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12 Jan 2006 : Column 751W—continued
EC Water Framework Directive
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of lakes of more than one hectare in area in England and Wales have been designated as water bodies under the EC Water Framework directive. [40629]
Mr. Morley: 432 lakes were designated and reported to the European Commission in March 2005 as part of the first round of river basin district characterisation under the EC Water Framework directive. Of these 432, a total of 137 lakes were greater than 50 hectares in size and 295 lakes were less than 50 hectares in size (50 hectares being the minimum size threshold required for designation and reporting to the European Commission).
There are 6,247 lakes of more than one hectare in England and Wales. 432 of these lakes were designated as water bodies under the Water Framework directive (WFD), and this equates to 6.9 per cent. of lakes of greater than one hectare.
The Environment Agency and DEFRA are working with English Nature and Countryside Council of Wales to ensure that the designation of smaller waters under the WFD is in line with relevant EU WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance.
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that additional (a) lakes, (b) rivers and (c) other small waters of high biodiversity significance beyond those already identified by the Environment Agency will be designated as water bodies in time for the first round of the River Basin Management Planning under the EC Water Framework directive. [40634]
Mr. Morley:
The Environment Agency is working with English Nature and Countryside Council of Wales, to identify water bodies of biodiversity significance in line with the relevant Guidance developed under the EU Water Framework directive (WFD) Common Implementation Strategy and the UK WFD Technical Advisery Group (UKTAG). A protocol for the
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appropriate designation of these water bodies is being developed with DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government.
Further details of this protocol will be discussed with members of the WFD Stakeholder Forum for England which is chaired by my Department and meets next on 18 January 2006.
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of length of rivers in England and Wales has been designated as water bodies under the EC Water Framework directive. [40635]
Mr. Morley: A total of 51,182.7 km of rivers were designated as water bodies in accordance with the EC Water Framework directive (WFD) and associated EU WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance, and reported to the European Commission in March 2005 as part of the first round of river basin characterisation. The reported length is approximately 31 per cent. of the total river network of 163,837km (at the scale of 1:50,000) which represents catchments greater than 10km2 as specified under the system A typology for rivers under the directive.
As part of the refinement of characterisation, the Environment Agency and DEFRA are working with English Nature and Countryside Council of Wales to ensure that smaller waters are dealt with in accordance with the relevant EU WFD common implementation strategy guidance.
Hunting Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the operation of (a) sections 1 to 5 and (b) Schedule 1 of the Hunting Act 2004. [40997]
Jim Knight: The Government are satisfied with the operation of the Hunting Act 2004 to date.
Rural Communities (East Yorkshire)
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to sustain rural communities in East Yorkshire. [38931]
Jim Knight:
In its Rural Strategy 2004, the Government announced an ambitious and targeted set of priorities for rural communities and enhancing our natural environment, together with radical reforms for their delivery, all firmly within a sustainable development framework. Since the General Election in May we have reinforced those priorities through actions such as the establishment of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission, the announcement of a new Rural Social and Community funding programme and the introduction of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. The Bill seeks, among other things, to establish both the Commission for Rural Communities-an expert adviser, advocate and watchdog for rural communities-and Natural England-a new integrated agency to conserve and enhance the natural environment.
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All of these activities will impact on East Yorkshire. In addition, the East Riding of Yorkshire benefits from being a LEADER+ rural development area and forms part of the Humber Rural Pathfinder area for the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
DEFENCE
Administrative Costs
Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the administrative costs were of each non-departmental public body for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year;
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and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable. [40057]
Mr. Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has six Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and 11 advisory NDPBs.
Executive NDPB gross expenditure costs for reporting years 1999–2000 through to 2004–05 can be found in the supplementary annex to the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2004–05 (http://www.mod.uk/publications/modara04–05/index.html). Figures given for each Executive NDPB are generally non-identifiable. Figures for the Fleet Air Arm Museum are identifiable.
Administrative costs for MOD advisory NDPBs in 2004–05 are listed in the following table.
Notes:
1.Administrative costs may include staff fees, travel and subsistence claims, conferences and advertising.
2.Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors has not met since 1996. There were no costs for 2004–05.
3.The Dartmoor Steering Group incurs no costs. Members are voluntary and no expenses are claimed.
Chinook HC2
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all (a) reports, (b) memoranda, (c) audits and (d) other evaluations that were produced by (i) Boscombe Down and (ii) on behalf of Boscombe Down during the flight trials of the Chinook HC2 helicopter, including those covering engine-control software before 3 June 1994. [21756]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to the right hon. Gentleman, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
DESO
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2759W, on the Defence Export Service Organisation (DESO), whether records of such requests are kept or recorded in DESO's overseas offices. [41627]
Mr. Ingram: There is no requirement for overseas staff of the Defence Export Services Organisation to report to the London office details of instances in which advice has been given to companies about agents. It is therefore for each overseas post to determine in which cases there is a business need to record such advice.
Iraq
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many detainees being held by multi-national forces in Iraq (a) have been charged with a criminal offence and (b) are entitled to obtain independent legal advice regarding their detention. [33936]
Mr. Ingram: None of the individuals held by UK forces have been charged with a criminal offence. They are held because they are judged to be an imperative threat to security as coalition forces are authorised to do by International and Iraqi law. All of them are entitled to obtain independent legal advice regarding their detention.
The divisional temporary detention facility is subject to regular inspections by the ICRC.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 1 December 2005, Official Report, columns 677–78W, on Iraq, (1) when the Government were first informed of the deaths in April; and what action was taken as a result; [36073]
(2) whether either of the two individuals who died in custody are known to have had prior contact with UK armed service personnel. [36071]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 8 December 2005]: I am only aware of one death in April 2005 of an Iraqi that United Kingdom forces believe was at the time in the
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custody of the Iraqi police service. It is believed that the death occurred between 10 April, when the individual was detained and 14 April, when officials became aware of it. Ministers were advised on 28 April. Strong representations were subsequently made to the Iraqi authorities, both in Basra and in Baghdad, that they should carry out a full investigation and that any human rights abuses in the treatment of prisoners in Iraqi custody should cease. As a result the unit in whose custody the death occurred was disbanded and three Iraqi police officers are under investigation.
UK armed forces were involved in the arrest of the individual on 10 April but there is no record of prior contact with him.
The other death to which I referred in my answer of 11 November 2005, Official Report, column 855W, occurred in September 2005. I am not aware that the individual concerned had any prior involvement with UK forces.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of those suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan and detained by the British armed forces (i) have been extradited to another state and (ii)have been handed over to US authorities in Iraq since March 2003; and if he will make a statement; [36671]
(2) what the legal status is of those in British custody but not charged in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [36672]
Mr. Ingram: British armed forces have neither extradited to another state nor handed over to US authorities in Iraq any detainees suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence in Afghanistan since March 2003. No one is currently held in British custody in Afghanistan.
I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, columns 221–22W, which gives the numbers of those suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence who have been transferred into US custody in Iraq since 2003. British armed forces have not extradited to another state any detainees suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence in Iraq since March 2003.
All internees in British custody in Iraq are held under the auspices of UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and Iraqi law.
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