the USA. This is because of unrelated EU controls, which ban meat from cattle that have been given
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growth-promoting hormones (routinely used in America). The UK food safety implications from this most recent finding are minimal.
Biofuels
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage the use of (a) meat and bone meal in electricity and heat generation, (b) tallow for biodiesel production and (c) digested slurry for electrical generation through methane recovery. [11279]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 11 July 2005]: The use of meat and bone meal, tallow and slurry in energy generation is permitted under the animal by-products regulation and the Government are keen to encourage the use of these valuable energy sources.
The renewables obligation requires licensed electricity suppliers to source at least part of their electricity from renewable generation. The use of meat and bone meal and the anaerobic digestion of slurry for the generation of electricity are eligible sources of renewable energy. Detailed guidance on the anaerobic digestion of slurry has been provided to industry. The Biomass Study Task Force, led by Sir Ben Gill, is looking at the barriers to developing biomass energy, including the use of slurry, and will recommend ways to overcome the problems. We will consider the way forward in the light of their recommendations. The Government are also looking at the scope for supporting renewable heat.
We are liaising effectively with industry, the European Commission and other member states to ensure that the negotiations on an implementing measure for the animal by-products regulation will result in rules on the use of tallow for biodiesel which are proportionate, practical, and provide the industry with the maximum amount of flexibility. The production of biodiesel, including that produced from tallow, is supported by the 20 pence per litre reduction in duty compared to fossil fuels. The Government are carrying out a feasibility study on a renewable transport fuel obligation. If adopted, this would require a specified proportion of the total fuel supply to be from biofuels.
Carbon Emissions
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the level of domestic carbon emissions has been in each year since 1997; and what percentage of total emissions in each year these figures represent. [10329]
Mr. Morley: The following table shows UK carbon dioxide emissions from the domestic (residential) sector in million tonnes of carbon per year, and as a percentage of UK total carbon dioxide emissions for each year since 1997. These data include the domestic sector's share of emissions from energy supply and are from the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory published in 2005.
| Residential | Total CO(26) emissions | Residential as a % of total emissions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 37.7 | 153.9 | 24.5 |
| 1998 | 39.3 | 154.5 | 25.4 |
| 1999 | 38.3 | 151.7 | 25.2 |
| 2000 | 39.5 | 152.8 | 25.9 |
| 2001 | 41.7 | 157.4 | 26.5 |
| 2002 | 40.6 | 152.7 | 26.6 |
| 2003 | 41.2 | 156.1 | 26.4 |
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