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6 Jun 2007 : Column 550W—continued
To provide relevant data prior to financial year 2006-07 would incur disproportionate cost.
Departments: Telephones Services
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department with the prefix (a) 0870 and (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case. [138483]
Barry Gardiner: DEFRA sponsors only one telephone helpline number that has an 0870 prefix. This number is for the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) helpline, which provides advice on travelling with your pet into (or back into) the UK. There is not a published alternative geographic number for this service.
DEFRA sponsors 14 telephone helpline numbers with an 0845 prefix. Only one of these, the DEFRA Helpline, has a published alternative geographic number.
Dogs: Animal Breeding
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to ensure that pedigree dogs are fit before they are allowed to breed. [140187]
Mr. Bradshaw: Anyone who is in the business of breeding and selling dogs requires a licence from the local authority under The Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 as amended by the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999. The local authority has discretion whether to grant a licence and must ensure that the animals will be suitably accommodated, fed, exercised and protected from disease and fire. It is for local authorities to enforce the requirements of the Act.
In the interests of animal welfare, the 1999 Act provides that bitches are not mated until they are at least one year old and that they give birth to no more than six litters in a lifetime and no more than one litter per year. Furthermore, the Animal Welfare Act which became law on 6 April, places an additional responsibility on all those who own or keep animals to ensure that their welfare needs are met.
EC Law
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions in each of the last five years his Department was the subject of a case raised by the European Commission of infringement of European Law; to which directives such infringements were related in each year; and what fines the UK was required to pay in each case. [138709]
Barry Gardiner: Between 1 January 2003 and 18 May 2007, DEFRA was the lead Department for 94 infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission.
A member state can be infracted for a number of different reasons falling into the following categories:
(i) late transposition;
(ii) poor transposition; and
(iii) implementation issues.
A list of all infringements initiated by the European Commission against the UK can be found on the European Union website. The UK has never been fined.
Fair Trade Initiative
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the Fair Trade food initiative; what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on that initiative; and if he will make a statement. [140082]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 5 June 2007]: We strongly support the principles of Fair Trade and hold regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on food issues.
Farms
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many working farms ceased production in the last five years. [140490]
Barry Gardiner: The June Agricultural Survey does not specifically collect information about the number of farms that have ceased to trade. The following table shows the number of registered holdings in England in June 2002 and June 2006, as well as information on the numbers of farmers, partners and directors. These indicate net changes only and therefore reflect gains as well as losses.
Direct comparison between these two years cannot be made, because of the number of holdings in this period which have registered for administrative purposes.
| Total holdings | Farmers full-time | Farmers part-time | |
| Note: Farmers full and part-time includes farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding). Source: June Agricultural Survey | |||
Fisheries: Licensing
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date all (a) over 10 metre and (b) under 10 metre fishing licences were issued in each year since 1997. [140052]
Mr. Bradshaw: The following table provides details of the latest dates by which all over 10 metre and 10 metre and under fishing vessel licences were issued to licence holders or vessel owners since 1997. Since 1997, fishing licences for 10 metre and under vessels have been issued biennially. Fishing licences for over 10 metre vessels were issued annually until 2006 when it was decided to extend the validity period. Starting in March 2007 they are being issued biennially in an effort to reduce burdens on fishermen and administrations.
In 2002, licences for 10 metre and under vessels were initially issued with a validity of two years, but were replaced in March 2004 with the introduction of the restrictive shellfish licensing scheme.
| Under 10 metre | Over 10 metre | |
|
30 June 2002 (for two year period initially but later reduced to 21 month period) | ||
Fisheries: Protection
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the Fishery Protection Squadron; and if he will make a statement. [139087]
Mr. Bradshaw: In December 2006, I agreed to the continuation of the Royal Navy Fishery Protection service for five years from 1 April 2008.
The Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron undertakes monitoring, control and inspection activities at sea under an agreement with the Marine and Fisheries Agency. The current agreement expires on 31 March 2008. The detailed terms of a new agreement, to apply from 1 April 2008, will be discussed between officials from the Marine and Fisheries Agency, the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy during the course of this year.
Fisheries: Territorial Waters
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) skippers and (b) vessel owners were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted for violating fisheries rules in UK territorial waters in each year since 1997, broken down by (A) country and (B) offence; and if he will make a statement. [139088]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested in relation to activity undertaken by this Department and the Marine and Fisheries Agency in respect of England and Wales is set out in the table placed in the House Library. The information relates to offences detected at sea by RN fisheries patrol vessels and by aerial surveillance.
Food Supply
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance the Government have issued to retailers in the UK aimed at increasing food security. [140489]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 4 June 2007]: The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CRNI) (formerly the Security Services) is the Government authority that provides protective security advice to businesses and organisations. The CPNI have had a number of meetings with food retailers to advise on the protection of food supplies, which DEFRA has attended. Protective security has also been discussed at several DEFRA Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG) meetings, which a cross-section of stakeholders from the food industry regularly attends.
The major food retailers have robust and resilient business continuity plans to deal with any threat of disruption. DEFRA works closely with all parts of the industry to ensure that appropriate support is available in order to maintain supply to any part of the food chain.
In December 2006, my Department published “Food Security and the UK: An Evidence and Analysis Paper”, a wide-ranging study on food security. This is available on the DEFRA website.
Ivory: Trade
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will support the proposal by Kenya and Mali to introduce a 20-year moratorium on the ivory trade at the forthcoming meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species; and if he will make a statement. [139688]
Barry Gardiner: While I appreciate the reasons given for the proposed 20 year moratorium, I do not agree with the principle. Such a position would be against the tenet of the Convention that decisions are taken on the basis of the best scientific and trade data available at the time. In practice, no worthwhile purpose would be served, as a moratorium could be reconsidered and reversed at any subsequent Conference of Parties.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will oppose attempts to allow further trade in elephant ivory at the forthcoming meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. [139689]
Barry Gardiner: We will consider all the information available to us at the CITES Standing Committee meeting on 2 June. We will only support a decision to allow the one-off sales of stockpiled ivory, previously agreed in 2002, to go ahead if all criteria are fully met. This includes (a) the approval of trading partners, considered to have sufficient legislation and internal controls in place, and (b) the establishment of baseline data on elephant population numbers and poaching levels through the monitoring of illegal killing of elephants (MIKE) programme.
The UK will not support any further proposals for ivory trade until the impact of the stockpile sales, should they go ahead, has been assessed.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will urge that Japan's status as a trading partner for ivory stockpiles be rescinded at the Standing Committee meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in June; and if he will make a statement. [139690]
Barry Gardiner: The CITES Secretariat has carried out several visits to Japan to ascertain its suitability as a recipient of stockpiled ivory to ensure that adequate controls are in place to avoid the ivory being re-exported.
At the 54th Standing Committee meeting in October 2006, the Secretariat considered that Japan fulfilled the conditions to become a trading partner. However, based on concerns felt by several countries, including the UK, it was agreed that the CITES Secretariat would provide an update on the measures Japan has and is putting in place. This will be reviewed at the 55th Committee meeting immediately prior to the Conference of the Parties in June.
The UK will consider that update carefully, and will only support trading nation status if we are sure that the necessary conditions have and continue to be met.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to support elephant conservation outside the work of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. [139691]
Barry Gardiner: There is already much good work being done on elephant conservation outside of CITES and I fully support this. In particular, the UK Government are key contributors to the work of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) African Elephant Specialist Group. Attention often focuses on the ivory trade issue, which CITES is responsible for monitoring. However, there are broader issues that also need to be taken forward at a continent-wide level to address the range of threats to elephants, including habitat fragmentation and human/elephant conflict in Africa and Asia. The UK continues to take an interest in how the range of states tackle these issues.
Landfill: Greater London
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Stewartby (L Field), Bedford landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139294]
(2) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Rainham landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139295]
(3) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Pitsea, Essex landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139296]
(4) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Mucking landfill, Thurrock landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139297]
(5) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Calvert Pit No. 4 Bucks landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139298]
(6) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Brookhurstwood Warnham, West Sussex landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139299]
(7) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at (a) Brogborough landfill in 2003 and (b) Brogborough extension, Bedford landfill site in 2005; [139300]
(8) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Arlesley, Bedfordshire landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005; [139301]
(9) how much waste from local authority areas within Greater London was disposed of at Appleford, Oxfordshire landfill site in (a) 2003 and (b) 2005. [139302]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Environment Agency holds records of waste arising from the Greater London area disposed of at the landfill sites in question. Their data for the years requested are based on operator waste returns and are shown in the following table in tonnes:
| Landfill Site | 2003 | 2005 |
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