Previous Section Index Home Page

26 Jun 2006 : Column 12W—continued


The countryside stewardship scheme closed to new applications in 2004 with the introduction of the environmental stewardship scheme. Existing agreements will continue until they expire. The last agreements will expire in 2013.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agreements providing public access there were in each agreement year since the countryside stewardship scheme's inception; and how many such agreements applied to land within two miles of (a) an urban area and (b) the coast in each year. [77706]

Barry Gardiner: Data is only available from 1998. The number of countryside stewardship scheme agreements providing permissive public access in each scheme year since 1998 are as follows:


26 Jun 2006 : Column 13W
Number

1998

607

1999

789

2000

1,101

2001

1,444

2002

1,954

2003

2,419

2004

2,681


The answers to parts (a) and (b) could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to how many hectares of land agreements under the countryside stewardship scheme which provided public access applied in each agreement year since the scheme's inception; and how many such agreements applied to land within two miles of (a) an urban area and (b) the coast in each year. [77707]

Barry Gardiner: Data is only available from 1998. The number of hectares of land under countryside stewardship scheme agreements which provided public access since 1998 were as follows:

Hectares

1998

7,633.54

1999

9,926.14

2000

11,991.90

2001

9,650.07

2002

8,669.26

2003

8,406.88

2004

7,608.83


The answers to parts (a) and (b) could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding has been provided under the countryside stewardship scheme for (a) all agreements providing public access, (b) all agreements providing public access within two miles of an urban area and (c) all agreements providing public access within two miles of the coast in each agreement year since the scheme's inception; and how much such funding is planned to be provided in each future agreement year. [77708]

Barry Gardiner: Data is only available from 1998. The amount of funding that has been provided under the countryside stewardship scheme for all agreements providing public access since 1998 is as follows:

£

1998

512,153.05

1999

715,461.08

2000

940,558.30

2001

848,021.80


26 Jun 2006 : Column 14W

£

2002

859,521.80

2003

1,769,442.55

2004

1,776,678.92


The answers to parts (b) and (c) could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public access is only one of the objectives of the scheme. As funding will be allocated to the scheme as a whole rather than to individual objectives, it is not possible to confirm how much funding will be provided for public access specifically in future years. However, funding of existing agreements will continue until the end of their 10-year life-spans.

Criminal Offences Legislation

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act. [76909]

Barry Gardiner: A comprehensive and exhaustive list of new offences created in all legislation sponsored by Defra since April 2005 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Much of the legislation is subordinate and regulatory in nature: some new offences have been created, some offences have been repealed and re-enacted; most of the offences relate to breach of the regulations or obstruction of officers enforcing the regulations. Many of the offence provisions relate to emergency legislation arising from the threat of avian influenza.

I can however provide the following information on primary legislation which has created offences since April 2005.

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 (c.16) created the following offences:

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 also made many existing offences punishable by fixed penalty notices.

The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) created the following offences:


26 Jun 2006 : Column 15W

Departmental Budget

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2006, Official Report, column 1818W, on the Departmental Budget, what the reason was for the change in the amount spent on advertising in 2005-06 from the amount in 2004-05. [77394]

Barry Gardiner: Media expenditure reverted back to realistic levels in 2004-05, and 2005-06. Centralised media expenditure in 2003-04 was noticeably less than previous and recent years, and reflected an uncharacteristic dip in total communications expenditure for that year. Defra underwent significant structural changes in 2003-04 which was the main reason for the temporary decline in expenditure, including:

Disability Access

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations. [73097]

Barry Gardiner: Defra, in recognising that as employers and service provider to the public they are subject to the duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, has previously undertaken extensive surveys and embarked upon improvement works in locations where the public have access to ensure compliance with the regulations. While the principle of reasonable adjustment is fundamental to the Act, Defra has adopted a proactive approach as is practicable.


26 Jun 2006 : Column 16W

Additionally, significantly, buildings used solely by staff generally comply where it is “reasonable” so to do—where specific instances arise, adjustments are usually made.

All new build projects are designed to ensure compliance with Part M of the Building Regulations.

Environmental Liability Directive

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Department's policy is on whether doctors, veterinarians and farmers (a) are operators under the environmental liability directive and (b) would consequently be considered liable for the remediation costs of environmental harm if it arose from their use of genetically modified vaccines, crops or other organisms unless UK implementing regulations define the operator otherwise. [77927]

Ian Pearson: The definition of operator in the environmental liability directive suggests that all occupational activities (including doctors, veterinarians and farmers) fall within the scope of the directive. The Government cannot amend the definition to exclude specific occupational activities. The extent to which the specific occupations referred to attract liability—whether strict or fault—under the directive will depend on the precise nature of the activities they undertake and the circumstances in which those activities are undertaken.

In respect of strict liability, genetically modified organisms fall within the scope of the directive and genetically modified vaccines may do so by virtue of the provisions relating to dangerous substances. All genetically modified substances which do not fall within the strict liability provisions of the directive would in any case fall within the fault-based liability provisions in respect of damage to EU- protected biodiversity.

Farming

Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed in (a) dairy farming, (b) beef farming, (c) sheep farming, (d) arable farming, (e) mixed farming and (f) other forms of farming in Cumbria in (i) 1990, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2005. [78941]

Barry Gardiner: The number of workers on agricultural and horticultural holdings by farm type in Cumbria is as follows;


26 Jun 2006 : Column 17W

26 Jun 2006 : Column 18W
1995 2000 2005
Farm type Employees Total labour Employees Total labour Employees Total labour

Cereals

22

74

(1)

102

74

294

General cropping

30

60

(1)

16

66

122

Horticulture

144

250

135

296

194

384

Pigs and poultry

138

273

127

325

143

481

Dairy

1,875

5,334

1,314

4,402

1,016

3,642

LFA—grazing livestock

1,179

4,024

869

3,976

843

4,097

Lowland—grazing livestock

948

3,368

776

3,331

457

2,460

Mixed

219

485

162

474

248

900

Other types

106

612

90

848

113

757

All types

4,661

14,480

3,504

13,770

3,154

13,139

(1 )Indicates data withheld on order to prevent the disclosure of individual holding data, in accordance with the Agricultural Statistics Act 1979. Notes: 1. Total employees include full and part-time regular workers, salaried managers and casual workers. 2. Total labour force included all employees plus farmers, partners, directors and their spouses if working on the holding. 3. Figures for 1995 refer to main holdings only. Figures for 2000 and 2005 include all holdings. Source: June Agricultural Survey.

Next Section Index Home Page