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30 Oct 2007 : Column 1089W—continued
Biofuels: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide produced during the production cycle and transport of each type of bio-fuel crop. [161682]
Mr. Woolas:
Lifecycle analysis carried out on the greenhouse gas emissions for a wide range of biofuels show that sustainably produced biofuels can result in an overall net reduction in carbon emissions. Full details of these evaluations, including volumes of carbon dioxide
produced during the production and transport cycles, are available on the European Union website.
The forthcoming Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) will require companies to measure and report on how much carbon their fuel has saved over the entire life-cycle from grain to tank. From 2010, when experience with carbon measurement and reporting has been established, the Government have announced their intention that the RTFO will reward fuels according to their carbon savings.
Biofuels: Finance
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what subsidies have been available for each type of bio-fuel crop over the last five years. [161681]
Mr. Woolas: Financial support has been made available for bio-fuel crops in the form of annual area based payments under the EU Aid for Energy Crops Scheme (since 2004) and Energy Crop Scheme Establishment grants (for short rotation coppice and miscanthus only). Land used for such crops could, in most circumstances, also be used to support annual payment claims under the single payment scheme since its introduction in 2005.
Bluetongue Disease
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans he has for a vaccination strategy for bluetongue disease when a vaccine becomes available; [160650]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of doses of bluetongue vaccine which will be necessary to eradicate the disease from the UK; [160651]
(3) how much bluetongue vaccine his Department has reserved from the developer of the vaccine; [160652]
Jonathan Shaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for blood-testing of ruminants outside the bluetongue protection zone to establish the spread of the disease. [160654]
Jonathan Shaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice he has received on the likelihood of uninfected midges becoming infected in 2008 from biting ruminants which have recovered from bluetongue disease. [160655]
Jonathan Shaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the imposition of the localised bluetongue zone on the pedigree sheep and cattle market; and if he will extend the zone to the whole of the UK. [161321]
Jonathan Shaw: Assessments have been made, for the livestock industry as a whole, of the impact of current disease control measures. Separate assessments of the effect on the pedigree sheep and cattle market have not been made as these would be subject to considerable margins of error.
In agreement with a core group of industry stakeholders, DEFRA remains committed to a disease control approach which aims to contain disease within the current control and protection zones, in line with ‘Phase 1’ of the UK Bluetongue Control Strategy. This takes into account the epidemiological situation, the time of year (coming towards the end of the vector season), and the cost benefit analysis of disease control measures and their likely economic impacts.
This assessment remains under constant review, and recognises that efforts to contain disease may become disproportionate to the costs to industry, and therefore the strategy may have to change. However, using the above assessment, this point has not yet been reached.
Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms are in bluetongue control and protection zones. [160816]
Jonathan Shaw: As of 5 pm on 24 October the current bluetongue control and protection zones contained a total of 233,581 farm premises.
Of this total, 44,405 farm premises are in the control zones, 9,890 of which hold bluetongue virus susceptible animals. In the bluetongue protection zone there are 189,176 farm premises, of which 53,610 hold bluetongue virus susceptible animals.
These figures are subject to frequent change as the bluetongue control and protection zones continue to be amended to reflect confirmation of further infected premises.
Note: The dataset used to derive these figures is a GB premises list that the RADAR team and National Emergencies Epidemiology Group created. It contains all premises with a live county parish holding number from the VETNET system.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he received the report Bovine TB in Cattle and Badgers: A Report by the Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King; when he commissioned the report; what its terms of reference were; what steps he now plans to take; and if he will make a statement. [161251]
Jonathan Shaw
[holding answer 29 October 2007]: Sir David King’s report was sent to the Secretary of State on 30 July. On 31 May 2007, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State noted that once the final
report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) was received, it would be important to have an assessment from the Chief Scientific Adviser of any key scientific issues on the role that badger culling could play in controlling and reducing levels of cattle tuberculosis (TB) in England. On 11 June, Sir David King confirmed that, once the ISG report was received, he would carry out a short assessment of the key scientific issues in this area. Formal terms of reference were not established, although discussions about the broad scope began on 4 June. Following publication of the ISG report on 18 June, more detailed discussions took place about the issues to be covered.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, has been clear that the next steps are for the ministerial team to have discussions with interested parties, including with Professor John Bourne and Sir David King, to gauge their views. We also wish to take into account the views stemming from the current Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee inquiry before we make a decision.
As the recent debate has shown, the science is complex and publication of Sir David King’s advice is not an indication we are near a decision, nor is it an indication of what that decision may be.
Irrespective of any decision on wildlife control, cattle controls remain of critical importance.
British Waterways Board: Finance
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when he plans to decide on the grant his Department will allocate to British Waterways in the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 period; and if he will make a statement; [160725]
(2) how much grant-in-aid he has allocated to British Waterways for each of the five years following the publication of the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement; [160795]
(3) what his most recent estimate is of when British Waterways will complete its maintenance arrears; and if he will make a statement. [160796]
Jonathan Shaw: The formal CSR settlement for 2008-09 to 2010-11 has been announced. This will now be followed by DEFRA’s own financial allocation process, which will take account of the Department’s full range of priorities. As part of this process we are discussing a number of funding scenarios with British Waterways (BW) in the context of developing a sustainable and affordable long-term strategy for the waterways. This strategy will consider network condition alongside wider economic, social, and environmental benefits from the waterways. In the short to medium term while the strategy is being fully developed BW plan to hold waterway asset condition broadly at existing levels overall.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to negotiate a long-term contract for the grant funding of British Waterways of (a) four years, (b) seven years and (c) another specified period of time; and if he will make a statement. [160726]
Jonathan Shaw: British Waterways and DEFRA are working closely together on planning for the CSR07 period. DEFRA’s allocation to British Waterways will be set in the context of the Department’s overall priorities and financial resources. We are looking at scenarios for different spend levels and how impacts are to be managed in the context of a new long term strategy that will deliver a network that is sustainable and affordable.
DEFRA and British Waterways recognise the value of giving British Waterways more security in its long term funding so that it can be more certain in its decision making, but the Department needs to retain some flexibility over budgets within a tight CSR settlement. We will continue to consider this issue with BW, including in the context of the current review of options for BW’s future status.
Carbon Emissions
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to encourage low income families to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. [159811]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 25 October 2007]: Our fuel poverty policies aim to improve the energy efficiency of homes of the fuel poor. The Warm Front Scheme is the Government’s main programme for assisting vulnerable households in the private sector in danger of fuel poverty. Eligibility for the Scheme is based on the applicant qualifying for one of a number of benefits.
Through the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC), we require energy suppliers to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency in Great Britain. They do this by encouraging and assisting consumers to take up energy efficiency measures like insulation.
Under the third phase of the EEC 2008-11, known as the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) we will maintain a focus on low-income consumers. Under the current Energy Efficiency Commitment, energy suppliers are required to direct at least 50 per cent. of energy savings to a priority group of low-income consumers. As a result EEC will make some contribution to the eradication of fuel poverty.
We continue to grant fund the Energy Saving Trust, which provides information and advice on energy saving action to individuals and householders, including those on low-incomes, via their Energy Efficiency Advice Centres and grant information database.
Cattle
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle there were in the UK in each of the last 10 years. [159653]
Jonathan Shaw: Total cattle and calves on registered holdings in the UK are shown as follows.
Climate Change
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made with its policy on formulating a global climate change framework since the production of the document entitled A Global Compact on Climate, produced on 10 June 2004. [161793]
Mr. Woolas: Since June 2004, the UK has worked hard to reinvigorate the international negotiations on a post-2012 climate change framework, particularly through its 2005 G8 and European Union (EU) presidencies.
At the Montreal United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting (COP11, COP/MOP1) in December 2005, parties to the Kyoto Protocol and under the UNFCCC) agreed to begin discussions (not negotiations) on strengthening the implementation of the Convention through the so-called Convention Dialogue.
These discussions have been continuing since December 2005 and at the climate change conference in Bali in December 2007, COP13 parties will have to agree on the continuation of this Dialogue and its conversion into negotiations, which focus on the contributions from developing countries.
This important decision will make it possible to start negotiating a global and comprehensive climate change framework.
Climate Change: United Nations
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress was made on tackling climate change at the UN Secretary-General's meeting of Heads of State and Government on climate change in New York on 24 September 2007. [160756]
Mr. Woolas
[ holding answer 29 October 2007]: On 24 September, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened the first-ever meeting of Heads of State and Government focused on climate change. World leaders expressed their will to tackle climate
change through concerted action, sending a strong political signal ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali.
164 member states participated including 80 heads of state. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State emphasised the need to clearly set out a plan for avoiding dangerous climate change—to move from an international global warming pact in Bali this December to a global and comprehensive agreement, rooted in the UN Framework Convention, by December 2009 in Copenhagen.
Four sessions were held throughout the day on the key issues of adaptation, mitigation, technology and financing. Speaking in the financing plenary my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State pushed for limiting temperature rise to two degrees through a global reduction of 50 per cent. in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 on 1990 emissions; binding targets for all Annex 1 developed countries to reduce emissions and generate the carbon market finance needed to help developing countries—whose responsibilities would increase as they developed; and innovative financing for avoided deforestation, adaptation and clean energy.
Departments: Accountancy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what departmental budget items have been reclassified, under Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, following Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 decisions; and what the (a) former and (b) new (i) classification and (ii) sum budgeted is in each case. [160414]
Jonathan Shaw: No budget items have been reclassified as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. The Review and its outcome as announced on 9 October were agreed on the basis of the current HM Treasury Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.
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