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22 Mar 2007 : Column 1039W—continued
Carbon Dioxide: Aviation
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the proportion of carbon emissions in the UK which is due to aircraft taking off and landing at UK airports; and what his estimate is of the likely change in this proportion over the next (a) 10 and (b) 50 years. [127980]
Ian Pearson: Carbon dioxide emissions from UK domestic aviation (which includes emissions from the UK Crown Dependencies, and excludes emissions from the Overseas Territories) were 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2), and for international aviation were 35.0 MtCO2 in 2005. Greenhouse gas emissions from international flights do not currently count in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory because there is no internationally agreed way in which to allocate those emissions. UK CO2 emissions (excluding international aviation and shipping) were 554.2 MtCO2 in 2005.
Emissions from domestic aviation were around 0.4 per cent. of total UK CO2 emissions in 2005. If international aviation CO2 emissions are included,
aviation contributed around 6.4 per cent. of total UK CO2 emissions in 2005. The proportion in 2030 and 2050 would be around 15 and 21 per cent. of UK CO2 emissions (including international aviation) respectively. These are based on the assumptions of continued strong growth in aviation using central projections in ‘Aviation and Global Warming’ (2004), and the assumption of attainment of the 60 per cent. CO2 emissions reduction target in the rest of the economy as outlined in the 2003 Energy White Paper.
Common Agricultural Policy
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the £305 million claim on the reserve to cover provision for disallowance arising from Common Agricultural Policy schemes; and when he was informed of the amount of the claim required. [128048]
Barry Gardiner: DEFRA Ministers and officials discuss a wide range of issues with their colleagues in the Treasury as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.
Energy: EC Law
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further consultation his Department plans to undertake with stakeholders on the Energy Services Directive and its timetable for implementation. [128706]
Ian Pearson: DEFRA continues to make progress towards implementing the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive by 17 May 2008. We have already consulted on aspects of the directive which impact on the wider public. The Department's consultation on billing and metering provisions ended on 6 February.
DEFRA expects to consult stakeholders further on our implementation plans in summer. We will also use the opportunity provided by the forthcoming energy White Paper, and June's energy efficiency action plan—itself a requirement of the directive—to keep stakeholders informed of progress.
Falcons: Conservation
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account he has taken of the examples of captive Eleanora’s falcons appearing in the UK following the delisting in 1994 of the species from Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in his review of wild bird registration under section 7 of the Act. [126923]
Barry Gardiner: The public consultation exercise on Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 closed on 16 February 2007. Over the coming weeks we will consider the situation of both captive and wild population changes of all species delisted in 1994.
Flood Control
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Environment Agency’s capital programme is for flood defence works in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08, broken down by region. [128236]
Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency’s capital programme for flood defence works in 2006-07 and 2007-08, by region, are set out in the following tables.
| Capital programme budget—flood defence grant in aid | ||
| Region | 2006-07 budget (£ million) | 2007-08 budget (£) |
| (1) The 2007-08 capital allocation by region is being finalised during the next two weeks. I will arrange for the information requested to be placed in the Library of the House. | ||
| Capital programme size—levy funding | ||
| Region | 2006-07 funding (£ million) | 2007-08 funding (£ million) |
Fuel Poverty
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) people and (b) households in fuel poverty in each year since 1995; and what Government target on fuel poverty applied in each such year. [128113]
Ian Pearson: Fuel poverty is a factor of three elements—a home’s energy efficiency, household income and the cost of fuel. As such, fuel poverty is measured by household and not by individual.
Fuel poverty figures were first calculated in 1996 and are based on information provided in the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). Fuel poverty figures in England from 1996 for each year a survey was completed are set out in the following table. The collation of the EHCS has a time lag so the latest available figures are for 2004.
| Million | ||
| Number of households in fuel poverty in England | Number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty in England | |
A vulnerable fuel-poor household is defined as one containing an elderly person, a family with young children, a disabled person or someone suffering a long term illness.
The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 mandated the Government to produce a strategy and set targets to ensure that no household should live in fuel poverty. The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, published in November 2001, sets out the Government’s targets for the eradication of fuel poverty in England:
to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, in vulnerable households by 2010
that no household will remain in fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, by 2016
Similar targets exist in the devolved administrations.
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in the Peterborough constituency used the Warm Front scheme in each year since 2001. [128199]
Ian Pearson: In the first phase of the Warm Front Scheme, from June 2000 to June 2005, 2,562 households were assisted in the Peterborough constituency.
In the current phase of Warm Front, for Peterborough, 121 households were assisted between June 2005 and March 2006, and 404 households were assisted between April and December 2006.
Insulation
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the average installation charge levied on householders for (a) cavity wall insulation and (b) full loft insulation was by councils participating in a British Gas council tax discount scheme for energy-saving measures; [128658]
(2) what the average payment made to householders participating in a British Gas council tax discount scheme for energy-saving measures was in 2005-06; and whether such payments (a) reflect the council tax banding of the property, (b) are one-off or repeated payments and (c) are paid by cheque or by council tax bill credit. [128662]
Ian Pearson: On the basis of the British Gas press release on 12 March, I understand that the average installation charge levied on householders participating in the British Gas council tax discount scheme for insulation measures is £250 for cavity wall insulation and £274 for full loft insulation.
The average payment to householders participating in the scheme for insulation measures across the 44 current participating local authorities in 2005-06 was between £50 and £100, averaging £61.
British Gas or the appropriate local authority can provide further information on the further details of the scheme.
Metals: Recycling
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the trading interests of metal recycling companies from the requirements to disclose commercially confidential information under the revised Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations, to be introduced in July 2007. [127961]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 20 March 2007]: The revised EC Waste Shipments Regulation (EC No. 1013/2006) introduces certain requirements for shipments of ‘Green List’ waste for recovery (recycling). These include an obligation on anyone shipping such waste to complete certain information on a form (Annex VII to the Regulation), and to ensure that this information accompanies the waste from the start of the shipment until it reaches its destination. The information on the form includes details of the producer of the waste and the broker or dealer involved in the shipment, when these are involved. This information is passed on to the facility receiving the waste when the waste is delivered.
The UK has raised with the European Commission the issue of the potential commercial confidentiality of some of the information on the form. The Commission is currently working to establish whether it is possible, while ensuring compliance with the legal requirements of the revised EC Waste Shipments Regulation (WSR), for any of the information that should accompany shipments of ‘Green List’ waste to be withheld or partially withheld.
My officials are in contact with representatives of the metal recycling companies in the UK about this issue and will keep them informed of developments.
Pesticides
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the objectives are of the Pesticides Safety Directorate’s voluntary pilot scheme underway in the Midlands on the disclosure of information on pesticides being sprayed; when it is expected to report; and if he will make a statement. [128416]
Barry Gardiner: The objective of this pilot study is to run a small scale trial of a system for public disclosure of farmers’ spray records with a view to:
investigating the practicalities of handling ‘third party’ requests, including locating farms and identifying and contacting the individuals responsible for pesticide spraying in each case;
determining the probable level of public interest and hence establishing whether there is a significant need for Government to act in a ‘third party’ role if it is not feasible for members of the public to get this information directly from farmers;
determining the practical implications and estimating the likely cost of setting up and running a Government scheme on a national basis.
The study is expected to run from 1 March to 31 August 2007. There will then need to be a period of analysis which may include some follow-up survey work involving inquirers and farmers from the study area. Officials aim to report the outcome of the study to Ministers by the end of the year. Once Ministers have considered all the relevant information a decision will be made on the way forward and a public announcement will be made.
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