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30 Nov 2005 : Column 504W—continued
Civil Service Relocation (Scotland)
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001. [32375]
Jim Knight [holding answer 28 November 2005]: Since DEFRA was created in June 2001, no staff have transferred to Scotland with funding assistance from the Department.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the meetings of EU Agriculture Ministers in the last 12 months at which reform of the Common Agricultural Policy was discussed. [32513]
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Jim Knight [holding answer 28 November 2005]: Discussions of CAP reform within the last 12 months has focused on reform of the sugar regime. This was discussed at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on the following dates: 22–23 November 2004, and 24 January, 18–19 July, 19–20 September, 24–25 October, 22–24 November 2005. Agreement on reform was reached at the meeting in November 2005.
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agreements under the Countryside Stewardship scheme are live; how many hectares are covered by such agreements; how many agreements provided access for the public within two miles of (a) an urban area and (b) the coast; and how many hectares are covered in those areas. [31838]
Jim Knight: There are currently 16,747 live Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) agreements covering 524,604.58 hectares. More specifically, the number and hectarage of live CSS agreements providing both linear and open access for the public are as follows:
All figures are taken from the 2004 agreement year which represents the latest available data.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the access authorities which have taken part in the Access Management Grant Scheme; and what total level of funding has been granted to each such authority since the scheme's inception. [31842]
Jim Knight: Up to 1 November 2005, 52 access authorities in England have been granted a total of £3,063,591 in funding under the Access Management Grant Scheme, as follows:
(3) Excludes funding for the Open Access Black Mountains project.
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Departmental Staff
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the Finance Director is in her Department; what specialist finance qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date. [26319]
Jim Knight: Defra's acting finance director is Ian Grattidge. He joined Defra on 18 February 2002 and was appointed acting director on 7 November 2005. Ian Grattidge is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Chartered Accountants.
Prior to joining Defra Ian Grattidge held finance director posts at the Food Standards Agency and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. He has also held posts in the finance management division of former MAFF and at the BBC; was head of finance and business administration at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, DTI; financial accountant at NMI Ltd; an internal auditor for the DTI and a tax inspector for HM Customs and Excise.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in her Department have been relocated into London and the South East in each of the last five years for which records are available. [31765]
Jim Knight:
DEFRA was created in June 2001 and the information in this answer covers the period since then. The following table shows the number of staff who have been relocated into London and the South East with funding assistance from the Department.
30 Nov 2005 : Column 507W
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2001 (June to December) | 11 |
| 2002 | 22 |
| 2003 | 11 |
| 2004 | 10 |
| 2005 (January to November) | 7 |
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to relocate staff in her Department and related agencies into London and the South East. [31766]
Jim Knight: The Department and related agencies have no plans to relocate staff into London and the South East.
Departmental Transport
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department has issued to departmental offices on (a) producing a transport plan for staff and contractors and (b) reducing the environmental impact of car parking and car use by staff and contractors. [30368]
Jim Knight: All Defra and executive agency workplaces with more than 50 people working on-site are required to produce travel plans to reduce the impact of travel-related activities on the environment. Targets and actions are reviewed for progress and sites are surveyed biennially so that travel plans can be updated. Comprehensive guidance is provided through access to the Energy Savings Trust's Travel Plan Resource Pack for Employers.
Travel plans are site-specific and each addresses significant transport-related environmental impacts according to local circumstances. At sites where car parking and car use are identified as significant impacts constructive solutions are sought to reduce the negative impacts.
Energy Efficiency
Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1054W, on energy efficiency (commercial sector), what (a) the cost effective potential and (b) the technical potential for carbon savings in the commercial and services sector through energy efficiency measures is by (i) 2010 and (ii) 2020, expressed in megatonnes of carbon. [30822]
Mr. Morley: The information is as follows:
2020: This figure is more difficult to estimate but may also be around the 10 per cent. level, with the draw-down of existing measures generally balanced by the influx of new ones, as has happened in the past. The corresponding carbon figure may be somewhat under 2MtC, but the precise value will depend on the impact of future carbon reduction policies in this particular sector, the sector's underlying growth rate and any structural changes occurring within it.
(b) The current technical potential is approximately 6MtC. The figures for 2010 and 2020 are likely to be similar, perhaps slightly lower in 2020 if emissions fall as planned.
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