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Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on plans for further reform of the common agricultural policy; and when the single payment scheme will be implemented. [43257]
Jim Knight:
EU Heads of State and Government agreed in December a proposal from the UK presidency for the Union's budget over 2007–13, including the common agricultural policy (CAP). That proposal included a provision allowing member states to voluntarily transfer up to 20 per cent. of their funding for CAP market support and direct payments to rural development. The Government have always supported moving funds in this direction, and will continue to do so. The agreement in December also contained a commitment to review all EU expenditure, including the CAP, in 2008–09. A debate has already begun ahead of
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that review. On 2 December, the Government made its first contribution to the debate, with the publication of a paper setting out the UK's vision for reform of the CAP. The Government are in ongoing discussions with other member states and other stakeholders about their views on that vision, and their own ideas for the future of the CAP.
The single payment scheme has been implemented in the UK from 1 January 2005, with the Rural Payments Agency working towards a target date of commencing payments in February 2006.
Correspondence
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters of 31 October, 16 November and 28 November 2005 from the hon. Member for Morley and Rothwell on the Draft Magnox Decision Document. [42797]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 17 January 2006]: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letters of 31 October 2005 and 16 November 2005. A response will be sent shortly. This Department has no record of receiving your letter of 28 November 2005. If you would like to forward a copy, I shall arrange for a swift response.
Departmental Property
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) land and (b) property is owned by her Department in Castle Point. [42895]
Jim Knight: The Department does not own any land or property in Castle Point.
Departmental Staff
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many disciplinary actions against civil servants employed in her Department (a) were commenced and (b) resulted in a sanction being applied in each of the last five years. [43495]
Jim Knight: The numbers of disciplinary cases commenced and the numbers of sanctions applied in core-Defra for each calendar year since it was created on 9 June 2001 are as follows:
The Civil Service Management Code sets out the requirements for Departments to have procedures in place to deal with conduct and disciplinary issues. The Defra procedures are laid down in the staff handbook which is accessed on the departmental intranet.
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Emissions Trading
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the draft UK National Allocation Plan for Phase 2 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will set a target higher than that for phase 1. [43517]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 19 January 2006]: Phase 2 of the EU ETS coincides with the first Kyoto protocol commitment period (2008 to 2012), and national allocation plans for the second trading period will have a significant part to play in ensuring that the EU meets its targets under the protocol.
Further guidance from the European Commission was issued on 9 January 2006, and is currently being assessed.
A draft NAP will be published this spring, outlining Government proposal on a number of issues including the phase 2 cap.
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date she expects to publish the draft National Allocation Plan for Phase 2 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [43519]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 19 January 2006]: The Commission has recently published further guidance on the preparation of national allocation plans (NAPs) and member states' approaches to the second phase. We are assessing the impact of the guidance on the development of policy options and on the overall phase 2 timetable, but intend to publish a draft policy NAP this spring.
Endangered Species
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many endangered species of plant and animal there are in the UK; and how much was directed at preventing them from extinction in each year since 2000. [43651]
Jim Knight: Based on World Conservation Union criteria, published UK Red Data Books and domestic species reviews there are currently 2,661 endangered species of plants and animals in the UK. Although annual data is not available, I can confirm that approximately £692 million has been spent, since 2000, to help prevent the extinction of these species in the UK.
Environmental Research Projects
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding the Government has provided in 2005–06 for environmental research projects. [42551]
Mr. Morley:
Government spending on research into environmental matters comes from a range of sources. The Department's research budget is allocated to specific Directorate Generals, and within each budget there will be specific projects addressing questions about the environment. The allocated research spend for 2005–06 for the Department, by Directorate General, is as follows:
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In addition, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is responsible for supporting basic, strategic and applied environmental research and related postgraduate training in the UK. The Department for Trade and Industry has allocated some £371 million to NERC for expenditure in 2005–06.
Finally, the Department for Trade and Industry also contributes funding directly to research with environmental objectives. Over the three years 2004–05 to 2006–07 £370 million is available for Collaborative Research and Development through the Department for Trade and Industry Technology Programme. Of this, £50 million—derived from the Department's BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste) programme—is explicitly focused on resource efficiency and waste technologies.
In the 2005–06 period, DTI has committed £30 million to projects which will cover clean production, waste minimisation, design and manufacture of sustainable products and contaminated land assessment and remediation, and has also allocated £20 million to low carbon energy technologies.
DTI also provided funding for Grants for Research andDevelopment, delivered through the Regional Development Agencies in the period 2005–06, which includes enabling environmental industries to successfully investigate environmental technologies, although it is not currently possible to separate out this expenditure.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the Government's domestic carbon dioxide target she expects to be met as a result of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; and what methodology will be used to calculate the scheme's effects. [43518]
Mr. Morley: The Government are currently considering the total level of allowances (the cap) for the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the proportion that the scheme should contribute to the UK's 2010 carbon dioxide goal. An announcement will be made in due course.
The overall effect of the scheme may be determined by the level of effort (emissions reductions) asked of the trading sector, which is the difference between the cap and business as usual emissions projections.
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