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14 Feb 2006 : Column 1816W—continued
Grey Squirrels
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the control of grey squirrels. [50973]
Jim Knight: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made on 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 37WS, announcing the publication of the Policy and Action Statement for the management of Grey Squirrel in England's woodlands. This policy sets out the rationale and actions for the control of grey squirrels.
Identity Cards
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 930W, on identity cards, whether her Department has finalised the current best estimates of the cost of using the identity cards scheme to support the services which it oversees. [50324]
Jim Knight: As is the case with other Government Departments, Defra has begun an exercise to establish the benefits and costs arising from the introduction of identity cards. The initial stage underway will perform a broad scan across the range of Defra's services to identify areas of potential costs and benefits. These areas will be investigated in more detail as part of a subsequent stage, with support from the Home Office Identity Cards Programme.
Lyons Inquiry
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has sent a written submission to the Lyons inquiry on local government finance. [47887]
Jim Knight:
The Lyons inquiry is independent of the Government. Sir Michael Lyons will decide what to publish when he makes available his final report.
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National Reserve
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the allocation of the National Reserve to be finalised. [49158]
Jim Knight: Eligibility decisions have been taken on 99.8 per cent. of all National Reserve applications and since 3 January the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has been informing successful applicants of their National Reserve awards.
RPA anticipates that, where possible, all applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by 22 February.
Organic Entry Level Scheme
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have been registered under the Organic Entry Level Scheme in (a) Devon, (b) Cornwall, (c) Somerset and (d) Dorset. [48715]
Jim Knight [holding answer 6 February 2006]: As at 3 February 2006, the following numbers of farmers had successfully entered into Organic Entry Level Stewardship agreements:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Devon | 48 |
| Cornwall | 27 |
| Somerset | 16 |
| Dorset | 18 |
Parliamentary Questions
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by her on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer (i) on the day named and (ii) after the day named; [49890]
(2) how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by her in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if she will make a statement. [49903]
Jim Knight: The following information is as follows:
Note:
All figures are for PQs received between 1 February 2005 to 31 January 2006.
Note:
All figures are for PQs received between 1 February 2005 to 31 January 2006.
Press Complaints
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 she has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and (b) her Department; and how many of these complaints were upheld. [47086]
Jim Knight: There have been no complaints to the PCC from this Department in that time.
Rural Payments Agency
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will examine the reasons for the delay by the Rural Payments Agency in establishing definitive maps in respect of the holdings of John Lumsdon of Mayhouse Farm, Hadley, Droitwich Spa, WR9 OAS, reference numbers 17/510/0048 and 106620345. [49439]
Jim Knight: Due to the size of the Rural Land Register project, and the amount of land the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is trying to capture, there have been some instances when RPA has been unable to capture edits as quickly as it would like.
However, I am pleased to report that revised maps have now been sent to Mr. Lumsdon.
Set-aside
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been allocated to each EU country in set aside payment within the Common Agricultural Policy in 2005–06. [43549]
Jim Knight: Under the Single Payment Scheme, the number of set-aside entitlements allocated in each member state in the first year of application of the scheme is determined, in the main, by the average number of hectares under compulsory set-aside under the Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) during the 2000–02 reference period. Subject to the exemptions that applied at the time, notably for small producers, that equates to 10 per cent. of the total area claimed under AAPS in each member state in the reference period. Total figures for those member states operating the scheme in 2005 are not yet available, but the amount of payment attached to set-aside entitlements in each member state will vary according to whether the 'historical' or 'flat-rate/hybrid' model of the scheme has been adopted. For those member states still operating AAPS in 2005, set-aside payment figures are again unavailable at this point, but will be determined by the number of applicants applying under the scheme, how much land they put into set-aside and the 63 euros/tonne payment rate.
Sheep Dip
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on (a) biodiversity and (b) the environment of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dip. [51032]
14 Feb 2006 : Column 1819W
Mr. Bradshaw: It is widely known that synthetic pyrethroids can cause environmental problems if they are allowed to come into contact with watercourses. Recent reports from the Environment Agency of pollution incidents caused by the synthetic pyrethroid cypermethrin used in sheep dipping have included the loss of aquatic insects and other invertebrate species and possible resulting decline of the insect-feeding fish populations.
The veterinary medicines directorate and the Environment Agency are currently consulting on a programme to reduce pollution from such incidents.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) for what reasons the veterinary medicines directorate and Environment Agency consultation on the future use of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dip is not a public consultation; [51033]
(2) what assessment she has made of the compliance of the current format of the veterinary medicines directorate and Environment Agency consultation on the future use of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dip with the openness about environmental decision-making required by the Aarhus Convention. [51034]
Mr. Bradshaw: The consultation on the draft Pollution Reduction programme for sheep dip is a public consultation.
Following a number of reports of serious pollution incidents arising from the use of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dips, the veterinary medicines directorate and the Environment Agency called a public stakeholder meeting to consider how the issue could be addressed. The meeting was held in September last year and subsequently from the agreed actions, a draft Pollution Reduction programme for sheep dip was produced.
During December, the draft programme was sent out for consultation to all who attended the meeting.
One of the external stakeholders pointed out that the Pollution Reduction programme was not available on the internet. This error was corrected when the consultation package was put on to the veterinary medicines directorate website on 27 January.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dip was licensed for disposal in each of the last five years. [51041]
Mr. Bradshaw:
The Environment Agency's database currently holds approximately 9,000 authorisations issued for a period of four years to sheep farmers under the Groundwater Regulations 1998 for disposal of sheep dip. The database records only the maximum amount of sheep dip which may be disposed of, rather than actual volumes, and does not distinguish between specific sheep dips such as synthetic pyrethroids or organophosphorus compounds. Records of specific substances and quantities disposed of are required to be kept by the holders of authorisations, but this information is not held centrally by the EA and would be disproportionately expensive to collate.
14 Feb 2006 : Column 1820W
VMD records show that 51,700 litres of cypermethrin sheep dip were sold in 2005, indicating the quantities which would require disposal after use.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dip chemical precursors were sold in each of the last five years; and how much sheep dip by volume would be produced when the precursors were prepared for use. [51042]
Mr. Bradshaw: For the control of sheep ectoparasites by plunge dipping, synthetic pyrethroid sheep dips products have to be diluted with water to make the dip. The rates of dilution differ between products and the ectoparasites for which the animals are to be treated. The range of dilutions are 1:400 to 1:1,000 with 1:500 the most common rate. Using this rate:
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