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3 Sep 2007 : Column 1795W—continued
Departments: Railways
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months. [153094]
Jonathan Shaw: From information held centrally, the core-Department spent £1,242,196 as first class train tickets between July 2006 and June 2007.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
Departments: Recycling
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision is made within his Department for the recycling of (a) paper, (b) glass and (c) plastics. [152901]
Jonathan Shaw [ h olding answer 26 July 2007]: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has a wide range of recycling provisions for paper, glass and plastics across its estate. Recycling of these materials is closely monitored and reported quarterly against the government’s Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) targets.
In addition recycling provision for each of these materials is audited, both internally and externally, through our Environmental Management System (EMS) programme.
Latest figures (2006-07) confirm that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recycled 860 tonnes of paper, 38 tonnes of glass and 16 tonnes of plastic.
Departments: Taxis
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months. [153097]
Jonathan Shaw: From information held centrally, the core-Department’s VAT inclusive expenditure on taxis in the last 12 months was £194,840. Additionally, the core-Department spent £48,770 with the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA).
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
Departments: Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on staff away days in the last 12 months. [153089]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Departments: Visits Abroad
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many overseas visits were made by (a) officials and (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997. [151655]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. From information held centrally, 199 tickets were booked for ministerial visits overseas between April 2006 and March 2007 at a cost of £112,774. Between April 2006 and June 2007, 6,906 tickets were booked for officials’ visits overseas at a cost of £2,413,437.
Management information for visits overseas by Ministers and officials prior to April 2006 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
Departments: Westmoreland
Tim Farron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will
consider locating or relocating additional departmental jobs to Westmorland and Lonsdale. [152843]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA has no plans to relocate additional departmental jobs to Westmorland and Lonsdale. Under the Lyons agenda, DEFRA has a target to relocate 390 posts out of the south-east and to accomplish this target without incurring significant costs, DEFRA’s strategy is to use existing accommodation outside the south-east. DEFRA already has accommodation in York and Worcester where the majority of posts will be relocated.
Departments: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many jobs his Department and its agencies had (a) in York and (b) at the Central Science Laboratory site at Sand Hutton in each year since 2006. [151518]
Jonathan Shaw: The number of staff employed in each year by DEFRA and its agencies in the locations requested was as follows:
| Location | 2006 | 2007 |
| Note: All figures are full-time equivalents. | ||
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider (a) relocating additional departmental jobs to and (b) locating additional departmental jobs in York. [151519]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA has a target, under the Lyons agenda, to relocate 390 posts out of the south- east. As DEFRA already has existing accommodation in York, the strategy is to relocate over 50 per cent. of the posts to York. To date 96 posts have already been relocated with plans for a further 116 to be relocated by 2010.
The Shared Services Directorate, which brings together the delivery of corporate services to core DEFRA and a number of DEFRA family organisations, was launched on 1 April 2007 and the majority of staff working for the SSD will be based in York. However, as the organisational structure has not yet been finalised it is difficult to give the exact staff numbers at this stage, these are expected to be finalised by September 2007.
Dog Control Orders
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what consultation process will be undertaken by local authorities prior to the introduction of dog control orders; [153338]
(2) how many dog control orders have been implemented; [153340]
(3) whether his Department has consulted KC Dog in relation to the maintenance of records relating to dog control orders. [153341]
Jonathan Shaw: Although Dog Control Orders do not need confirmation by the Secretary of State, local authorities can only introduce them after completing the procedure prescribed in the Dog Control Order (Procedures) Regulations 2006. The procedure includes a period of local consultation and notification in the local press. This gives dog owners and local residents the opportunity to make representations to the local authority on the proposed controls.
In our guidance to local authorities on this issue, we have strongly advised them to consider any representations prior to making Dog Control Orders. Authorities should also provide details of alternative areas in the vicinity where owners can exercise their dogs. Failure to take into consideration the views of the local community could lead to the Order being challenged in the courts.
My Department does not hold central records of Dog Control Orders made, neither have we consulted with KC Dog, a group set up by the Kennel Club, on maintenance of such records.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what obligations local authorities are under to consult local access forums prior to the introduction of dog control orders. [153339]
Jonathan Shaw: When a local authority is considering making a Dog Control Order that would affect open access land (land subject to Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000), it must consult the appropriate access authority, the relevant authority, Forestry Commission or Natural England and, if it is not also the access authority, the local access forum.
There are already comprehensive dog control provisions which may be applied to access land including, if necessary, the banning of dogs. An authority should therefore pay particular attention to the views of these bodies in deciding whether any proposed order affecting open access land is necessary.
Guidance on making Dog Control Orders under powers enacted under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 has been issued to all local authorities and is available from the DEFRA website.
Dogs: Syringomyelia
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps the Government are taking to eradicate syringomyelia among pedigree dogs; [152478]
(2) what representations he has received on the eradication of syringomyelia among pedigree dogs. [152479]
Jonathan Shaw: My Department has received a number of representations on syringomyelia and other conditions which can afflict some pedigree dogs. My officials have recently initiated discussions with the Kennel Club to look at what practical steps have been taken, or could be taken, by breeders of pedigree dogs to eradicate or ameliorate conditions such as these. I have asked to be kept informed on the outcomes of discussions.
Environment Agency: Finance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the decision not to increase the Environment Agency's budget before 2010-11. [152880]
Jonathan Shaw: The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07) settlement is not expected from Her Majesty's Treasury until the autumn. No final decision has been made on the level of grant in aid to the Environment Agency over the next three financial years. However, the Secretary of State has confirmed that spending across Government on flood and coastal erosion risk management will increase to £800 million by 2010-11. Indicative allocations for flood and coastal erosion risk management over the next three financial years will be determined from an assessment of priorities across the Department following the CSR07 settlement.
Environment Agency: Meteorology
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Environment Agency was notified by the Meteorological Office of the warning of severe weather with regard to the weather events on and around 20 July; and what information was provided. [153729]
Jonathan Shaw: On 18 July, the Met Office contacted the Environment Agency's National Flood Warning Duty Officer to provide early warning of a severe rainfall event expected between 19 and 21 July. A number of severe weather warnings were then issued by the Met Office during this period.
Typically, these warnings provided information on the geographical areas and watercourses likely to be affected by the severe weather, the amount of rainfall expected, the timing of the anticipated severe weather event, and the Met Office's degree of confidence in the forecast.
The following extracts are examples of the information provided by the Met Office in its severe weather warnings.
Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy
is of the Environment Agency on acting upon forecasts of bad weather received from the Meteorological Office. [153731]
Jonathan Shaw: The Environment Agency has procedures in place to ensure that Regional Forecasting Duty Officers translate the Met Office heavy rainfall warnings into forecasts of river levels and flows.
These are used to inform decisions on whether to issue flood warnings and/or carry out specific operational activities.
Eunomia: Research
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) research and (b) consultancy work his Department has commissioned from Eunomia. [153726]
Jonathan Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 June 2007, Official Report, column 1364W, by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA, my hon. Friend for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman ).
Fisheries: Protection
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 July 2007, Official Report, columns 648-50W, on fisheries: protection, why the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Service contracted days have been reduced to 700 up to a maximum of 750. [153475]
Jonathan Shaw: As part of negotiations of the new agreement to apply from 1 April 2008, officials of the Marine and Fisheries Agency, Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy reviewed the operational requirements and budget implications for future patrol activity at sea. It was decided that the operational needs could be delivered through the provision of 700 patrol days for 2008-09, and with the agreement providing for a minimum of 600 and maximum of 750 patrol days per year, using the more modern and efficient River Class Patrol vessels. The existing arrangements are based on a mixture of River and Hunt Class vessels.
Flood Control: Agriculture
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the recommendations of the August 1998 Agriculture Select Committee Report on flood and coastal defences (HC 707) have been implemented. [153702]
Jonathan Shaw: All 22 of the recommendations taken forward in the Government Response to the 1998 Agriculture Select Committee Report have been implemented and in many instances additional actions completed.
Copies of the full list of Government actions against recommendations have been placed in the House Library.
Flood Control: EU Grants and Loans
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what money has been received in the last 10 years from the European Union for (a) flood defences and (b) compensation to (i) agencies and (ii) individuals affected by flooding. [152910]
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