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27 Nov 2006 : Column 288W—continued
Departmental Pay Rates
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on staff employed at his Department but remunerated through an employment agency in each year since 2001. [101120]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 22 November 2006]: From information held centrally, the core Department’s expenditure on personnel engaged through employment agencies since 2001 is as follows:
| Financial year | Value (£) |
Information for the financial year 2001-02 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff have received payments through an employment agency for work undertaken in his Department in each year since 2001. [101235]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 22 November 2006]: Information is not held centrally on the numbers of personnel who have received payments through an employment agency for work undertaken in the Department in each year since 2001. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Statistics
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which statistics have been put forward by his Department for consideration to become new national statistics in each of the last five years; and how many statistics sets his Department has produced in total in each of the last five years. [101651]
Barry Gardiner: The current list of National Statistics produced by DEFRA can be found on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/ns_ons/nsproducts/default.asp
A list of changes to the scope of National Statistics (additions and withdrawals) in each of the last five years can be found in the relevant National Statistics annual report available on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051
In addition to National Statistics, DEFRA publishes a wide range of other numerical information in a variety of forms including other data produced from the management and administration of the Department and in research reports. There is no consistent definition of the term “statistics sets” and no centrally held information on the total published in each year on this basis.
Discovering Lost Ways Project
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that property owners in rural areas are aware of possible future claims for a public right of way through the Discovering Lost Ways Project. [102579]
Barry Gardiner: The Discovering Lost Ways Project will comply with all the existing statutory requirements for notifying property owners of public rights of way claims. These include serving notice of applications on landowners or occupiers. In addition, the project will seek ways to keep property owners, landowners, land managers and their representative groups fully informed in order to provide accurate and timely information for their area and make them aware of any potential public rights of way claims well in advance.
Domestic Rubbish
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has given to local authorities on the leaving of fixed penalties for litter offences relating to domestic rubbish. [104067]
Mr. Bradshaw: Guidance on the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 was sent to all local authorities in early April this year. An addendum incorporating a clarifying note on fixed penalties for litter offences was sent to them on 6 September 2006, advising that fixed penalty notices are available to help deal with side waste and for the offence of putting waste out incorrectly under sections 46 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Failure to follow such a notice is an offence, for which a £100 fixed penalty notice can now be issued under section 47ZA of the 1990 Act.
The guidance is available on the DEFRA website at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/legislation/cnea/index.htm#guide.
Energy Conservation
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives are in place for those with responsibility for public buildings to install insulation as an energy saving measure. [100725]
Ian Pearson: Targets, including those now in place for central Government and the NHS estate, can encourage public sector organisations to reduce the use of energy and achieve lower emissions.
To help these organisations to achieve their targets, the Carbon Trust’s carbon management programme is encouraging public sector organisations to develop effective management procedures for the efficient use of energy. Specialist tailored programmes have been established for local authorities, the higher education sector and the NHS.
Salix, which is a not-for-profit company set up by the Carbon Trust in 2004, uses Government funding of around £20 million to set up ring-fenced recycled loan funds in public sector organisations. Salix’s funding is matched by the organisation and used to invest in cost-effective, long-term energy saving projects such as insulation, heating and lighting.
Energy Efficiency
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time is for the Eaga Partnership to process a Warm Front grant application. [102677]
Ian Pearson: The average time across England for a Warm Front survey to take place after the initial contact is made by the applicant is 14 working days.
The average time for completion of applications where heating work is required from initial contact to all measures being installed is 95 working days.
The average time for completion of applications where only insulation is required from initial contact to measures being installed is 48 working days.
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will increase the maximum level of Eaga Partnership Warm Front grants available to householders in Cornwall. [103633]
Ian Pearson: The Warm Front grant maximum (£2,700 or £4,000 where an oil fired heating system is recommended), applies across England, and is subject to regular review.
We recognise that particular issues may arise in a local area and the scheme seeks to overcome those challenges with local representatives and stakeholders.
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria his Department uses to accredit contractors to carry out work under the Eaga Warm Front scheme. [103634]
Ian Pearson: All Warm Front installers are contracted by Eaga Partnership under EU procurement rules. This process takes account of the contractor's capability, suitability, financial standing and technical ability.
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was allocated to householders under the Eaga Group Warm Front grant scheme in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available. [103700]
Ian Pearson: A table showing the spend by each local authority on Warm Front during 1 June 2005 to 31 March 2006 has been placed in the Library of the House.
Energy from Waste
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to promote the generation of energy from waste and the acceptability of the concept among the public. [103382]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government see it as an important objective not to promote energy from waste (EfW) at the expense of waste prevention or recycling.
EfW is, however, a valid option lower down the waste hierarchy for those wastes which cannot realistically be treated in other ways, and would otherwise have to be disposed of to landfill. EfW offers considerable climate change benefits compared to landfill, primarily through avoided landfill methane emissions. In addition, the energy generated from the biomass fraction of waste can help offset fossil fuel power generation.
The Government have published several studies which set out the evidence gathered so far on the environmental and health effects of waste management so the public can assess for themselves the facts on EfW.
An independent, peer reviewed study published in 2004, concluded that on the evidence so far, the treatment of municipal solid waste has at most a minor effect on health. The Environment Agency ensures that emissions and other outputs from waste management facilities are within the limits set by the EU and the UK Government to minimise any negative impact. Incinerators are also required to conform to tighter emission standards than other types of combustion plants.
England Rural Development Programme
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the impact on farmers' incomes of the delay in implementing the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013; [100650]
(2) what assessment he has made of the impact on the economy in rural areas of the delay in implementing the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013 announced on 1 November. [100651]
Barry Gardiner: It is impossible to reach any definitive conclusions until we have a clearer idea of how long the delay will be, and that will depend upon events in the European Parliament and Council thereafter.
Agreements signed under the current England Rural Development Programme (which runs until 31 December 2006) will be honoured for the full term of the agreement and so will not be affected by the delay.
We are working on the contingency arrangements for new rural development agreements, that will apply in the absence of EU approval, for the next programme and will publish full details as soon as possible. The
delay to the programme will not affect the total amount of money available for rural development support available during 2007-13, but it may affect the timing of when new agreements can commence.
Environmental Directives
Chris Huhne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which
environmental directives have been agreed and published since 8 June 2001; and what the date or expected date of transposition is of each. [103248]
Ian Pearson: DEFRA was formed in June 2001. Between 8 June 2001 and 22 November 2006, 31 EU environmental directives, for which the Department has responsibility for implementation, were adopted. These are shown in the following table.
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