Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 3 May 2007
Minister for Women
Local Councillors
20. Mr. Khan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on steps to increase the diversity of local councillors. [135450]
Meg Munn: The independent Commission on Local Councillors, announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) on 8 February, has been set up to consider how a more diverse range of people, including more women, can be encouraged and supported to become councillors so that communities are better represented. The Commission is looking at the range of barriers preventing women, and other under represented groups such as from the BME community and younger people, from standing, including for example time requirement and public perception of the role of councillors. The Commission is expected to report to the Secretary of State with its recommendations in the autumn.
Age Discrimination
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what plans she has to prevent age discrimination in the provision of goods and services. [135449]
Meg Munn: The Government are considering whether there is a case for introducing legislation to prohibit harmful age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services as part of the Discrimination Law Review. The proposals emerging from the review will be published for public consultation later this month.
Women and Work Commission
David Taylor: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what progress has been made in the last 12 months in taking forward the recommendations of the Women and Work Commission; and if she will make a statement. [135451]
Meg Munn: On 2 April we launched a report setting out the comprehensive programme of action being taken forward by Government to reduce the gender pay and opportunities gap one year on from the Women and Work Commission's recommendations. This included: details of a £500,000 fund to create more quality part-time work; the development of an Equality Check Tool to allow employers to see where they could improve their practices in relation to gender equality issues. I will also continue to chair a project board of Whitehall officials to drive forward the women’s economic participation agenda.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 307W, on the Rural Payments Agency, (1) when he expects analysis by constituency of claimants and payments made under the single payment scheme to be published; and where the information will be made available; [133135]
(2) when he expects analysis by constituency of claimants and payments made under the Single Payment Scheme to be published; and where the information will be made available. [135419]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 2 May 2007]: Detailed analysis of all the payments made under the 2005 single payment scheme is not yet available. Once the remaining 2005 scheme payments have been completed, a decision will be taken on the level of detail that will be published.
Bees
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of (a) UK honey production and (b) pollination services provided by beekeepers in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [133562]
Barry Gardiner: The value of honey production in the UK in 2004 was £17.3 million and in both 2005 and 2006 was approximately £18 million per year. On the basis of an economic evaluation in 2001, the estimated economic value of crops grown commercially in the UK that benefit from bee pollination is £120 million to £200 million per year.
Carbon Emissions
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the reduction required in UK carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 if the UK is to meet its share in an international goal of stabilising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at between 450 and 550 ppm of carbon dioxide equivalent. [131737]
Ian Pearson: There is no simple relationship between a long-term stabilisation goal and the pathways required to get there. The most recent science indicates that to stabilise at between 450 and 550 ppm CO2 equivalent, global greenhouse gas emissions would need to fall by between 10 per cent. and 65 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2050.
The UK’s target of a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is consistent with this approach. However, we recognise that we will need to keep this goal under review in the light of emerging scientific evidence and other developments.
Coastal Areas
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he intends to take in response to the Communities and Local Government Committee’s report on Coastal Towns. [135211]
Barry Gardiner: My Department is considering the issues and contributing to the Government’s Response.
Coastal Erosion
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much coastal erosion occurred on the UK’s coastline in each of the last 30 years for which figures are available. [135210]
Ian Pearson: DEFRA has overall policy responsibility for coastal erosion risk in England and grant aids local authority improvement projects to reduce this risk, but does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on which specific projects to undertake. Management of coastal erosion risk and associated monitoring is the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area.
DEFRA does not measure the extent of coastal erosion or hold these figures centrally. Erosion risk will vary around the coastline depending on local conditions and defences in place. DEFRA has encouraged the relevant authorities to produce Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) which provide large-scale assessments of the risks associated with coastal processes and present long term policy frameworks to manage them in a sustainable manner. In 2001, DEFRA funded a national study of information on long term coastal processes and evolution over the next century (Futurecoast). This is designed to be used by coastal authorities to inform their current revisions of SMPs.
The then Office of Science and Technology’s Foresight Future Flooding report, published in 2004, also considered possible rates of coastal erosion under different scenarios over the next 80 years.
Darwin Initiative
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding and other resources have been (a) spent in each of the last three financial years and (b) allocated for each of the next three financial years for the Darwin Initiative fund. [132432]
Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows:
(a) Expenditure on the Darwin Initiative in each of the last three years was as follows:
| £ million | |
It is still too early to provide accurate and verified figures for expenditure under the Darwin Initiative for the 2006-07 financial year.
(b) The budget is £7 million for this financial year (2007-08). The allocation for future years will be determined in light of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.
Departments: Climate Change
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department were employed on matters relating to climate change in each year since 2000. [135049]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 1 May 2007]: The information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff are employed by the Office of Climate Change, broken down by salary band. [135050]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 1 May 2007]: The number of staff employed in the Office for Climate Change on 31 March 2007 taken from the central HR Database was as follows:
| Number of staff | |
The numbers shown are full-time equivalents and exclude employment agency temporary staff, consultants and contractors.
Departments: Pressure Groups
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings took place between Ministers and outside interest groups between 1 January and 31 March; and what the date of each such meeting was. [131030]
Barry Gardiner: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Ministers and officials meet a large number of people and groups in the course of their official duties.
Departments: Renewable Energy
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by his Department from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available. [134997]
Ian Pearson: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs purchased a total of 45,968,886 kilowatt hours from renewable sources in 2005-06. This equates to 63 per cent. of its total electricity and 27 per cent. of its total energy consumed.
Cross Government targets mandate Departments to source at least 10 per cent. of their electricity from renewable sources by 2008.
Farmers: Resignations
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of farmers who left the agricultural sector in Suffolk in each year since 1997. [134674]
Barry Gardiner: Figures from the Agricultural and Horticultural Survey indicate labour on registered holdings at June each year. These figures therefore show net change only in the numbers of farmers.
| Agricultural labour force in Suffolk | ||
| Total farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding) | Total labour | |
| Notes: (a) Figures prior to 2000 are for main holdings only. Figures from 2000 onwards include all holdings. A minor holding has to meet all of the following conditions: (i) the total area less than six hectares (ii) the labour requirement is estimated to be less than 100 standard person days (iii) there is no regular full time farmer or worker (iv) the glasshouse area is less than 100 square metres (v) the occupier does not farm another holding (b) Since the annual June Survey is now based on a sample estimates have been made for those not surveyed. (c) Due to the introduction of new labour questions in 1998 figures prior to this year are not directly comparable with earlier year’s results. (d) Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results. Source: June Agricultural Survey | ||
Government Departments: Combined Heat and Power
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much combined heat and power (CHP) has been installed on the Government estate since 1997; and whether the Government expects to meet its CHP target by 2010. [135591]
Ian Pearson: Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports, which monitor how the Government manage their land and buildings, set out that during the period 2001-02 (the date of the first report), three Departments sourced good quality CHP, while during the last reporting period (2005-06) seven Departments sourced good quality CHP. In this period DEFRA sourced 12 per cent. of their electricity from CHP and the DTI sourced 14.3 per cent.
The DTI’s digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) sets out that in 2005, 14 CHP schemes had been installed in buildings on the Government estate.
All Departments are working towards the sustainable operations targets launched by the Prime Minister in June of last year. Government Departments are also mandated within the new targets to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Good Quality Combined Heat and Power by 2010 (with allowances for Departments that already purchase 100 per cent. renewable energy).
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on his commitment that 15 per cent. of electricity used in the Government estate will be from combined heat and power by 2010. [135594]
Ian Pearson: No representations have been made to me recently on the subject of the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate target to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Good Quality Combined heat and Power by 2010 (with allowances for Departments that already purchase 100 per cent. renewable energy).
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