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28 Nov 2007 : Column 529W—continued
Some premises cannot currently be assigned a county due to the submission of insufficient and/or inaccurate geographical information. Therefore totals in this table will differ from those quoted above.
These are the totals ‘normally’ stocked and therefore do not represent the actual number likely to be present on any specific day.
Recycling
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives the Government has put in place to encourage households to reduce household waste and recycle more. [168790]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 27 November 2007]: Following a public consultation exercise over the summer, we announced that the Climate Change Bill will provide a power for local authorities to pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling. I announced more detailed proposals on 15 November, which for the first time, will allow approved authorities to recognise more effectively the efforts of those householders who reduce, reuse and recycle their waste, and provide an incentive to those who currently do not.
A maximum of five local authorities will be able to pilot schemes and councils will be able to come forward with their own plans to fit local circumstances, for approval by the Secretary of State. This approach will allow us to monitor the impacts of incentives in England and report back to Parliament before a decision is made as to whether to roll this power out more widely.
Recycling: Standards
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the quality and value of recycled material of separating waste for recycling. [168558]
Joan Ruddock: Market values for recovered materials depend on the supply and demand conditions in end-use markets (which may be overseas) as well as factors including volume, the price of substitute materials (including virgin materials), energy prices and other commodity prices.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) produces a monthly Materials Pricing Report, available on its website, which focuses on prices for recovered materials. This indicates that higher prices are achieved for materials which have been effectively sorted into economically valuable components. For example, the market value of recycled aluminium cans is around £700-£750 per tonne compared to £150 per tonne for mixed cans.
WRAP’s advice is that, at the present time, kerbside sorting delivers better quality materials to the marketplace and with lower levels of contamination compared to co-mingled collections of recyclables. This improved quality may not currently be reflected in market prices. However an advantage of kerbside sorting is that the benefits from the sale of materials tend to accrue directly to the local authority selling the materials while co-mingled schemes involve the payment of gate fees for additional sorting.
Seabed: Scotland
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the Scottish Executive on changes to the control of the sea bed up to the 200 nautical miles limit around Scotland, with particular reference to the proposed Marine Bill; and if he will make a statement. [166204]
Jonathan Shaw: During the preparation of the Marine Bill White Paper and the draft Marine Bill, DEFRA has received representations from the devolved administrations regarding the appropriate balance of responsibilities in the UK marine area. In coming to a view on legislation, the Government work closely with the devolved administrations. Proposals for a UK Marine Bill will be brought forward in due course.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Standards
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the percentage of sites of special scientific interest which were in favourable condition in each year for which records are available; what steps are being taken to ensure the Government reaches its Public Service Agreement target to bring 95 per cent. of nationally important wildlife sites into favourable condition by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [165542]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 26 November 2007] The public service agreement target to bring 95 per cent. of sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) land into favourable or recovering condition was set in 2000. The first round of the condition assessment programme was completed in 2003 and showed that 56.9 per cent. of SSSI area was in target condition. The figures for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (as at 31 March) were 62.9 per cent., 67.4 per cent., 72.3 per cent. and 75.4 per cent. respectively. At 20 November 2007, 77.14 per cent. of SSSI area was in target condition.
We are working closely with our delivery partners, including Natural England and the Environment Agency, towards delivery of the SSSI PSA target and are closely monitoring progress and addressing any issues that might occur. We are confident that the 2010 target of 95 per cent. remains achievable.
Tigers: India
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to seek to prevent the extinction of the Indian tiger; and if he will make a statement. [166993]
Joan Ruddock: Since 2000 the UK has committed around £500,000 to tiger conservation. This is through our membership of the Global Tiger Forum, where we are the only non range state member, and through support to ‘21st Century Tiger’, which is a wild tiger conservation partnership between the Zoological Society of London and Global Tiger Patrol.
In addition, the Government funded and organised a wildlife crime workshop in India in 2006 in support of the UK-India Sustainable Development Dialogue. Law enforcement officers and conservationists from the UK and India identified poaching and illegal trade as a major cause of the sharp drop in tiger numbers. The workshop recommended that each state government draw up and implement an action plan to end poaching through better surveillance and imposition of tough penalties. To assist in this process the Government have provided financial assistance to the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) to conduct a series of training and capacity building sessions to officials from state forest departments, police and customs. Around 270 officials have been trained on issues in relation to trade in endangered species, such as the tiger.
Waste Management
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with local authorities about the management of waste; and if he will make a statement. [167583]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 26 November 2007]: My Department has discussions regularly with local authorities about a wide range of issues concerned with waste management.
The Government set out their vision for sustainable waste management in Waste Strategy for England 2007, published in May. Local authorities play a key role in delivering this national strategy and both
Ministers and officials from my Department have engaged with authorities on the strategy’s development and will continue to do so as it is implemented and delivered.
Water: Standards
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the classification of bathing water between 2016 and 2020 under the criteria outlined in Article 5(4) of Directive 2006/7/EC; and if he will make a statement. [168231]
Mr. Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November 2007, Official Report, column 30W.
Since we expect that all designated bathing waters will achieve the ‘sufficient’ classification under the revised Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC, by the end of the 2015 bathing season, we do not intend to make use of Article 5(4) of the directive.
Treasury
Academies Review
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which academies will be studied by the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit as part of its Academies Review; and if he will make a statement. [167780]
Andy Burnham: The joint PMDU/DCSF review of the Academies programme is looking at how the Academies programme is meeting the objectives of turning around attainment in underperforming schools and how the programme is addressing a culture of underachievement and low aspirations in some of the most disadvantaged communities. Officials are studying progress across the full Academy programme.
Child Benefit: Personal Records
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the agreement between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the National Audit Office (NAO) that governs the NAO’s access to personal data held by HMRC. [167677]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: The NAO derive their authority from four main Acts of Parliament; these are the Exchequer and Audit Department Acts 1866 and 1921, the National Audit (NAO) Act 1983 and the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000. These pieces of legislation govern the NAO’s access to personal data held by HMRC. The legislation is already available in the public domain.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of child benefit recipients’ potential vulnerability to identity theft following the loss of their personal records by HM Revenue and Customs; what steps his Department has taken to guard against that risk. [167680]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the statement given in the House by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1101-04.
On 20 November, the Chancellor announced a review of HMRC’s data handling procedures to be conducted by Kieran Poynter, the Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the child benefit data missing from HM Revenue and Customs carried a protective (a) marking and (b) classification. [167686]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: As the location of the data is the subject of police investigation, it would be inappropriate to publicly divulge any details of the appearance of the CDs at this stage.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many HM Revenue and Customs officials had permission to copy onto a computer disc a full copy of HMRC's data on the payment of child benefits as at 18 October 2007. [167773]
(2) pursuant to his oral statement of 20 November 2007, whether the same HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) official provided the National Audit Office with a full copy of HMRC’s data in relation to the payment of child benefit in (a) March 2007 and (b) October 2007. [167847]
Jane Kennedy [holding answers 26 November 2007]: There is an ongoing Metropolitan Police Service investigation and an independent review of HMRC’s security processes and procedures for data handling led by Kieran Poynter, the chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The full terms of reference for that review are available on the HM Treasury website at:
and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families in Peterborough constituency whose personal data relating to their child benefit claims has been lost by HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement. [167917]
Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients: including those in Peterborough constituency.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by local authority and parliamentary constituency are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in tables 2 and 3 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC’s website at:
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HM Revenue and Customs’ staff training in procedures on access to copying and dissemination of personal data. [168049]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: Kieran Poynter, chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers, will investigate HMRC’s security processes and procedures for data handling.
The full terms of reference for that review are available on the HM Treasury website at:
and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
The review will cover the steps that should be taken to ensure any further measures are adhered to consistently by all staff.
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of those children and parents’ personal details contained on the two CD-Roms lost in transit between HM Revenue and Customs and the National Audit Office on 18 October were from (a) Leeds and (b) West Yorkshire. [168188]
Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients: including those in Leeds and West Yorkshire.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by local authority and parliamentary constituency are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 2 and 3 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC’s website at:
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department are working on tracing the lost compact discs containing child benefit data. [168209]
Jane Kennedy: The Metropolitan police are conducting a full investigation in order to find the missing data. As part of their investigation, the police are leading the search of HMRC premises. HMRC staff are co-operating fully with the Metropolitan police in their ongoing searches and investigations.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of using an alternative courier to transport data from the HM Revenue and Customs to external destinations. [168224]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: The loss of the discs is subject of an ongoing police investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
On 13 November HMRC initiated immediate increased security.
On 20 November the Chancellor announced a review of HMRC’s data handling procedures to be conducted by Kieran Poynter, the Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the loss of confidential child benefit information was not made public until 20 November; whether (a) banks and (b) the Information Commissioner requested the matter not to be made public until that time; and if he will make a statement. [168247]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the statement given in the House by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1101-04.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Statement of 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1110-18, on HM Revenue and Customs, how many individual records or cell fields were contained in the two missing discs. [168365]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement which the Chancellor of the Exchequer made to the House on 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1101-04.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in North West Cambridgeshire had their personal details on the two disks which have been lost by HM Revenue and Customs. [168381]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients, including those in the North West Cambridge constituency.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by local authority and parliamentary constituency are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in tables 2 and 3 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC’s website at:
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