| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
14 Dec 2006 : Column 1240W—continued
Responsibility in Gambling Trust
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with (a) the Responsibility in Gambling Trust and (b) members of the gambling industry on the industry’s performance in providing the level of resources recommended by the Budd Report to fund the Trust’s work; when these discussions took place; and if she will make a statement. [108975]
Mr. Caborn: Ministers and officials have discussed this issue with both the Trust and industry representatives on a number of occasions.
We have set the industry a target of raising £3 million each year, for problem gambling treatment, education and public awareness and research, once the Gambling Act 2005 is fully implemented (from September 2007). The Act has powers to impose a statutory levy, if it is considered necessary.
Security: Football Grounds
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the Football Licensing Authority’s seminar on the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used at major sporting venues was dedicated to potential (a) atomic, (b) biological and (c) chemical incidents. [109370]
Mr. Caborn: The only seminar of this type was an awareness day on CBRN terrorist attack, organised by Stoke City football club, with inputs from the local authority, emergency services and the FLA, in July 2004. This included a scenario of a gas attack inside the ground. Counter-terrorism protective security advice is a matter for the Home Office and the police.
Sponsored Bodies
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was incurred by her Department in reassessing pensions liabilities under FRS17, as referred to on page 60 of the departmental annual report for Sponsored Bodies. [109350]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has incurred no direct costs in reassessing pensions liabilities under FRS17. DCMS Sponsored Bodies with pension schemes requiring a reassessment of the parent bodies’ liabilities to meet the new disclosure requirements have met the marginal cost of additional accounting and actuarial advice from within current resource allocations.
Talented Athletes
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to date has been of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme. [109582]
Mr. Caborn: The Department has confirmed £17 million in funding for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, including TASS 2012, to cover the period 2004-05 to 2007-08.
TV Licences
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were convicted of not having a valid television licence in each London constituency in each of the last five years. [104977]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 7 December 2006]: Robust data are not available because of differences in recording practices by the courts.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Whaling
13. Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take in response to the decision by Iceland to resume commercial whaling. [109027]
Mr. Bradshaw: I called in the Icelandic ambassador on 26 October. Our ambassador in Reykjavik led a multi-national diplomatic protest of 25 countries together with the European Commission on 1 November. I supported a declaration strongly critical of Iceland at a recent meeting of EU Environment Ministers.
Biomass
14. David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of biomass to the UK’s energy needs; and if he will make a statement. [109028]
Ian Pearson: UK biomass has the potential to supply 6 per cent. of our electricity needs by 2020. Demand for biomass heat could be about 6 per cent. of heat needs by the same date. With current technologies, UK agriculture could also provide crops to meet 5 per cent. of road fuel demand by 2010.
European Parliament
15. Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the environmental impact of the sittings of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. [109029]
Ian Pearson: No, but given the reality of climate change, it is clearly important that EU institutions should provide a lead on environmentally sustainable behaviour. In this country, we have already set ourselves serious sustainability targets to achieve greener Government.
Carbon Emissions: Local Government
16. Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for local authorities to facilitate the reduction of carbon emissions in the communities they represent. [109030]
Ian Pearson: Local authorities have a critical role in achieving our climate change objectives. The 2006 UK Climate Change Programme includes measures to help local authorities deliver cuts in emissions.
Organic Food
17. Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of organic food growers and suppliers. [109031]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department ensures effective regulation of producers of organic agricultural produce through the work of the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards and in particular its Certification Committee.
Climate Change
18. Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on tackling climate change. [109032]
David Miliband: I had extensive discussions with my European counterparts at the UN Climate Change Conference in Nairobi in November.
Although progress was made, we need to move forward with greater urgency and EU environment ministers will be meeting on 18 December to set out the way forward for 2007.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of climate change on food production in England. [104998]
Ian Pearson: The Government continue to make considerable investment in research on climate change and agriculture to help both policy makers and industry plan for the uncertainties ahead. A recent review, summarising all the recent research on impacts and adaptation in agriculture is available on the DEFRA website:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/documents/publications/Defra_CC03_review_030705_JPGamended_jrp%20FINAL.pdf.
Overall, the research suggests that climate change impacts do not appear to threaten the viability of the agriculture industry as a whole in the UK due to the adaptability of UK systems. However, individual agricultural businesses and land managers will need to be alive to the need for adaptation. There may also be opportunities to grow new crops. We do not have a single assessment of the overall effects on UK food production, as this is influenced not only by the regionalised impacts of climate change, but the reaction of individual businesses to climate change, and their reaction to market changes and other policy levers.
In-vessel Composting
19. Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring his Department undertakes on the effect on local communities of in-vessel composting sites; and if he will make a statement. [109033]
Mr. Bradshaw: Composting is a vital component of sustainable waste management.
It is licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency under a waste management licence—or an exemption from the need for a licence.
Environmental Taxation
20. Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on environmental taxation. [109034]
David Miliband: I have discussed environmental taxation, and a range of other subjects, in various meetings with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
EU Emissions Trading
21. Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the EU emissions trading scheme. [109035]
Ian Pearson: In the UK, the first year of operation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme has been very successful, with near universal compliance. Phase I in the UK is set to deliver savings of 65 million tons of CO2 from business as usual.
Microgeneration
22. Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last discussed with ministerial colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry the implementation of that Department’s policy in support of microgeneration.
Ian Pearson: The Secretary of State regularly meets his Cabinet colleague at the Department for Trade and Industry to discuss policies, such as microgeneration, where DTI and DEFRA both have a key role to play in their successful delivery.
Flood Defences
23. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to increase funding for sea and flood defence. [109037]
Ian Pearson: Government funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management has gone up by 35 per cent. in real terms since 1996-97. Future funding needs will be considered in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Animal Welfare
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the recent guidelines from his Department on transporting greyhounds were issued on British Greyhound Racing Board paper. [108401]
Mr. Bradshaw: DEFRA has not produced any guidance specific to greyhounds. However, the Department has issued guidance on compliance with new EU rules on the welfare of animals during transport, which come into effect in January 2007. This guidance does not include specific advice on the transport of greyhounds as the EU Regulation sets only general requirements for these animals.
The British Greyhound Racing Board have produced separate guidance for their members on compliance with the new rules, which includes detailed technical requirements that are not specified in the regulation.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the possible implications for (a) animal welfare standards and (b) farmers’ competitiveness of differences in the four devolved areas of the United Kingdom between rural development programme schemes in respect of animal welfare promotional measures. [108531]
Mr. Bradshaw: Improvements in animal welfare standards and farmers’ competitiveness can be achieved through a variety of means. There will be separate Rural Development Programmes for each part of the UK for the new programming period, 2007-13. The detail of these programmes will reflect the assessment made of the priorities and needs for each respective part of the UK.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the livestock indicators relating to animal welfare launched by his Department on 24 November are intended to allow progress in each devolved area of the United Kingdom to be measured (a) separately and (b) on a United Kingdom-wide basis. [108533]
Mr. Bradshaw: These livestock indicators have been introduced to show progress towards the delivery of the “Animal Welfare Strategy for Great Britain” in England. They are being developed by DEFRA in consultation with the England Implementation Group, the independent advisory body overseeing delivery of the strategy in England.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the draft Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy takes account of the delay in implementing the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013 announced on 1 November. [108614]
Mr. Bradshaw: The draft Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy does not contain specific actions, resource commitments or funding mechanisms. These will be considered in an action plan, to be developed with stakeholders and published separately.
Bovine TB
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to make to tackle bovine TB in (a) England and (b) Shropshire. [108933]
Mr. Bradshaw: We already have in place a series of measures designed to reduce the geographic spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England and to achieve a sustained reduction in high incidence areas, including Shropshire. Our plan is to continue to work in partnership with interested parties to embed and monitor these measures, some of which have only been in operation for a matter of months. Examples of this include pre-movement testing phase one and the more extensive use of the gamma interferon blood test.
We are committed to introducing the second phase of pre-movement testing in March 2007. This will extend the policy to younger animals, and continue to fund a wide-ranging bTB research programme, using the emerging evidence to inform our policies. We will also work with our industry partners to further raise awareness of the crucial role farmers have to play in controlling bTB by complying with statutory policies, applying disease prevention measures and good husbandry practices. We are also considering the evidence and practicalities of adding badger culling to these tools for preventing bTB in cattle.
Christmas: Recycling
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas trees which were recycled in each of the last three years; and whether his Department provides support to local authorities for the recycling of Christmas trees; [108180]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas cards that were recycled in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement; [108181]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas cards that were recycled in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [108970]
Mr. Bradshaw: DEFRA has not made an estimate of the number of Christmas trees which were recycled in the last three years. I am aware that some local authorities (LAs) have in the past reported the number of Christmas trees they recycle to the environmental charity EnCams. Figures for 2002 show that nearly 2 million trees were recycled by the LAs which provided returns in England and Wales.
While DEFRA does not provide specific support to LAs for the recycling of Christmas trees, we have provided significant additional funding to increase the proportion of waste that they recycle through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) spending block. This includes waste management services, Private Finance Initiative funding for waste, the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund and the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant.
Waste Watch recently estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards could end up in rubbish bins across the UK rather than being recycled. We would expect those authorities which carry out collection and recycling of waste paper to recycle Christmas cards with the rest of the waste paper they collect.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |