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10 Jan 2008 : Column 750W—continued
Rural Payments Agency: Christmas
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Rural Payments Agency has to hold a Christmas party or parties in 2007. [175189]
Jonathan Shaw: The RPA does not organise or subsidise Christmas Parties for its staff. Should teams or sections decide to mark the season together, they are organised and paid for locally by the staff themselves.
Rural Payments Agency: Expenditure
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the Rural Payments Agency’s income was spent on (a) administration and (b) payments to farmers in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [174278]
Jonathan Shaw: The RPA’s income was expended on running costs and scheme expenditure. The following figures are as reported in the Rural Payments Annual Report and Accounts, but rounded.
| 2006-07 | 2005-06 | |||
| £ million | Percentage | £ million | Percentage | |
The majority of scheme expenditure is funded by the European Commission under CAP schemes.
The above excludes schemes which are administered by other agencies but for which RPA is the paying agency. It also excludes payments made by other UK paying agencies which RPA funds as the UK funding body.
Seas and Oceans
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 Communities and Local Government on the effect of the proposals in the Planning Bill on (a) the proposed Marine Bill and (b) the marine environment; and if he will make a statement. [176146]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA Ministers and officials have worked closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the development of both the Marine and Planning Bills. We will continue to do so during their passage through Parliament to ensure that our proposals for new legislation are coherent and compatible.
Both Bills seek to promote the Government’s policy of sustainable development in the marine environment.
Sewers
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to simplify the infrastructure and division of responsibilities between the responsible agencies in relation to drains and drainage. [175672]
Mr. Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave on 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 1008W.
Sheep Meat: Exports
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what rules his Department has set for the export of lamb carcases with mesenteric fat attached. [175954]
Jonathan Shaw [h olding answer 7 January 2008]: There are no additional export rules relating to lambs with mesenteric fat attached.
No immediate public health concern is attached to carcases dressed this way, provided both the lamb and the fat have been produced hygienically in accordance with European legislation, and passed as fit for human consumption after post mortem inspection.
Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has made of the number of waste collection authorities in England that use (i) sacks and (ii) wheelie bins for collecting residual household waste; [176540]
(2) what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme has given to local authorities on the use of barcodes on receptacles for household rubbish; [176166]
(3) what procurement guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme has produced for local authorities, on the purchase of receptacles for the collection of household rubbish. [176576]
Joan Ruddock: No estimate has been made by my Department or by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on the receptacles used by waste collection authorities in England to collect residual household waste. Decisions on the best way to collect waste are a matter for local authorities, not central Government.
Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 empowers local authorities to specify the number, size, construction and maintenance of their waste receptacles, what can be placed in each, and also where and when they should be placed for collection.
WRAP provides general guidance and support to local authorities on their waste collection services and procurement. However, neither WRAP nor DEFRA has issued specific procurement guidance on the purchase of receptacles for household waste or the use of barcodes on receptacles for household rubbish.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme has given to local authorities on whether the disposing of domestic rubbish in a municipal litter bin constitutes an offence. [176543]
Joan Ruddock: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have produced guidance on the legality of disposing of household waste in municipal litter bins.
There is a range of powers available to local authorities to ensure waste is dealt with legitimately. The Government encourage authorities to make good use of the powers available to them, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which waste collection authorities in England, according to records held by (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme, have (i) no side waste collection policies and (ii) closed lid collection policies with regard to the collection of household waste. [176545]
Joan Ruddock: Neither my Department nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) hold the records requested.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to allow charges for householders using civic amenity sites to dispose of household residual waste. [176566]
Joan Ruddock: The Government have no plans to allow charges for householders using civic amenity sites to dispose of household residual waste.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalties were issued for (a) putting domestic rubbish in the wrong container, (b) leaving domestic rubbish out on the wrong day and (c) overfilling a wheelie bin with domestic rubbish in the last year for which figures are available. [176567]
Joan Ruddock: DEFRA does not hold the information requested. Data provided by each local authority in England includes details of the number of fixed penalty notices issued in respect of waste receptacle-related offences generally. These figures are not broken down further into specific types of offence.
Data for 2006-07 (the most recent available) are available from DEFRA's website.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research and statistical data gathering has been conducted by the Waste Resources Action Programme into the proportion and volume of household rubbish collected for recycling that is not recycled. [176583]
Joan Ruddock: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has conducted no research or statistical data gathering into the proportion and volume of household rubbish collected for recycling that is not recycled Though data collection has improved significantly in recent years, there is currently no available data to show how big the discrepancy is between waste being accepted at a recycling plant and that amount actually being recycled. DEFRA estimates the gap to be small.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the additional revenue to be raised from new bin taxes on family homes. [176589]
Joan Ruddock: No additional revenue will be raised from waste incentive schemes because local authorities must return any revenue they raise to residents, through rebates for those producing low levels of waste.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which waste collection authorities have expressed an interest in taking part in the pilots for the new proposed household rubbish collection tax. [177154]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 9 January 2008]: My Department is currently considering the appropriate process for waste collection authorities to express an interest in running a pilot waste incentive scheme. Timings for this process will be subject to parliamentary progress on the Climate Change Bill. In the meantime, we continue to encourage and welcome authorities making enquiries on the implications of the legislation.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on charging charity shops for waste disposal; and if he will make a statement; [176532]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to stop the over-charging by local authorities of charity shops for collecting and disposing of waste from their shops. [176585]
Joan Ruddock: Regulation 4 of the Controlled Waste Regulations (CWR), generally referred to as schedule 2, states that one of the types of household waste for which an authority can make a charge for collection is that from ‘premises occupied by a charity and used for charitable purposes’. Authorities cannot charge for the disposal of waste classed as household waste.
The CWR, as they pertain to waste, have not changed since 1992. However, it has recently come to DEFRA’s attention that there is an inconsistent approach to councils’ interpretation of these regulations. In the light of this, in October 2007, DEFRA wrote to all waste authorities in England clarifying its interpretation of the regulations and their waste data reporting duties. A copy of this letter is available on the DEFRA website at:
Waste Disposal: Radioactive Wastes
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects his Department to make a formal response to the recently concluded public consultation on managing radioactive waste safely. [175937]
Mr. Woolas: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced the publication of the ‘Summary and Analysis of Responses to the Consultation on Managing Radioactive Waste Safely; A Framework for Implementing Geological Disposal’, in a written statement to the House on 10 January 2008.
The consultation responses will be considered in developing the details of the next stages of the implementation process. This will be set out in a White Paper to be published in the first half of this year.
Water: Nitrates
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the sources of nitrates found in water; and if he will make a statement. [173978]
Mr. Woolas: The paper ‘D1 —Nitrates in water: the current status in England (2006)’, published in support of the consultation on implementation of the nitrates directive in England, details DEFRA's assessment of the sources of nitrogen in surface waters in England.
The source of nitrates found in water, in England, is shown in the following table:
| Source | (kt N/yr) | Percentage |
Duchy of Lancaster
Government Departments: Contracts
Mrs. May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what rules are in place for deciding which outsourced Government projects should be put to open tender. [176836]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
All Government procurement, including for outsourcing, operates within a legal and policy framework based on the EU procurement rules and the Government's policy of securing value for money.
The EU rules comprise the EU procurement directives and the EU treaty. Procurements valued above certain thresholds, starting at around £90,000, must meet the requirements of the EU directives, and must be subject to open competition following advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Union. In addition, the EU treaty principles, which govern all procurement regardless of the value, require that public purchasing is conducted in a transparent and open manner. This normally requires a level of advertising proportionate to the value of the contract.
Government policy, as set out in Managing Public Money, is to achieve value for money (VFM) for all purchases. VFM is usually achieved through competition by means of open tendering procedures.
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