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Energy Efficiency
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely impact of (a) home information packs and (b) the home condition report on improving energy efficiency. [77963]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
The Home Condition Report within the pack will provide buyers and sellers with an assessment of the energy efficiency and carbon emissions of the home, as well as advice on measures that can be taken to improve these. This will enable buyers to consider energy efficiency in choosing their new home, and will give sellers and new owners reliable advice on how to make improvements. This and other information in the Home Condition Report will raise awareness of energy efficiency and property condition and are expected to contribute to an overall improvement in housing stock and reduced carbon emissions.
Environmental Prosecution
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many notices of environmental prosecution have been issued to the Government since 1997. [80767]
Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency issue formal enforcement notices and carry out prosecutions; these are two different forms of enforcement activity.
Neither form has been issued to the Government since 1997.
Environmental Special Grants
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) purpose and (b) value was of each special grant awarded to City of York council for environmental purposes since 1997. [78947]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 20 June 2006]: As well as the annual funding allocation under Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of the revenue support grant, City of York council has received a number of additional grants from DEFRA to support improvements in local waste management, provide household incentives for recycling and develop kerbside recycling and composting. The following table shows the breakdown of the funds provided and projects supported.
It will take some time for the Department to gather information on any further special grants whichhave been awarded to City of York council for environmental purposes since 1997. I will write to the hon. Member with any additional information.
Marine Bill
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timetable is for the introduction of the draft Marine Bill; and whether he plans to submit it for pre-legislative scrutiny; [77816]
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects to publish a draft Marine Bill; and whether he plans to submit it for pre-legislative scrutiny; [77579]
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timescale is for the introduction of the draft Marine Bill; and if he will make a statement; [80146]
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a draft Marine Bill will be published in the current parliamentary session. [80562]
Mr. Bradshaw: DEFRA published a consultation document on 29 March 2006 that outlined the Government's thinking in a number of key areas that will be addressed by a Marine Bill. The consultation period three months. We will need to take the consultation responses into account before taking a decision on the timing of and arrangements for further consultation on detailed proposals or a draft Bill. Introduction of a Marine Bill will follow later in this Parliament, subject to the availability of Parliamentary time.
Recycling Schemes
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce national compulsory recycling schemes. [79779]
Mr. Bradshaw: DEFRA has no plans to introduce a national compulsory recycling scheme. It is up to each local authority to decide how to go about meeting the challenging recycling targets in their local area.
Compulsory recycling will not be suitable for all local authorities, but DEFRA will watch those that try such schemes with interest. As part of the review of the Waste Strategy, we are continuing to investigate options for influencing householder behaviour, with particular emphasis on positive incentives to help authorities encourage householders to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste.
Renewable Energy (Residential Properties)
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants his Department makes available to enable people to have access to (a) solar heating and (b) other forms of renewable microgeneration in residential properties. [80561]
Ian Pearson: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has the lead responsibility for renewable energy and microgeneration. The DTI-funded Clear Skies Programme was replaced by their Low Carbon Buildings Programme on 1 April 2006, which will operate for three years. The programme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust and provides grants for solar heating and other microgeneration technologies alongside energy efficiency measures to householders, community organisations, the public sector and business.
Single Payment Scheme
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of claimants are waiting to receive (a) their Single Farm Payment in full and (b) any Single Farm Payments; and what the total value of payments is which remain to be paid. [79896]
Barry
Gardiner: The following figures are calculated against a
claimant population for the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) of 120,000
claims and are, consequently, likely to overstate the true position as
the total number claimants who will receive a payment will be somewhat
lower. This is because account has to be
taken of duplicate claims, consolidation of multiple claims into single
business claims, voluntary withdrawals, claimants not activating
entitlements and claims subject to 100 per cent.
penalties.
At close of business on 27 June 2006, approximately 31,500 claimants have yet to receive their full payment. This represents 26 per cent. of an estimated 120,000 claims, approximately half of which have received a partial payment.
Approximately 14,500 claimants (12 per cent. of an estimated 120,000 claims) have yet to receive any payment. Most of these claims are worth less than €1,000.
Out of a total available fund of an estimated£1.5 billion, £1,415,817,581.80 has already been paid to farmers.
Work is continuing by the Rural Payments Agencyto pay as many claims as possible using a variety of methods by the end of the payment window on30 June.
Sustainable Food Strategy
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition of significant was used when setting the aim of significantly reducing the environmental costs of domestic food transportation by 2012 in the sustainable food strategy. [79439]
Mr. Bradshaw: The word “significant” was used in its common meaning, i.e. important or meaningful. The food industry sustainability strategy provides for a process to be set up with industry
“to consider the practical implications associated with it securing significant reductions (say 20 per cent. by 2012) in the level of external costs associated with the domestic transportation of food.”
An industry-led champions' group will consider the feasibility of this proposed target and determine what additional measures might be necessary to achieve it.
Waste and Resources Action Programme
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether the Waste and Resources Action Programme Real Nappy Initiative aimed to divert 35,000 tonnes of waste (a) in each year from 2003 to 2006 and (b) in total; [78531]
(2) how much disposable nappy waste has been diverted by the Waste and Resources Action Programme's Real Nappy Initiative; and what its targets are for such diversion. [80253]
Mr. Bradshaw: The target of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Real Nappy programme target was to convert an additional 155,000 households to real nappy use by April 2006, and in the process divert 35,000 tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill.
WRAP
reports annually on its overall progress in meeting targets, including
work under the Real Nappy Programme. It is scheduled to report on its
achievements for the business plan period up to 2006 soon. At the outset
of the programme, 91 per cent. of expectant parents said they intended
to use disposable nappies. Work done for the Environment Agency
suggested the figure may be higher at 94 per cent. WRAP intends to
survey parents again at the end of the programme and to establish the
change in intended behaviour. An estimate of the diversion will be made
and published by WRAP at that time taking account of the survey and
other quantitative evidence.
Waste Management
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls are in place in to monitor waste intended for recycling to ensure that it is not re-routed to a landfill site. [79913]
Mr. Bradshaw: There is no evidence of large scale or repeated landfilling of recyclables, but material collected for recycling is occasionally sent to landfill if it is badly contaminated.
It is not in the interest of local authorities to send recyclable material to landfill because of the requirement to meet statutory recycling targets for household waste, tough landfill diversion targets for municipal waste, and the need to avoid the increasing cost of landfill.
Waste Minimisation Incentives
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will report on local authority pilot projects funded by his Department on waste minimisation incentives. [78534]
Mr. Bradshaw: The results of the household incentive pilot schemes will be available in the next few weeks.
Waste Production Charges
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to announce whether he will introduce variable charges for waste production. [79892]
Mr. Bradshaw: We have no current plans to introduce charging for household waste. The Government are considering what further steps are needed to tackle household waste as part of the review of the Waste Strategy, which will be published later this year. We are also looking at the spending pressures local authorities face, with regard to waste management, ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Variable
charging is one of a number of tools that could be used to encourage
waste minimisation and recycling of household waste. Local authorities
already have powers to run incentive schemes or require householders to
separate their waste for recycling. Recent research shows that at least
half of English
local authorities have run, or are running, some form of incentive
scheme and some, such as Barnet, require householders to separate their
recycling.
Many countries, including some in the European Union, have introduced successful household waste charging schemes, achieving reductions in waste arisings and increases in the separation of waste for recycling.
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases have been migrated from the old rules system onto the new rules system and then back onto the old rules system. [77977]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently unavailable, I am responding on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases have been migrated from the old rules system onto the new rules system and then back onto the old rules system.
The original system (CSCS) runs cases on the old scheme rules only. The new system (CS2) run cases on the new scheme rules; and also old scheme cases linked to a new scheme pulled through to the new system, although still operating on old scheme rules.
Currently, the only way for cases to be transferred from the old system to the new system is through reactive migration, which happens where an old scheme case has a link to a new scheme application and is therefore transferred from one system to the other. There were 322,000 old scheme cases operating on the new computer system in March 2006.
An old scheme case that has been transferred from the old system to the new system is only converted to the new scheme where there is a relevant link with a new scheme application. Relevant links are ones where the new application will have a financial impact on the linked case. At the end of March 2006, around 41,000 previously old scheme cases had been converted into the new scheme, and were thus also operating on the new computer system.
There is currently no policy for converting cases from the new rules and system back to the old scheme.
I hope you find this helpful.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have non-resident parents with a Child Support Agency liability. [79704]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 22 June 2006]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right, hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds dated 3 July 2006:
In reply to your parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave, I am responding on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children have non-resident parents with a Child Support Agency liability.
At the end of March 2006 there were 1,507,000 children that had a non-resident parent with a Child Support Agency liability. This includes nil liabilities.
I hope you find this useful
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the software to handle the migration of old system cases onto the new system was delivered to the Child Support Agency. [80402]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently unavailable, I am responding on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the software to handle the migration of old system cases onto the new system was delivered to the Child Support Agency.
There are two parts to the process of moving from the old computer system (CSCS) to the new system (CS2); firstly migration of the cases across the computer systems and secondly the conversion of those cases from the old scheme to the new scheme.
The software to enable bulk migration of cases from the old computer system to the new computer system was delivered in May 2005. The Initial Conversion software to enable the conversion of cases from the old scheme to the new scheme was delivered in March 2006. These are both necessary to support migration and conversion. However, before bulk migration and conversion could take place defects in the new computer system would need to be resolved. A number of software releases have been scheduled for between now and the end of 2007, designed to remove the large majority of existing defects. A large data cleansing exercise would need to be completed to support successful conversion.
I hope you find this useful.
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