| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
30 Oct 2007 : Column 1101W—continued
Energy: Conservation
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the report required by the Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Act 2006 on progress towards the domestic energy efficiency targets set in the Housing Act 2004. [158057]
Mr. Woolas: The Government’s Fourth Annual Progress Report on progress towards the 2003 Energy White Paper goals was published as Annex A of the Energy White Paper, on 23 May 2007.
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition he is using of the rest of the public estate as it appears at paragraph 140 of his Department's document, Energy Efficiency: The Government's Plan for Action (Cm 6168), published in April 2004. [159893]
Mr. Woolas: The building procurement targets referred to in the 2004 Energy Efficiency Action plan were superseded in October 2005 by Common Minimum Standards for Construction Procurement, which apply to central Government and other public sector organisations such as local authorities, health trusts and the police. In June 2006 the Prime Minister announced stretching Sustainable Operations targets for the central Government estate. The UK published its latest Energy Efficiency Action Plan in June 2007.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the £20 million announced in the 2006 Budget to help local authorities, households and others to promote energy efficiency has been allocated to (a) the East of England and (b) Suffolk. [161610]
Mr. Woolas: It is too early to say.
As part of a broader reprioritisation, related to wider budget pressures, funds have been reduced to £15.25 million. Of this, £4.75 million has been provided to the Ofgem-led Energy Demand Research trials that were launched in July 2007. £10 million has been provided to the Carbon Trust’s Partnerships for Renewables, announced in September 2006. Of this, approximately £70,000 has already been allocated for feasibility studies in the East of England. We are considering options for the best use of the remaining £0.5 million.
Farmers: Income
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average income for farmers (a) per capita and (b) per hectare was in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [160748]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 25 October 2007]: The average net farm income per farm business(1) and per hectare is shown in the following table.
(1) These results relate to farms of size at least Â1/2 Standard Labour Requirement, a size considered sufficient to occupy a farmer half-time.
| March to February each year | ||||||
| 2000-01 | 2001-02( 1) | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
| (1) Excludes farm subjected to compulsory foot and mouth disease cull. Source: Farm Business Survey | ||||||
Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital invested in the business.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of farm households that are below the Government’s low income threshold. [160749]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 25 October 2007]: For the population as a whole, the Government have a preferred measure of low income’ defined as 60 per cent. of the median equivalised income for all UK households after tax. It may be presented either before housing costs or after housing costs.
The Farm Business Survey is not able to provide figures for household income net of tax so farm household incomes cannot be compared directly with the low income threshold. Instead, they are compared with a modified low income threshold defined as 60 per cent. of the England median equivalised income before tax and before housing costs. This has been calculated from 2004-05 Family Resources Survey data and shows that 31 per cent. of farm households(1) were below the modified low income threshold in 2005-06.
(1) These results relate to farms of size at least Â1/2 Standard Labour Requirement, a size considered sufficient to occupy a farmer half-time.
Fisheries
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to bring forward proposals to act on the recommendations of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit’s Net Benefits report. [161782]
Jonathan Shaw:
Our plans to take forward the recommendations in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit report “Net Benefits” were set out in “Securing the Benefits”, a joint UK response. The recommendations
concerned with fisheries in England were addressed in DEFRA’s “Charting a New Course”. Both documents were published in 2005 and are available in the Library of the House.
Flood Control
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to improve building design and urban design to manage surface water better. [161101]
Mr. Woolas: We expect to make a range of announcements on how to better manage surface water drainage in the upcoming Government Water Strategy. This will take on board the recommendations set out in Sir Michael Pitt’s interim report on Lessons Learned, due out later this year; and results emerging from the 15 pilot projects on urban drainage that DEFRA is currently funding.
For new development, the Government are encouraging use of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS). These comprise a variety of techniques ranging from source control to infiltration, conveyance and storage features. Building Regulations provide guidance on the incorporation of SUDS in drainage systems, stating that the preferred option for surface water drainage should be to an adequate soakaway or other infiltration system.
In addition, the Government’s recently strengthened guidance on development and flood risk, PPS25, encourages operating authorities to consider a more holistic approach to managing surface water, for example through the development of Surface Water Management Plans.
Flood Control: Finance
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2007, Official Report, column 85W, on Flood Control: Finance, when he plans to publish the set of criteria which has been developed to provide greater clarity on what funding and policies for flood and coastal erosion risk management are intended to achieve. [161854]
Mr. Woolas: Following public consultation, new Outcome Measures for flood and coastal erosion risk management were agreed in June and the details have been published on the DEFRA website.
It is anticipated that the Outcome Measures will be used to set targets progressively during the period covered by the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, starting with the capital programme in 2008-09. An initial review is planned for the second half of 2008 to inform any Spending Review in 2009.
Floods: Housing
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in each (a) region, (b) county and (c) local authority area were classified as being at risk of flooding in each year since 1997. [160676]
Mr. Woolas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Floods: North West Region
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to upgrade drainage and sewer systems to protect against flooding, with particular reference to the North West. [161100]
Mr. Woolas: Water and sewerage companies are responsible for operating and maintaining the public sewerage. They are currently formulating their long-term plans for delivering improvements to sewerage networks to ensure they meet consumer expectations and legal obligations over the long-term. Ofwat will next set price limits in 2009 for the period 2010-15 and these plans will be considered by Ofwat and the Environment Agency.
My Department is leading development of the cross-Government strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management—Making Space for Water. This is looking at a broad range of sustainable measures to manage the risk from all forms of flooding—river, coastal, groundwater, surface run-off and sewer, including consideration of urban drainage.
In addition, our new national strategy for water, which will be published early in 2008 to take account of interim findings from Sir Michael Pitt’s review of this summer’s flooding, will consider surface water management and flooding with other aspects of water supply and demand, water quality, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Fly Tipping
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to tackle fly tipping. [160713]
Joan Ruddock: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Fly Tipping: Databases
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities comply with Government guidelines when entering records on the Flycapture Database so that those records are harmonised and the resulting published tables reflect a fair comparison of local authority performance. [158056]
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the adequacy of the landfill allowance under the landfill tax scheme for local authorities with rising populations. [158278]
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of replacement white goods and televisions were recycled in England in the last year for which figures are available. [159829]
Joan Ruddock: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Food
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) the food produced in the UK and (b) the UK's annual food requirement was produced in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [161329]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 29 October 2007]: The proportion of food produced in the UK which is produced in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland based on the farm-gate value of raw food is given in the following table:
| Percentage | |||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
No figures are available for the UK population’s annual calorific food requirement. However, figures based on levels of consumption in the UK are available. The following table gives the proportion of food for human consumption in the UK which is produced in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland based on the farm-gate value of raw food:
| Percentage | |||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |