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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 27 October 2005
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
GM Crops
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on GM crops; and if she will make a statement. [20511]
Mr. Morley: Defra Ministers have not had any recent discussions with the European Commission on GM crop issues, except in the context of the general discussions held with all EU Environment Ministers at EU Council meetings.
Kyoto Protocols
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the prospects for the Kyoto protocols being adhered to in the long term. [21702]
Mr. Morley: The UK Government and the EU remain committed to the framework set out by the Kyoto protocol. It remains crucially important, as the first ever legally binding framework, to set quantified emissions reductions for developed countries. The UK Government and the EU want to build on the Kyoto protocol and its key elements such as targets and timetables, monitoring and reporting, compliance and the flexibility mechanisms for the period after 2012.
In addition, on the basis of the European Commission's communication "Winning the battle against global climate change" (February 2005) the European Council of Ministers concluded that the EU's future climate change strategy should:
(c) Drive technological innovation, employing an optimal mix of "push" and "pull" policies, in particular in the transport and energy sector;
(f) Support the adaptation to unavoidable climate change in all countries, particularly in the most vulnerable developing countries.
However, the UNFCCC remains the place to agree on future frameworks.
Water Management
Mr. Lancaster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what long-term planning to take account of (a) climate change and
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(b) development of new water resources is (i) in place and (ii) planned in order to tackle the risk of water shortages. [23170]
Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the agency's management role it has national and regional water resource strategies which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
Water companies have duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. They have 25 year water resource plans which complement the agency strategies and seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. The Environment Agency issues guidance to water companies on how the implications of climate change should be factored in to their water resource plans. The plans are assessed by the Environment Agency and reviewed annually. They are produced voluntarily at present but will become a statutory requirement under the provisions of the Water Act 2003.
Each water company also has a drought plan which sets out how the company will continue to meet its duties to supply adequate quantities of wholesome water during drought periods with as little recourse as possible to drought orders and permits. These too are produced voluntarily at present but regulations are now in place making their production a statutory requirement as part of the implementation of the Water Act 2003.
WALES
Departmental Estate
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total floor space area is of buildings (a) owned and (b) leased by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [18470]
Nick Ainger: The Wales Office has no agencies. It owns one building with total floor space of just under 500 square metres and leases premises of 637 square metres.
Departmental Stationery
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has joined the Watermark project. [18468]
Nick Ainger: In June 2003, the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). DCA is a member of the Watermark Project. Details can be found on the DCA website: www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports, in each case stating (i) the name of each paper used and (ii) the (A) recycled and (B) post-consumer recycled content of each paper. [18469]
Nick Ainger:
In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA). It uses the DCA contract with Office
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Depot for copier paper, stationery, and envelopes. Figures are held for the consumption of recycled paper by the DCA as a whole, but information for the Wales Office could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Water and Sewerage
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual spending by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on water and sewerage services has been in each year since 1997. [18139]
Nick Ainger: The Wales Office was established July 1999. The Wales Office installed a water meter in June 2003. A settlement figure of £3,561 was paid on installation for usage from July 1999 to June 2003.
Since then, spend on water and sewage has been:
| Financial year | £ |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | (1)830.93 |
| 2004–05 | 865.05 |
| (1) From June only. |
Figures for financial year 2005–06 will be available in April 2006.
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales at which non-office sites on his estates he has identified opportunities for significant water savings. [18141]
Nick Ainger: The Wales Office does not have any non-office sites.
Out-of-hours GP Services
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Government on the cross-border implications of improvements to the out-of-hours GP services in Wales. [20570]
Mr. Hain: I regularly meet with the Health Minister and we discuss a range of health issues. The National Assembly for Wales in conjunction with Local Health Boards are monitoring the performance of providers and look for continual performance improvement.
Patients are treated by the clinician best equipped to meet their needs in the most appropriate location, regardless of where they are resident.
Sustainable Development
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements his Department has to report publicly on its key sustainable development impacts. [18090]
Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). We have adopted the DCA corporate policy for Sustainable Development, which is published on the DCA website.
www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm.
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what parts of his Department's estate will not be covered by the commitments set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. [18130]
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Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). It is a small department, having only one building in London, but lease office space in Cardiff. It is fully covered by the commitments outlined in the DCA's Sustainable Development Policy, which is on the DCA website.
www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm.
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps have been taken by his Department to review its arrangements for public reporting of its sustainable development impacts. [18134]
Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). It adopts DCA's Framework on Sustainable Development, which provides for yearly reporting. Further details are on the DCA website.
www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm.
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