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ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Speaker's Committee

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Speaker's Committee last reported to the House on the exercise of its functions. [21101]

Peter Viggers: The Speaker's Committee Second Report 2005, which covers its general work over the period from 1 December 2004 to the Prorogation of Parliament on 7 April 2005, was laid before the House on 21 July 2005 as House of Commons Paper No. 435. Copies have been placed in the Library and are available in the Vote Office.
 
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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what advice she has issued to large (a) outdoor, (b) free-range and (c) organic farmers on avoiding avian influenza; [19145]

(2) what advice on avian influenza she plans to issue to poultry keepers; [19243]

(3) what advice on biosecurity measures her Department has issued to (a) duck and waterfowl and (b) poultry keepers on the prevention of avian influenza. [19333]

Mr. Bradshaw: Comprehensive biosecurity guidance has been available on the Defra website since 2003. It was sent most recently to a wide range of industry organisations in August. We have been working with key stakeholders to draw up fuller guidance to keepers on assessing their risks, biosecurity and worker protection which we are issuing to poultry groups. This guidance has already been published on our website.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for compensation to owners of flocks which (a) contract and (b) are culled as a result of avian influenza. [19147]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Animal Health Act provides for compensation to be paid for the value of the birds immediately before slaughter, other than diseased poultry, slaughtered following an outbreak of avian influenza.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she has made of how many (a) chickens, (b) ducks, (c) geese, (d) turkeys, (e) pheasants, (f) partridges, (g) pet birds and (h) wild birds are at risk from an avian influenza epidemic. [19340]

Mr. Bradshaw: Defra's agricultural statistics give the latest information for 2004 as 123,622,345 chickens, 2,892,612 ducks, 161,695 geese, 6,568,800 turkeys and 3,452,309 other birds (including pheasants, partridges, quail and ratites). Information on pet and wild birds is not recorded.

We currently assess the risk of Al entering the UK as low. However it is a developing situation and we are monitoring it closely as well as stepping up our work on surveillance, biosecurity and emergency preparedness.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on measures in place to combat avian influenza. [19636]

Mr. Bradshaw: We currently assess the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza entering the UK as low. However it is a developing situation and we are monitoring it closely as well as stepping up our work on surveillance, biosecurity and emergency preparedness.
 
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The Government have significantly enhanced the arrangements for surveillance of wild birds, including the investigation of die-offs and sampling at shoots and wetlands. The arrangements have been agreed as part of coordinated efforts across the European Union.

The EU has also banned all imports of birds and poultry-related products, except unprocessed feathers, from countries affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza. Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue are enhancing checks of luggage of passengers travelling from Romania and Turkey.

Defra has recently reviewed and updated its contingency plans and, following a period of public consultation, the Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan, which includes a section dealing specifically with an outbreak of avian influenza. The plan is regularly tested and was laid before Parliament on 21 July 2005. It is also available on the Defra website. In the event of an outbreak in GB the plan would be invoked immediately.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency planning has been undertaken in Somerset to protect against an outbreak of Avian Influenza; and if she will make a statement. [19783]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 20 October 2005]: DEFRA's Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan outlines the Department's response to an outbreak of Avian Influenza among other notifiable animal diseases. The plan was laid before Parliament on 21 July.

The Taunton office of the state veterinary service held a contingency planning exercise, together with their operational partners and stakeholders, including the local authority and the National Farmers Union, on 17 to 19 October to test emergency preparedness. This is part of the routine programme of testing by the state veterinary service across Great Britain.

Broiler Chickens

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with European Union ministers about the conditions in which broiler chickens are kept in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [17751]

Mr. Bradshaw: I welcome the European Commission's proposal for a directive on the welfare of broiler chickens and look forward to working with the Commission and other member states to make further progress during our current Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers.

The proposal seeks to balance real welfare benefits for broilers and the economic, social and environmental impacts. It takes account of the latest scientific evidence, veterinary advice, consumer concerns and industry practice. DEFRA has recently concluded a full public consultation on the proposal, which will help to inform our thinking.

Municipal Waste

Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of municipal waste collection in England (a) went to
 
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landfill, (b) was incinerated, including with energy recovery, (c) was recycled and composted and (d) was dealt with by other means in 2004–05. [19768]

Mr. Bradshaw: Data for 2004–05 municipal waste disposal methods are not available.

The latest available data is for 2003–04 from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey. This survey shows the following disposal method percentages in England:
Percentage
(a) Landfilled71.9
(b) Incinerated(9)8.9
(c) Recycled and composted19.0
(d) Other0.1


(9) With and without energy recovery.
Note:
Percentages may not add due to rounding.




Recycling

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 148W, on recycling, what statistics the Department collects on (a) school and (b) local education authority recycling programmes. [18680]

Mr. Bradshaw: Information on recyclable waste is provided to DEFRA by local authorities. This will include waste from schools and other educational establishments where it comes under the control of the local authority. However, local authorities are not requested by DEFRA to record such recycling separately from that collected from households and other premises. Therefore the statistics requested are not held centrally.

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what percentage of household refuse was recycled in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each of the last five years; [18712]

(2) what percentage of commercial refuse was recycled in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each of the last five years. [18713]

Mr. Bradshaw: Results from the 2003–04 DEFRA Municipal Waste Management Survey show that 17.7 per cent. of household waste was recycled or composted in England. Data for the Tees Valley shows that 10.8 per cent. was recycled or composted and in the local authority of Middlesborough 5.3 per cent. was recycled or composted. Information is not available for the Middlesborough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency.

The latest information for commercial waste is from the Environment Agency's 2002–03 National Waste Production Survey. Results show that 36.6 per cent. of commercial waste was recycled or reused in England. In the Tees Valley 27.9 per cent. of commercial waste was recycled or reused. Information is not available at parliamentary constituency, or local authority level.
 
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