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Lyons Review

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many departmental officials will be moved from London offices to York; and whether this represents a reduction in overall numbers employed by the Department under the Lyons Review recommendation. [38371]

Jim Knight: To date 22 posts have relocated from London and the South East to York. Around 115 additional posts are planned for relocation to York by March 2008. These relocations all form part of wider transformation programmes, some of which include staff reductions, in line with the Department's Spending Review 04 efficiency targets .

Markets

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact on environmental regulation of the EU directive on services in the internal market. [35746]

Mr. Morley: The economic benefits of the proposed services directive are likely to be substantial. The Department is discussing the impact of the draft directive on a number of our areas of responsibility, including environmental regulation, with the Department for Trade and Industry as the negotiations progress.

National Parks Authority

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many prosecutions were brought by National Parks Authority in each year since 1995; [37006]

(2) how many prosecutions have been brought by National Parks against landowners for impeding access to footpaths in the last 10 years. [37225]

Jim Knight: This information is not held centrally.

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers national parks have to (a) investigate and (b) prosecute landowners for impeding access to footpaths; and what the legislative basis is for these powers. [37231]

Jim Knight: National Park Authorities may exercise 1980 Highways Act powers under delegation from the highways authority. The extent of that delegation is variable, depending on what agreement each National Park Authority has reached with its highways authority about rights of way work.
 
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Nuclear Power Stations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) assessment she has made of and (b) research she has (i) commissioned and (ii) evaluated on the impact on surrounding agricultural land of (A) building, (B) operating and (C) decommissioning nuclear powerstations. [35174]

Mr. Morley: No assessments or research of this kind have been commissioned by DEFRA. Environmental impact assessments are required for both the construction and decommissioning of nuclear power stations. Measurements of radioactivity in the environment, including around nuclear power stations, are given in the annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment report published by the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Environment & Heritage Service of Northern Ireland and the Food Standards Agency.

Pesticides

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will require the members of (a) the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) and (b) the ACP's Medical and Toxicology Panel to update their declarations of interests within a fortnight of any change; and if she will publish the declarations on the internet. [35801]

Mr. Morley: The current arrangements provide a substantial amount of information about the interests of the ACP and its Medical and Toxicology Panel. Members of the ACP are required to make their declarations of interest on appointment and annually thereafter, as set out in the ACP code of practice. This annual register of interests is published in the annual report both in hard copy and on the website.

Interests are also required to be declared at ACP meetings. Members are asked to identify any personal specific interests in advance of papers being distributed for meetings (those with personal interests do not receive the papers and leave the meeting for discussion of that specific item) and to declare any of these interests ahead of discussion at ACP meetings. Where a member declares an interest in an item for discussion at the ACP this is recorded in the minutes which are published on the website.

Membership of the ACP's panels, including the Medical and Toxicology Panel, is published in the ACP annual report. Members of the panels are not appointed as independent experts but include representative organisations and officials as well as members of the ACP. The interests of the ACP members are declared and the affiliations of the other members are published in the ACP annual report.

Private Members Bills

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those Private Members' Bills introduced under (a) Standing Order No.14(6), (b) Standing Order No.23 and (c) Standing Order No.57 which were (i)supported and (ii) opposed by her Department in each session since 1997–98. [35979]

 
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Jim Knight: The information requested by the hon. Member could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rural Crime

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on measures to tackle rural crime, with particular reference to the theft of agricultural equipment. [38209]

Jim Knight: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Margaret Beckett) met with the Home Secretary (Charles Clarke) on 15 November 2005 to discuss Home Office measures to tackle rural crime.

On 30 November 2005, I also met with the Home Secretary (Charles Clarke) and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State (Hazel Blears) to discuss recent Home Office policies to tackle rural crime.

In addition, DEFRA officials have met with Home Office officials on a number of occasions to discuss measures to tackle rural crime, including the theft of agriculture equipment.

Rural Payments Agency

Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of whether the Rural Payments Agency will begin processing applications under the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable scheme in time for Producer Organisations to meet the registration deadline of 15 December 2005. [37282]

Jim Knight [holding answer 13 December 2005]: Applications for recognition as new Producer Organisations are being processed by the Rural Payments Agency and will be completed by the 15 December 2005.

A similar deadline operates for decisions on operational programmes and funds from these new Producer Organisations and for amendments to existing operational programmes. Commission Regulation (EC) No 2190/2004 allows member states to take these decisions not later than 20 January 2005 following the date of application. The UK has decided to implement this option and extend the approval deadline for new operational programmes and amendments to existing operational programmes to 20 January 2006. Existing and potential Producer Organisations were informed of this revised date on 7 December 2005.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tests have been applied to applications under the 2005 Single Farm Payment Scheme in England to ensure that applicants are in legal occupation of the holdings used for the claim. [36629]

Jim Knight: There is no requirement in the European Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme that the farmer claiming aid has to be in legal occupation of the land supporting the claim. However, to receive payment the farmer must carry out an agricultural
 
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activity or maintain the land in good agricultural or environmental condition and the land has to be at the farmer's disposal for 10 months of the year between prescribed dates. Compliance monitoring inspections, including checks on the 10 month provision, are undertaken on a proportion of claims. Where two or more claims are made on the same land parcel claims will be investigated and resolved.

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