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Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy when placing material in the Library in response to a parliamentary question to supply a copy of the material to the hon. Member who tabled the question; and if she will make a statement. [64216]

Jim Knight: Government best practice is that departments should supply a copy of material placed in the Library in response to a Parliamentary question to the hon. Member who tabled it.

Single Farm Payments

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers (a) in England and (b) in Windsor constituency will receive late payments for 2005 from the Rural Payments Agency. [64799]

Jim Knight [holding answer 24 April 2006]: The payment window for all 2005 single payment scheme claims runs from 1 December 2005to 30 June 2006. Claims from farmers in the Windsor constituency cannot be separately identified.

The Rural Payments Agency aims to make a full or partial payment to all eligible customers by the end of this payment window. As in previous years, with predecessor schemes, there will be a small number of difficult cases which cannot be resolved and paid within this time frame.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to issue written guarantees that payments will be forthcoming to farmers awaiting single farm payments and facing possession proceedings. [65821]

Jim Knight [holding answer 25 April 2006]: Applicants under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) have already been sent a statement giving the gross value of their SPS entitlements. The acting Chief Executive of the RPA will also write shortly to applicants confirming the intention to make full or substantial partial payments in respect of all eligible applications by the end of June.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments in (a) Stroud constituency and (b) Gloucestershire have (i) been cancelled, (ii) yet to be cancelled and (iii) been invalidated. [65823]

Jim Knight [holding answer 25 April 2006]: The Single Payment Scheme is not operated by region therefore it is not possible to answer questions relating to specific geographical areas on payments made, cancelled, waiting to be cancelled or invalidated.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the problems with the computerised mapping system for single farm payments to be fully resolved. [64800]

 
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Jim Knight [holding answer 24 April 2006]: The process of digitising land and amending existing digitised records is an ongoing process. Responsibility for this process rests with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). Around 98 per cent. of mapping requests required to support 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) claims are now complete. RPA expects further mapping work to be received in to support 2006 SPS claims, together with applications for Environmental Stewardship.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when David Diamond, a beef farmer of Portford Lane, South Brent, holding number 10/296/0205, will receive his Single Payment Scheme payment; [65012]

(2) if she will take steps to arrange an emergency payment to Mr. David Diamond, a beef farmer of Portford Lane, South Brent, following delay in payment under the Single Farm Payment Scheme payment; and if she will make a statement. [65022]

Jim Knight [holding answer 24 April 2006]: For all Single Payment Scheme applicants, the payment window runs from 1 December 2005 to 30 June 2006. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) intends to make a full or partial payment to all eligible customers by the end of this window.

Mr. David Diamond's claim is currently being processed, and will be paid in due course. However, if Mr. Diamond is suffering financial hardship he or his representatives can approach the Rural Stress Information Network, with whom RPA is liaising over genuine hardship cases.

Tallow

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much tallow was burned as a fuel in the UK in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the animal by-product regulation on tallow burning. [65551]

Mr. Morley: Information on the quantity of tallow burned as waste by incineration and co-incineration is not available. The EU Animal By-products Regulation 1774/2002(EC) which came into effect in 2003 requires tallow when burnt to be disposed of as waste by incineration or co-incineration in accordance with the Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the potential effect of a ban on tallow burning on fossil fuel emissions targets; [65552]

(2) what assessment she has made of the potential of a ban on the sale of tallow on the cost-effectiveness of the disposal of offal in rendering plants. [65553]

Mr. Morley: There is no ban on the sale or burning of tallow, so no assessments of this kind have been made.

Installations may burn tallow provided they comply with regulatory requirements. If, as is usually the case, the tallow is waste within the definition given in the EU Waste Framework Directive, the regulatory requirements
 
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include one for a permit issued under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 incorporating the requirements of the EU Waste Incineration Directive.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the enforcement of the ban on burning tallow. [66627]

Mr. Morley: Installations may burn tallow provided they comply with regulatory requirements. If, as is usually the case, the tallow is waste within the definition given in the EU Waste Framework Directive, the regulatory requirements include one for a permit issued under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 incorporating the requirements of the EU Waste Incineration Directive.

The enforcement of these regulations is a matter for the Environment Agency and the local authorities.

Water Shortages

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government has implemented the Labour Party's 1996 proposals on water policy. [66241]

Mr. Morley: A number of actions fell to the Government following the Water Summit of May 1997 which was convened to carry forward manifesto commitments. The legislative changes necessary to implement those actions have been made.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the penalties are for a domestic householder breaking a hosepipe ban. [66244]

Mr. Morley: Breach of a hosepipe ban is an offence under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. The maximum penalty on conviction in a magistrates court is a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Bases (Charges)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what charges are levied at British bases in Germany for (a) accommodation, (b) heating and (c) lighting on (i) British troops, (ii) civil servants and (iii) schoolteachers; and if he will make a statement. [66664]

Mr. Touhig: Accommodation charges for service personnel are recommended annually by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB), and a copy of their 2006 report has been placed in the Library of the House. Where levied, charges vary depending on the type and grade of accommodation occupied and, for service families accommodation (SFA) whether it is furnished, part furnished or unfurnished. Single living accommodation (SLA) charges include a rental element plus heating and
 
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lighting; whereas SFA charges include a rental element, but occupants are responsible for heating and lighting payments. In Germany, SFA fuel charges are protected by MOD's fuel and light scheme which aims to ensure that occupants of SFA are no better or worse off financially than they could reasonably expect in the UK.

UK civil servants, including schoolteachers, on normal tours of duty in Germany, are provided with accommodation without charge as part of their overseas terms and conditions of service. Heating and lighting are also provided without charge up to a specified annual consumption limit. Any usage over and above this limit is charged for at actual rates.

The exception to this is UK civil servants, including schoolteachers, specially recruited for overseas service on or after 1 September 2001. The 2001 review of overseas terms and conditions of service withdrew the provision of free accommodation and utilities for these staff five years after taking up their appointment. The first staff affected by this rule will arise on or after 1 September 2006. The charges for accommodation and utilities will be broadly the same as those that are applied to service personnel, and details of these charges are to be published shortly.

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