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29 Nov 2005 : Column 312W—continued
Greenhouse Gases
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2005, Official Report, columns 321–22W, on greenhouse gases, if she will publish a further table using the published provisional 2004 figures as the most recent available. [31157]
Mr. Morley: The table shows projected UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and percentage reductions during the commitment period obtained by assuming that the linear trend in emissions of the last (a) five years, (b) four years, (c) three years, (d) two years and (e) one year continue, based on the most recent published UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory data, which cover the period 1990 to 2003 and using the provisional 2004 estimate.
In the Government's view the provisional estimate for 2004 is very unsuitable for the analysis requested. This is because, under the calculation method proposed, the additional uncertainty (+/-1%) associated with the final provisional data point enters in to all the estimates and is magnified by the projection process to form an uncertainty of between +7–2 and of +/-6 percentage points over the Kyoto commitment period.
In addition, in comparison with the results already presented, the difference in projected percentage reduction due to shifting the base year of projection from 2003 inventory data to 2004 provisional estimates ranges between 1 and 12 percentage points.
Projections based purely on extrapolation from past data are inherently unsound, particularly where the record is very short in duration. Neither this set of projections, nor the set published in the reply given on 8 November, takes specific account of expectations about the future of energy supply, economic activity, fuel prices, sectoral trends and effects of policy measures and for this reason they are not a sound basis for judging whether the UK will meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
29 Nov 2005 : Column 313W
Home Energy Conservation
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to review guidelines on the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995. [30144]
Mr. Morley: We are currently in the process of drawing-up, with the key stakeholders, the terms of reference to a review of the guidance issued to energy conservation authorities in England on compliance with the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995.
Household Waste
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of household waste to be recycled or composted she would accept as further improvement by 2008 for the purposes of measuring achievement against 2004 public service agreement target 6. [30433]
Jim Knight: The Department recently launched a consultation on options for local authority statutory performance standards on recycling and composting in 2007–08. The Government's preferred option would deliver a national recycling and composting rate of approximately 28.5 per cent. in 2007–08. This would put England on course to meet the national recycling and composting target of 30 per cent. by 2010 as set out in Waste Strategy 2000.
Hunting
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the use of scents for (a) drag and (b) trail hunting on Forestry Commission land; and if she will make a statement. [31791]
Jim Knight: The Forestry Commission has entered a Drag Hunting Agreement for one season with the Master of Foxhounds Association (MFHA). This sets out the terms on which their member hunts can apply to the Forestry Commission for a specific licence to drag hunt. The terms are identical to those agreed with the Master of Bloodhounds and Draghounds Association (MBDA) who have operated on the public forest estate for a number of years. The MBDA code of conduct on scents is included in the MFHA Agreement as follows:
The scent used must be artificial and may be chemical or animal based. The scent used should not be easily confused by the hounds with a wild mammal. Under no circumstances should a carcass or part of one, the hunting of which is illegal, be used as the scent."
Land Maps
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of farmers and landowners who have failed to provide maps for parcels of land. [30792]
Jim Knight:
Following initial validation of the Single Payment Scheme claims the Rural Payments Agency has requested maps from some 13,000 claimants of which 6,000 have been received.
29 Nov 2005 : Column 314W
National Minimum Wage
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees in her Department were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October 2005. [28882]
Jim Knight: Seven staff in the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), an Executive agency of DEFRA, received an increase to their salaries on 1 October 2005, pending the application of the CEFAS 2005 pay award (applicable from 1 April 2005), which will take the lowest pay band minima in the agency above the national minimum wage.
Pesticides
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, columns 2313–14W, on pesticides, if she will express the quantities used in each year in terms of volume. [30952]
Mr. Morley: Details of the volume of pesticide applied are only kept for those products which have a liquid formulation. Details of the volumes of such products applied since 1990, when our records began, are as follows:
Pesticides which are not formulated as liquid formulations such as powders or granules are not recorded in these figures.
Predictive Diallers
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many calls were made from call centres in her Department in 2004–05 using predictive diallers; how many such calls resulted in contact being made with the recipient without a Government agent available to talk to them; and what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Ofcom's policy on silent calls on the use of predictive diallers in departmental call centres. [28170]
Jim Knight:
Defra does not use predictive diallers.
29 Nov 2005 : Column 315W
Public Service Agreement
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the data required to measure the sharing of risk management with industry for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target 1 are available to her. [30292]
Jim Knight: Progress towards achieving the public service agreement target 1 is evaluated annually using the set of 68 UK sustainable development strategy indicators. Specific indicators relating to the impacts of industry are:
The indicators were published in June 2005 in Sustainable development indicators in your pocket 2005", copies of which were sent to all Members of Parliament. Copies were also placed in the Library of the House. The indicators are also available via the UK Government's sustainable development website:
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what time scale she has set for achievement of 2004 public service agreement target 6. [30294]
Jim Knight: As set out in DEFRA's PSA target 6, Government are committed to enable at least 25 per cent. of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2005–06, with further improvements by 2008.
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