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10 Oct 2005 : Column 140W—continued
Fishing Fleet
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the (a) size of the fishing fleet, (b) number of people directly involved in the (i) catching sector and (ii)processing sector and (c) the value and tonnage of landings for each nation of the UK. [14832]
Mr. Bradshaw: There were 7,030 sea fishing vessels registered in the UK fleet on 1 January 2005. In 2004, there were 11,559 full and part-time fishermen employed in the UK catching sector and 18,180 full time equivalent employees working in the sea fish processing industry. Landings into the UK by the UK fishing fleet totalled 461.5 thousand tonnes in 2004, with a value of £405.6 million. Available information for each nation of the UK is given in the following table.
(47)There are a further 389 vessels registered in the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
(48)Separate estimates are not available for employment in the fish processing sector for Wales—these figures are included in the estimate given for England.
Fly-tipping (Bedfordshire)
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) incidents of fly-tipping were reported and (b) prosecutions were made as a result in (i) the county of Bedfordshire and (ii) the parliamentary constituency of mid-Bedfordshire in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [16613]
Mr. Bradshaw: No national data have previously been collected on incidents of illegal waste disposal or fly-tipping.
DEFRA has worked with the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association to develop Flycapture, a national fly-tipping database, which has been active since April 2004.
There were 6,283 fly-tipping incidents reported by the waste collection authorities in the county of Bedfordshire from April 2004 to March 2005.
Flycapture indicates that authorities are taking a wide range of enforcement action. Previously the 'actions taken' page of the database was not mandatory and therefore the picture is patchy. The Bedfordshire waste collection authorities reported 1,927 actions from April 2004 to March 2005, seven of which were prosecutions.
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Mid-Bedfordshire district council reported 959 incidents from April 2004 to March 2005 and seven actions, none of which were prosecutions.
Foxes
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate has been made of the fox population in London for each year since 1997. [15568]
Jim Knight: We are not aware that an estimate has been made of the fox population in London for each year since 1997. A report issued by Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) in 1995 1 estimated the British urban fox population to be 33,000, but the total number of urban foxes has undoubtedly changed since then.
1 Harris, S., Morris, P., Wray, S. and Yalden, D. (1995) A review of British mammals: population estimates and conservation statusof British mammals other than cetaceans (Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough).
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on tackling fuel poverty in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [15134]
Mr. Morley: Fuel poverty is a devolved matter, and expenditure on fuel poverty in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. The major programme to tackle fuel poverty in the private sector in England is Warm Front. Since its launch in June 2000, annual expenditure on Warm Front in England is:
| Scheme year | Approximate total spend |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 72 |
| 2001–02 | 197 |
| 2002–03 | 163 |
| 2003–04 | 164 |
| 2004–05 | 166 |
The predecessor to the Warm Front scheme was the Home Energy Efficiency scheme. From June 1997 until May 2000, annual expenditure on the scheme was approximately £60 million.
Gangmasters
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the responsibilities of Operation Gangmaster will be transferred to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority established under the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004. [15166]
Jim Knight:
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is responsible for Operation Gangmaster. I can confirm that he has no plans to transfer the responsibility for Operation Gangmaster to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority. However, the Authority will be holding discussions with DWP to establish how intelligence gathered through Operation Gangmaster can be used for licensing and associated enforcement purposes.
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Green Ministers
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work her Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last three months. [15675]
Jim Knight: Ben Bradshaw was appointed as Departmental Sustainable Development Minister in June 2005.
In July, the Minister attended a breakfast seminar for Sustainable Development Ministers to discuss the sustainable development strategy and Ministers' role in delivering it.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings her Department's Green Minister has attended in the last 12 months in that capacity. [15676]
Jim Knight: Lord Whitty was Defra's Green Minister until April 2005 and in that capacity was a member of the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G).
Ben Bradshaw was appointed as departmental Sustainable Development Minister in June 2005 and is a member of the new Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)).
Although the Government publish the title, membership and terms of reference of cabinet committees, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of their proceedings.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the meetings at which her Department has been represented about the delivery of sustainable development across Government as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-committee of Green Ministers. [15677]
Mr. Morley: Following the general election in May, the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G) was replaced by the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)) whose members are departmental Sustainable Development Ministers.
Although the Government publish the title, membership and terms of reference of cabinet committees, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of their proceedings.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has also chaired a Sustainable Development Task Force whose agendas, minutes and papers can be found on the Government's sustainable development website.
In addition, officials in the Department have had many meetings with others across Government both to develop and implement the Governments new sustainable development strategy 'Securing the Future'.
Hazardous Waste
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her
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estimate is of the additional cost to small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK of complying with the European hazardous waste regulations. [15527]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has published a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on the implementation of the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 (SI No. 894/2005). Copies of the RIA are available in the House Library and on the internet at the following address. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/em2005/uksiem_20050894—en.pdf.
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether small businesses in the UK are required to maintain a register of their disposal of electrical waste to comply with the hazardous waste regulations. [15528]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 (SI 894/2005) require all those producing hazardous waste to keep a register of consignment notes and any return from the consignee confirming receipt of the waste and the method of disposal or recovery. Some electrical waste will be non-hazardous and would not be subject to the requirements of the regulations.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance the Government have issued to waste producers on the implementation of the Hazardous Waste Regulations; and what guidance the Environment Agency is required to supply to waste producers. [15685]
Mr. Bradshaw: Defra has published a leaflet on the requirements of the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 which is targeted at small business producers of hazardous waste, but which is also useful for waste managers. Defra has also published specific policy guidance on the premises notification and the mixing requirements of the regulations. The leaflet and guidance have been distributed to stakeholders and they are also available on the web (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/special/index.htm). Defra is preparing further specific guidance on provisions in the regulations relating to offences, emergencies and transitional provisions for waste management licensing and this will be available shortly.
It is normal practice for the Environment Agency to issue guidance on the operational aspects of relevant regulations, and they have issued a comprehensive raft of guidance relating to the Hazardous Waste Regulations covering the definition of hazardous waste, mixing hazardous waste, the process of premises notification, and the completion of consignment notes and formulation of consignment codes. The agency has also published frequently asked questions (FAQs) on hazardous waste issues and guidance on the management of specific waste streams including fluorescent tubes and cathode ray tubes. All of this is available on the agency's website at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk and the FAQs are also available on the Defra website listed above.
Bill Wiggin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultation the Government conducted with waste
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producers in assessing the environmental benefits of the procedures included in the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005. [15687]
Mr. Bradshaw: The procedures included in the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 were implemented to transpose the requirements of the European Commission's Directive on Hazardous Waste (91/689/EEC). The directive sets out requirements for the controlled management of hazardous waste with a view to protecting human health and the environment. Defra issued a consultation on the new regulations in July 2004. The draft regulatory impact assessment forming part of this consultation included an assessment of the environmental benefits.
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