Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 16 January 2008
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Carbon Emissions: Government Departments
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce carbon dioxide emissions on the Government estate in 2008. [177726]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA, like all Government Departments, is committed, through the sustainable operations targets for the Government Office Estate, to reducing carbon emissions from offices by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11 and 30 per cent. by 2020, relative to 1999-2000 levels.
Working with the Carbon Trust, DEFRA has developed a comprehensive and fully costed Carbon Management Programme (CMP), which is already delivering significant savings across the DEFRA Network Estate.
Fisheries: Enforcement
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will break down by the subheading his Department’s budget for fisheries enforcement in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [176142]
Jonathan Shaw: The main budget for fisheries enforcement-related expenditure by subheading for the Marine and Fisheries Agency for 2007-08 is as follows:
Floods: Warnings
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will invite local authorities to encourage parish councillors to act as flood wardens to alert the most vulnerable people to imminent risk of floods. [175670]
Mr. Woolas: Sir Michael Pitt’s independent interim report on the summer 2007 floods addresses this area. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has stated that the Government agree with all 15 of Sir Michael’s urgent recommendations and will work with other organisations involved in implementing them.
I understand that in some areas parish councillors form part of the voluntary warden scheme. However, DEFRA policy, while encouraging volunteers, does not depend on them.
Irish Sea: Pollution
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent co-operation between the Government and the Government of the Republic of Ireland on the monitoring of pollution in the Irish sea. [176662]
Jonathan Shaw: The Irish sea is bounded by England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and these regions will all have their specific mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on pollution in the Irish sea.
Partnership-working on the state of the Irish sea is carried out in the framework of the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic to which the UK and the Republic of Ireland are Contracting parties. Regular assessments are carried out, information gathered by the various organisations is brought together and assessments are made and published in the OSPAR Quality Status Report (QSR). The last QSR was published in the year 2000, and included a regional report on the Celtic seas. The next QSR will be published in 2010.
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will ensure that less than 70 per cent. of England will be designated as nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs); what research has been used by his Department in its designation process for NVZs; and if he will make a statement. [178156]
Mr. Woolas: Our review of the current nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) has shown that coverage needs to be increased from 55 per cent. to about 70 per cent. of England. This is necessary because nitrate pollution has increased in some areas of the country since the last round of NVZ designations in 2002.
The nitrates directive requires all known areas of land to be designated as nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) if they drain to surface freshwaters or groundwaters which contain or could contain, if preventative action is not taken, nitrate concentrations greater than 50mg/l; or natural freshwater lakes, or other freshwater bodies, estuaries, coastal waters and marine waters which are eutrophic or may become so in the near future if protective action is not taken.
The document ‘G1—Summary of methodology for identifying NVZs 2006', which is available on the DEFRA website, provides a description of how water quality monitoring data, collected by the Environment Agency from a network of monitoring points and boreholes, are assessed against the above criteria to identify nitrate-polluted waters, and how areas of land draining to these waters were identified for designation as NVZs.
Sir Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what scientific and other reasons under the nitrate
vulnerable zones legislation there is (a) a six month slurry storage requirement for (i) the poultry and (ii) the pig sectors and (b) a five month requirement for other sectors. [178168]
Mr. Woolas: The proposed storage capacity requirement of six months for pig slurry and poultry manure and five months for all other slurry was put forward in the recent consultation about implementing the Nitrates Directive in England.
The supporting document “D4—Rationale for the proposed NVZ Action Programme measures”, available to view on our website, provides the reasoning behind the proposed Action Programme measures, including the storage capacity requirement.
The consultation is now closed and I am carefully considering all the responses before making recommendations on how the implementation of the Nitrates Directive in England should progress.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce a longer time period for compliance with the requirements of the nitrates vulnerable zone directive. [178169]
Mr. Woolas: The consultation on implementing the Nitrates Directive in England closed on 13 December 2007. I am carefully considering all the responses before making recommendations on how implementation should progress.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy for the Government’s new action programme proposals to be waived in those areas of existing nitrate vulnerable zones exhibiting a long-term decline in levels of nitrate. [178171]
Mr. Woolas: I am considering under what circumstances removal of land from within an existing Nitrate Vulnerable Zone may be possible in the future. The consultation on implementation of the Nitrates Directive in England, which closed on 13 December, invited stakeholder views on this issue. I am in the process of considering carefully all responses received before making final decisions on how to progress implementation of the Nitrates Directive in England.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will undertake more intensive monitoring of those areas where nitrate vulnerable zone designation has been questioned by farmers and landowners. [178172]
Mr. Woolas: The consultation on implementing the Nitrates Directive in England closed on 13 December 2007. I am carefully considering all the responses before making recommendations on how implementation should progress.
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department takes into account farmers' views on the proposed new nitrate vulnerable zones legislation. [178548]
Mr. Woolas: The development of proposals for revising the NVZ regulations took account of farmers' views from a series of workshops held over winter 2005-06 and extensive dialogue with the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association and the Tenant Farmers’ Association during the two-year period up to August 2007.
Farmers have also had the opportunity to comment on the proposals through a public consultation that closed on 13 December, and a further series of workshops conducted in that period. DEFRA is currently analysing more than 700 consultation responses and intends to publish a summary analysis on the Department's website in early 2008.
Nitrates: Agriculture
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to introduce a derogation from the 170kgsN/ha whole farm limit to as near a 250kgsN/ha limit as possible. [178170]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA is currently preparing to submit an application to the European Commission for a derogation from the 170kgsN/ha/yr whole farm limit for applications of livestock manure, and we will open discussions with the Commission at the earliest opportunity.
Nitrates: Rivers
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on trends in overall nitrate levels in monitored rivers in England. [178157]
Mr. Woolas: A summary of DEFRA’s assessment of nitrate pollution in England, including trends in nitrate concentrations in monitored rivers, is provided in “Nitrates in waters—current status in England (2006)”. This paper was published in support of the recent consultation on implementing the Nitrates Directive in England.
Sea Fishing: Licensing
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to the Marine Bill White Paper and associated Regulatory Impact Assessment, what consultation responses have been received by his Department on the proposed recreational sea angling licence; and what response he has made; [177663]
(2) pursuant to the draft Recreational Sea Angling Strategy, what the timetable is to implement the proposals; and if he will make a statement; [177665]
(3) whether he plans to designate any fish stocks specifically for recreational use; and if he will make a statement. [177666]
Jonathan Shaw:
On 6 December 2007, I launched a consultation on the draft Recreational Sea Angling Strategy which runs until 31 March 2008. The strategy includes consideration of management measures for fish stocks of interest to anglers. Any decisions on the implementation of proposals in the strategy will be
made after responses to the consultation have been considered. At that stage, a summary of responses received will be published and individual responses will be publicly available, unless a request has been made for a response to be treated confidentially. A copy of the strategy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect that the introduction of a sea-angling licence would have upon the economy of UK coastal resorts. [179306]
Jonathan Shaw: The Marine Bill White Paper, published in March 2007, included a proposal for the introduction of a chargeable licensing scheme for sea angling. The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) accompanying the White Paper outlined the costs and benefits of this proposal, with reference to the economic contribution of angling to angling-related businesses and local economies.
The RIA identified a risk that the introduction of a chargeable sea-angling licence could displace or reduce angling activity. However, this risk would be mitigated by ensuring that any licence fee was set at a level that would not deter or displace activity and by only introducing such a scheme provided there were clear benefits to anglers. The detailed operation of the scheme would be subject to consultation with stakeholders.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the costs of the (a) introduction and (b) policing of a requirement for recreational sea-anglers to hold a valid sea-angling licence. [179307]
Jonathan Shaw: The Marine Bill White Paper, published in March 2007, includes proposals to introduce a chargeable licensing scheme for recreational sea angling. The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) accompanying the White Paper estimated that the revenue from such a scheme could generate £9 million to £12 million per annum in licence fees, depending on uptake and the rate of the charge. The RIA also estimated the one-off set-up cost to the Government could be between £0.1 million to £1.5 million, with annual running costs, including enforcement, of between £1.2 million and £2.8 million, depending on how the scheme is implemented and the level of compliance.
Seas and Oceans: Biodiversity
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2007, Official Report, column 712W, on seas and oceans: biodiversity, what legal protection is currently offered to (a) Braemar Pockmarks, (b) Darwin Mounds, (c) Haig Fras, (d) North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef, (e) Scanner pockmark, (f) Stanton banks and (g) Wyville Thomson Ridge; for what reasons each site is not classified as European Offshore marine sites; and if he will make a statement. [177672]
Jonathan Shaw:
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) began consultation on these seven offshore sites on 20 December 2007. No decision will
be made concerning classification of these sites as European offshore marine sites until the JNCC consultation has concluded and recommendations have been made to Government.
Presently, the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007 do not apply to these sites as a matter of law or as a matter of policy.
However as stated in my earlier reply, DEFRA will consider what action might reasonably be taken to protect sites. Consenting authorities are encouraged to take note of proposals when considering any licensing or consenting decisions that may affect sites.
If the JNCC, as our scientific nature conservation advisers, advised us that potential offshore sites are being damaged by fishing activities, we would approach the Commission to ask them to consider proposing protective measures. The JNCC have not indicated that there is any such damage occurring in our current potential sites.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2007, Official Report, column 712W, on seas and oceans: biodiversity, under what legislation protection may be given to the (a) Braemar Pockmarks, (b) Darwin Mounds, (c) Haig Fras, (d) North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef, (e) Scanner pockmark, (f) Stanton banks and (g) Wyville Thomson Ridge sites; and if he will make a statement. [177673]
Jonathan Shaw: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) launched a consultation on these seven offshore sites on 20 December 2007, and it is scheduled to last 12 weeks. Following consultation, the JNCC may recommend to the Government that these sites be submitted to the European Commission for consideration as European offshore marine sites. If the Government then decide to submit these sites to the European Commission they will receive the full legal protection provided by the Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007.
Water Supply
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provisions are in place to compensate customers whose water supply is interrupted by (a) works caused by a leak or burst in a strategic main and (b) contamination which makes the water supply unfit for human consumption; and if he will make a statement. [179439]
Mr. Woolas: Customers of water and sewage companies are entitled to payment in recognition of a service failure if a company fails to meet the requirements set out under the guaranteed standards scheme.
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