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EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will publish the draft National Allocation Plan for phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [46608]

Mr. Morley: A National Allocation Plan (NAP) for Phase II (2008 to 2012) must be submitted to the European Commission by 30 June 2006, with a final installation-level allocation by 31 December. The Commission has recently published additional guidance on the preparation of NAPs and member states' approaches to the second phase and we are assessing the impact of this on the development of policy options. We intend to publish a draft policy NAP this spring.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what methodology has been employed in the setting of the cap on emissions in the National Allocation Plan for phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [46609]

Mr. Morley: The Government are currently considering the total level of allowances (the cap) for the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. An announcement will be made in due course.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is the key lever with which the Government hope to meet their target of a 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010. [46610]

Mr. Morley: The EU Emissions Trading is a central plank of the Government's strategy to tackle climate change. 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.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the profitability of the power generation sector in phase I of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [46611]

Mr. Morley: A report commissioned by DTI was published in December 2005 that provides an assessment of the impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on investment and pricing within the UK power generation sector in terms of electricity prices impacts, profitability and security of supply.

This report found that, in the event of full pass-through of marginal costs, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme would result in an estimated increased profitability for the UK power generation sector of approximately £800 million/year over phase I (based on the current annual allocation of 130MtCO2).

Fallen Goats

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will remove the requirement that fallen goats must be collected by her Department's approved agents; and if she will make a statement. [45702]

 
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Mr. Bradshaw: All eligible fallen goats must be collected by approved agents because of our legal obligation to test for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSEs).

Fallen Stock collections are undertaken within a preference list system organised by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). This system is essential to ensure notified goats are collected promptly and submitted for testing. Goat keepers are required to report all eligible fallen goats to a free dedicated TSE Surveillance helpline, who co-ordinate the collection process with the appropriate contractor.

We expect the current goat surveillance requirements to be reviewed by the European Commission during 2006.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the names of agents approved by her Department for collecting fallen goats in Devon. [45703]

Mr. Bradshaw: Fallen Stock collections are carried out under a preference list system organised by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The RPA has contracts with Prosper De Maulder (Exeter) Ltd. and Cremtor to collect fallen goats in Devon.

The RPA is currently taking forward a competitive tender exercise, which may result in some changes to the collection network.

Farm Subsidies

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with farmers' representatives on compensation for (a) indebtedness and (b) interest paid thereon resulting from late single farm payments. [46157]

Jim Knight [holding answer 30 January 2006]: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, and the rest of the Defra ministerial team meet regularly with farmers' representatives, when the timing of payments under the single payment scheme (SPS) and the related impact on the agricultural industry are regular topics of discussion. The most recent such meeting was with the President of the National Farmers Union on 25 January, when my noble Friend, Lord Bach, reconfirmed the Government's longstanding commitment to commence SPS payments, whether full or partial, in February.

Flood Defences

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on flood defences in 2005–06; and if she will make a statement. [46026]

Mr. Morley: Defra has paid £5.8 million to date in this financial year in capital grants to local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards in respect of flood defence works. Defra will pay £445.2 million to the Environment Agency as Flood Defence Grant in Aid for its flood defence work including the flood warning service.

In addition to Defra grants, £3.8 million in credit approvals (Supported Capital Expenditure (Revenue)) has been given to local authorities. These credit
 
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approvals are used by the ODPM in the calculation which determines the Revenue Support Grant, paid to authorities.

Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Processes

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the UK Government are taking to prevent circumvention through third party countries of the voluntary partnership agreements under the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade processes. [46426]

Mr. Morley: We recognise that a bilateral agreement such as the Voluntary Partnership Agreements outlined in the EU's Forestry Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) regulation will never be watertight. Partner countries can import and export timber to third countries outside of the FLEGT scheme. The Commission's original proposal attempted to tackle this issue by requiring all imports of timber into the EU to require a certificate of origin. Customs experts felt it would not work in practice and risked a challenge under the WTO by putting a requirement on third countries.

Despite concerted efforts by member states, no alternative measure to tackle this problem through the licensing system has been found. Instead, circumvention is tackled by making it explicit that timber defined as legally produced" will include timber imported from third countries (and therefore which could be illegally felled) and making it a requirement for Partner Countries to report on timber import levels and their actions to tackle circumvention.

The Government see the bilateral approach of the Forests Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) dossier as an important way to develop experience in tackling illegal logging and to build the consensus that could lead to a multilateral agreement. The UK is working very hard with other consuming countries to address issues of trade with third party countries.

Illegal logging was one of two topics of discussion at the first ever G8 Environment and Development Ministerial meeting in Derbyshire in March 2005. Ministers agreed to a range of actions, and officials will meet in 2006 to review progress. The UK has also led in promoting and supporting Regional Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) processes in order to intensify national efforts and strengthen bilateral, regional and multi-lateral collaboration to address violations of forest law and forest crime.

Horses

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps her Department is taking to establish the ownership of horses that are (a) running free and (b) tethered on public land; [45755]

(2) what steps she is taking to protect the welfare of horses whose ownership is not clear and who are tethered on public land; [45756]
 
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(3) if she will take steps to ensure that the relevant legislation is enforced where privately-owned horses are (a) running free and (b) are tethered on public land in Wellingborough constituency. [46070]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Animals Act 1971 and the Highways Act 1980 contain provisions that relate to stray horses. And responsibility for enforcing this legislation lies with the police and local authorities.

The Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988 created a specific offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 of causing unnecessary suffering to a horse, ass or mule by the manner or condition of its tethering. Anyone can seek to bring a prosecution where there is evidence of cruelty, either by tethering or by allowing horses to run free.

The Animal Welfare Bill will introduce a positive duty to ensure the welfare of animals, and will allow for intervention before an animal suffers. Anyone deliberately abandoning a horse is likely to be found guilty under the Bill's new Welfare or Cruelty Offences. Alongside the Bill we intend to produce a code of practice on tethering and keeping of horses and ponies. This will also address issues relating to stray animals.

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