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2 Oct 2006 : Column 2552W—continued
Farmer Prosecutions
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted in each year since 1997 under laws which have since been repealed, updated or replaced. [88503]
Barry
Gardiner: The Cattle Identification Regulations 1998
(“CIR”), the Cattle Database Regulations 1998
(“CDR”) and the Eggs (Marketing Standards) Regulations
1995 (“the EMSR”) made it an offence to fail to comply
with or breach certain EC regulations. These EC Regulations have
subsequently been repealed and replaced by new EC regulations.
Neither the CIR, CDR nor the ESMR were updated to reflect this. Each new
EC Regulation contained a provision stating that references to the
repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to the new
Regulation. On this basis Defra believed it was not necessary to update
the domestic regulations. The dates of the relevant repeals are 14
August 2000 in respect of the CIR and CDR and 1 January 2004 for the
EMSR. Only convictions obtained after these dates will be affected by
the failure to up-date the relevant domestic regulations. The Secretary
of State made a written ministerial statement about the matter on 15
June 2006, Official Report, column
67WS.
Under the Cattle Identification Regulations 1998 (“CIR”), the Cattle Database Regulations 1998 (“CDR”), 51 prosecutions were carried out which resulted in 45 convictions. The breakdown year by year is as follows (these figures include England and Wales):
| Number | |
Under The Eggs (Marketing Standards) Regulations 1995, nine prosecutions were undertaken which resulted in six convictions. The breakdown year by year is as follows (these figures include England and Wales):
| Number | |
While all these convictions may be considered to be unsafe because of the technical defect the convictions will have been obtained in respect of actions that breached the EU legislation designed to protect public health. I am satisfied that our enforcement procedures have been, and will continue to be, rigorous. Public and animal health has been protected by the work of our inspectors, and will continue to be so.
Home Composting
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage greater home composting; and if he will seek to persuade local authorities to remove putrescible waste from landfill. [91202]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 18 September 2006]: Composting is high up the waste hierarchy and is supported by a range of policies that promote sustainable waste management. National and local targets for composting and recycling are currently being reviewed as part of the wider review of the Waste Strategy.
The Waste
and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that over 34 per cent.
of households already participate in home composting schemes, with 23
percent of British households composting both
kitchen and garden waste. WRAP is working with local authorities and
other partners to increase this further through websites, a dedicated
helpline and the distribution of one million home composting bins to
households across the
country.
Local authorities are strictly limited in the amount of biodegradable waste they can landfill by their allocations under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme. A further incentive is provided by the annually increasing landfill tax, which currently stands at£21 per tonne.
IT Expenditure
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) projected budget and (b) actual expenditure was on information technology in each Directorate in his Department in each year since 1997. [90652]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 11 September 2006]: Information technology budgets are managed centrally with only small items of expenditure, such as consumables, delegated to directorates. The overall investment in information technology is published each year in the departmental resource accounts.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which directorates in his Department have overspent on their information technology budgets in each year since 1997; how much in each case; and what the reasons were in each case. [90654]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 11 September 2006]: Information technology budgets are managed centrally with only small items of expenditure, such as consumables, delegated to directorates. The nature of this control means that overspends are avoided.
Marine Environment
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many enforcement actions there were under the powers of the Marine Fisheries Agency concerning the marine environment in each of the last five years; and how many (a) prosecutions were brought and (b) convictions were attained in each year. [91089]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 13 September 2006]: The following table summarises the Marine Fisheries Agency (previously Sea Fisheries Inspectorate) enforcement action under the provisions of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) as at12 September 2006.
| Inspections of licensed construction and disposal operations | Infringements of FEPA licence requirements | Investigations arising from licensed and unlicensed operations | Official warnings | Prosecutions | Convictions | |
The following table is a summary of other Marine Fisheries Agency enforcement actions including prosecutions and convictions for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Non-human Primates
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps have been taken towards reducing the risks to non-human primates from the (a) trade in bushmeat, (b) laboratory trade, (c) trade in exotic pets and (d) use of primates in entertainment; [90837]
(2) what response he has made to the dossier submitted by Animal Defenders International to the Prime Minister’s office on 1 September; and if he will publish that response. [90840]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 11 September 2006]: The UK cannot intervene directly in sovereign matters of other countries, and bushmeat has been a legitimate and acceptable food source for domestic consumption in many countries for generations. While some bushmeat may be entering the UK, it is understood not to be in significant quantities. Moreover, of the limited amount which may be entering the country, we consider the endangered-species element, including that of non-human primates, is likely to be at a very low level.
The use of animals in experiments and other scientific procedures is strictly regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, for which the Home Office has the lead responsibility. Non-human primates are afforded special protection under the Act and there are stringent requirements regarding their use in scientific experiments. The use of wild-caught non-human primates is subject to supplementary additional considerations.
The Home Office announced in 1997 that there are no foreseen circumstances under which licences under the 1986 Act for programmes of work involving the use of Great Apes (chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans) would be issued. In addition, exceptional justification would be required for the licensed use of other types of non-human primates taken from the wild.
The 1986 Act provides that non-human primates, whether captive bred or wild-caught, can only be used when no other species are suitable for the purposes of the programme to be specified in the licence, or that it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for those purposes. For the use of wild-caught primates to be exceptionally authorised, there must be no appropriate alternative, no suitable captive-bred animals available and the likely benefits of the programme of work would have to fully justify their use.
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate and the Animal Procedures Committee provide advice on a case-by-case basis on whether, and on what terms, such use should be licensed. Application of these stringent criteria has meant that first time use of wild-caught non-human primates in scientific procedures has not been licensed in the UK for some years.
The
import, export and re-export of primates is strictly regulated under
Council Regulation 338/97, which implements the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and
Flora within the EU. The Government’s view is that primates are
not suitable for the general pet trade. We currently limit imports of
these species to specialist keepers who must be able to demonstrate
that they are sufficiently well equipped and experienced to house and
care for them. In July last year, Defra launched a public consultation
regarding the use of powers under Article 8.2 of Council Regulation
338/97, which sought
views on proposals designed to further restrict the keeping of certain
CITES listed species, including
primates.
We propose to introduce a regulation under the Animal Welfare Bill to ban the use, in travelling circuses, of certain non-domesticated species whose welfare needs cannot be satisfactorily met in that environment. A Circus Working Group has been set up to advise on this proposal. We also intend to introduce Codes of Practice to cover all performing animals, not just those in circuses. This will address issues such as training activities, trainer competences and accommodation needs for animals when travelling.
I would like to thank Animal Defenders International for their dossier “Primate Nations.” The use of animals, including non-human primates, in research and testing is an issue for which the Home Office has responsibility.
A copy of the dossier will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Packaging
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government’s policy is on the non-mandatory status of European Commission Decision 97/129/EC which provides for numbering and abbreviations to identify different packaging materials, including plastics; and if he will make a statement. [91020]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 13 September 2006]: The Government have no plans to make the marking of plastic household products mandatory. However, while the marking system is voluntary, we would encourage manufacturers to use the markings where possible, in order to aid the process of sorting and recycling plastic packaging waste.
Questionnaires
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) questionnaires, (b) statistical inquiries and (c) investigations have been carried out wholly or partly at public expense on behalf of or by his Department or public bodies for which he is responsible in each year since 1997; and what the (i) nature, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost was in each case. [83183]
Barry Gardiner: The Defra website provides information on the type of statistical surveys and research conducted by the Department.
It is intended to start to publish a review of surveys conducted , including the costs . This will begin with the review of surveys conducted in 2005 which is expected to be published on the website shortly.
A full list of Government surveys and other sources of official statistics is available in the Guide to Official Statistics published by the Government Statistical Service (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product .asp?vlnk=1551&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422).
Recycling
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to improve the level of recycling of waste electrical and electronic materials. [90963]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 13 September 2006]: The Government are in the process of implementing the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive, which aims to reduce the quantity of waste from electrical and electronic equipment and increase re-use, recovery and recycling. The directive requires member states to ensure that producers (or third parties acting on their behalf) set up systems to provide for the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE.
The Department of Trade and Industry (the department with the lead responsibility for implementing the directive) is currently carrying out a consultation on draft regulations which transpose the directive into UK legislation, and accompanying guidance. The closing date for the consultation is17 October 2006.
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