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8 Nov 2006 : Column 1578W—continued
Water Supply Regulations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will include new regulations on safety to prevent serious scalding by hot water in the forthcoming amendments to building regulation G and other water supply regulations. [96854]
Angela E. Smith: We are currently reviewing our general approach to building regulations so as to ensure they continue to secure the health and safety of building users and deliver wider environmental objectives while not imposing an undue burden on industry or the public. We will be considering revision of Part G of the Regulations in the light of this wider review. We will make a further announcement on timing.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agricultural Shows
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list all the agricultural shows visited by Ministers in 2006. [99983]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 7 November 2006]: Ministers visited the following agricultural shows in 2006:
| Shows visited | Attended by | |
British Waterways
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library the risk assessment carried out by his Department prior to his reductions in funding for the current year of (a) British Waterways and (b) the Environment Agency; and if he will make a statement. [100383]
Barry Gardiner:
Defra is having to operate within a tight financial regime and earlier this year asked its delivery bodies to accept reductions in grant in aid during 2006-07 to help manage a number of pressures. As part of this process, officials engaged with British
Waterways and the Environment Agency to discuss the implications of the funding cuts, including risk. Part of the discussions centred on how they might be managed to minimise the impact on key priorities and outcomes.
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the impact of 2006-07 budget reductions to British Waterways; and if he will make a statement. [100384]
Barry Gardiner: The Government have received representations from British Waterways as well as a wide range of hon. Members and key stakeholders since announcing the budget reductions for British Waterways (BW) for 2006-07. The representations have taken the form of meetings, correspondence and parliamentary questions.
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the mid-year reduction in funding to British Waterways on the navigability of the Cheshire Ring of canals by boaters; and if he will make a statement. [100385]
Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for British Waterways. However it has advised that it does not anticipate the mid-year reduction in funding to have an impact on the navigability of the Cheshire Ring. The winter maintenance programme for 2006-07 will continue as planned.
Departmental IT
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many non web-related information technology projects with a value over £500,000 have been awarded by his Department to external consultants since 2001. [98923]
Barry Gardiner: Since 2001 the Department has awarded five non web-related information technology projects with a value over £500,000 to external consultants.
This information refers to core Defra and projects that are recorded as being significant or mission critical only. Providing information for projects outside of this criteria would incur disproportionate costs.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants have been recruited by the Department in (a) the last year and (b) the last six months. [96325]
Barry Gardiner: DEFRA recruited 367 new civil servants on permanent contracts in the last 12 months. During that same period, 579 staff left the Department.
For the period 1 April to 30 September 2006, the number of new civil servants on permanent contracts recruited to DEFRA was 158 while 275 left the Department.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants have been recruited by the Department’s London offices in (a) the last year and (b) the last six months. [96326]
Barry Gardiner: DEFRA recruited 122 new civil servants on permanent contracts to locations in London in the last 12 months. During that same period 221 London-based staff left the Department.
For the period 1 April to 30 September 2006, the number of new civil servants recruited on permanent DEFRA contracts and posted in London was 61 while 101 left the Department during this period.
Energy Policy
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has commissioned into incorporating (a) wave, (b) solar, (c) geo-thermal and (d) hydro-electric energy into the national energy generation system. [100140]
Malcolm Wicks: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Executive Agencies
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what (a) percentage and (b) total amount his Department has required that the (i) Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales, (ii) Agricultural Wages Committee (England), (iii) British Potato Council, (iv) British Waterways, (v) British Wool Marketing Board, (vi) Broads Authority, (vii) Central Science Laboratory, (viii) Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, (ix) Consumer Council for Water, (x) Countryside Agency, (xi) Covent Garden Market Authority, (xii) Natural England, (xiii) Environment Agency, (xiv) Food for Britain, (xv) Gangmasters Licensing Authority, (xvi) Government Decontamination Service, (xvii) Home-Grown Cereals Authority, (xviii) Horticultural Development Council, (xix) Marine Fisheries Agency, (xx) Meat and Livestock Commission, (xxi) Milk Development Council, (xxii) National Forest Company, (xxiii) Pesticides Safety Directorate, (xxiv) Regional Flood Defence Committees, (xxv) Review of Funding Mechanisms for Flood and Coastal Defence, (xxvi) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, (xxvii) Rural Payments Agency, (xxviii) Sea Fish Industry Authority, (xxix) State Veterinary Service, (xxx) Sustainable Development Commission, (xxxi) UK Biodiversity Group, (xxxii) Veterinary Laboratories Agency and (xxxiii) Veterinary Medicines Directorate reduce its budget for 2006-07 from the level planned at the beginning of the financial year; and if he will make a statement. [94753]
Mr. Bradshaw [pursuant to the reply, 24 October 2006, c. 1723W]: My answer contained the statement,
“(viii) Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science—£900,000 (3 per cent.) reduction.”
This was incorrect and should have read
“(viii) Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science—£1.0 million (3 per cent.) increase”.
The rest of the answer remains correct and is detailed in full as follows.
As a result of the recent review, the following changes (in value and percentage) from the levels planned at the beginning of the year have been made to the resource budgets for 2006-07 of the bodies listed:
(i) Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales—£Nil
(ii) Agricultural Wages Committee (England)—£Nil
(iii) British Potato Council—£Nil
(iv) British Waterways—£3.934 million (7 per cent.) reduction
(v) British Wool Marketing Board—£Nil
(vi) Broads Authority—£Nil
(vii) Central Science Laboratory—£Nil
(viii) Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science—£1.0 million (3 per cent.) increase
(ix) Consumer Council for Water—£Nil
(x) Countryside Agency—include within Natural England (xii) as follows
(xi) Covent Garden Market Authority—£Nil
(xii) Natural England—£12.9 million (7 per cent.) reduction
(xiii) Environment Agency—£23.7 million (5 per cent.) reduction
(xiv) Food From Britain—£403,000 (8 per cent.) reduction
(xv) Gangmasters Licensing Authority—£Nil
(xvi) Government Decontamination Service—£Nil
(xvii) Home-Grown Cereals Authority—£Nil
(xviii) Horticultural Development Council—£Nil
(xix) Marine Fisheries Agency—£1.722 million (6 per cent.) reduction
(xx) Meat and Livestock Commission—£15,000 (4 per cent.) reduction
(xxi) Milk Development Council—£Nil
(xxii) National Forest Company—£300,000 (8 per cent.) reduction
(xxiii) Pesticides Safety Directorate—£839,000 (7 per cent.) reduction
(xxiv) Regional Flood Defence Committees—£Nil
(xxv) Review of Funding Mechanisms for Flood and Coastal Defence—£Nil
(xxvi) Royal Botanic Gardens Kew—£600,000 (3 per cent.) reduction
(xxvii) Rural Payments Agency—£23.0 million (11 per cent.) increase
(xxviii) Sea Fish Industry Authority—£Nil
(xxix) State Veterinary Service—£3.0 million (3 per cent.) reduction
(xxx) Sustainable Development Commission—£Nil
(xxxi) UK Biodiversity Group—£Nil
(xxxii) Veterinary Laboratories Agency—£2.4 million (3 per cent.) reduction
(xxxiii) Veterinary Medicines Directorate—£283,000 (7 per cent.) reduction
Farm Subsidies
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to his Department was of administering the single farm payment scheme in 2005-06. [98249]
Barry Gardiner: The allocation of direct costs incurred in 2005-06 by the Rural Payments Agency in administering the single payments scheme were £61.7 million. This includes the costs of scheme processing, registering land and inspections, but excludes apportioned overheads.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many 2005 single farm payments have been made for an amount smaller than the cost of administering a single farm payment claim; and if he will make a statement. [98684]
Barry Gardiner: The cost of administering a single farm payment claim is not available.
The allocation of direct costs incurred in 2005-06 by the Rural Payments Agency in administering the single payments scheme were £61.7 million. This includes the costs of scheme processing, registering land and inspections, but excludes apportioned overheads.
SPS 2005 claim processing continues in 2006-07.
Fisheries
Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered fishermen there are in the UK fishing industry; and how many are in the (a) over 10 metre and (b) under 10 metre sectors. [98161]
Mr. Bradshaw: In 2005, there were 12,647 regular and part-time fishermen in the UK fishing industry. A breakdown of numbers fishing in the over 10 metre and 10 metre and under sectors is not available.
Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences have been issued to new applicants in the under 10 metre fishing sector since 1 January 2000; and how many of them were previously licensees in the over 10 metre sector. [98162]
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