Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 26 February 2008
Electoral Commission Committee
Double Reporting of Donations
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Electoral Commission has taken to facilitate the end of the double reporting of donations by hon. Members. [186095]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 contains amendments to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 which would remove the requirement on hon. Members to report certain donations and loans separately to the Electoral Commission.
However, these amendments cannot be brought into effect until the Commission is satisfied that the House has changed its own reporting procedures to require that hon. Members report the same information regarding gifts, donations and loans as they are currently required to report to the Commission under PPERA.
The Commission informs me that it has been working with the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner on Standards to achieve these changes to the reporting requirements as soon as possible.
Efficiency Savings
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what (a) cashable and (b) non-cashable efficiency savings the Electoral Commission made in each of the last three years. [186098]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that, during its first six years of operations, it did not record specific cashable and non-cashable efficiency savings because it was going through a period of organisational change. However, the Commission remained within its agreed budget throughout this period.
Following a review commissioned by the Speaker's Committee, the Commission now plans and records its efficiency savings and during 2007-08 has delivered £625,000 of recurrent cashable savings.
Electoral Commission: Finance
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what budget has been set for the Electoral Commission for each of the next three financial years. [Official Report, 6 March 2008, Vol. 472, c. 26MC.] [186070]
Peter Viggers:
The Speaker's Committee considered the Commission's budget for the four years 2007-08 to 2010-11 when it met in March 2007 and approved a cash flat resource budget of £3,995,000 (including the
£2 million annual policy development grant budget) in each of the four years, subject to reconsideration only in the event that Parliament places new responsibilities upon the Commission during this period.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis: Devon
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered in Devon as a result of tuberculosis infection in each of the last five years; how much compensation was paid to the farmers affected in each year; and if he will make a statement. [189048]
Jonathan Shaw: The following table sets out the number of cattle slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis control measures in Devon in the last five calendar years. A breakdown of the amount of compensation paid in Devon is not available.
| Cattle slaughtered under TB control measures in Devon county: 2003-07( 1) | |
| Number | |
| (1) Includes cattle slaughtered as reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. 2005-07 figures are provisional, subject to change as more data become available. | |
Bovine Tuberculosis: Testing
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average length of time to test a badger for tuberculosis is. [189053]
Jonathan Shaw: There is currently no sensitive and reliable diagnostic test for bovine TB in live badgers in the field. Bovine TB is most reliably detected by post mortem examination or by the less sensitive method of taking clinical samples (for example, blood, urine, tracheal swabs and faeces) from anaesthetised live badgers. Tissue samples are then confirmed by culture of Mycobacterium bovis ( M. bovis ) in the laboratory. However, M. bovis grows very slowly so culture results can take six weeks to several months to come through. Various blood tests can be used to measure the immune response to bovine TB, one of which takes about 30 minutes, and has about 80 per cent. sensitivity in detecting severely infected animals.
The drawback of these tests for live badgers is the need to anaesthetise the badger in order to sample it, hence they are suitable for research purposes only.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on (i) official hospitality and (ii) staff entertainment in each year since 1997. [185182]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The information requested for each of the last 10 years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From information held centrally the amounts spent on hospitality by the core-Department are:
| £ | |
| (1) April to December | |
Direct year-on-year comparisons cannot be made because of Machinery of Government changes that have occurred.
The core-Department does not hold information centrally on hospitality expenditure by its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The core-Department holds no information centrally on the expenditure category of staff entertainment.
Departmental Official Residences
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Ministerial residences were available to his Department’s Ministers and those of its predecessors in each of the last 10 years. [183189]
Jonathan Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary of the Duchy of Lancaster on 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 688W.
Departmental Vehicles
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many vehicles were (a) owned and (b) purchased by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last 10 years. [183290]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The information requested for each of the last 10 years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From information held centrally the numbers of fleet vehicles owned by core-DEFRA for the financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08 to date are:
| Number | |
From information held centrally the numbers of pool vehicles owned by core-DEFRA and the Animal Health Agency for the financial years 2005-06 to 2007-08 to date are:
| Number | |
The core-Department’s Regional Development Service (RDS) had 157 pool vehicles in 2005-06 but these became the responsibility of National England when the RDS was absorbed into the non-departmental public body.
Food: Procurement
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on the purchase of food from local sources. [186435]
Jonathan Shaw: We have helped to support local sourcing with funding for a range of measures, which allow regional and local food producers to overcome barriers to the effective marketing of their products. Examples include “meet the buyer” events, encouragement for food hubs and shared distribution facilities, and key training seminars.
Support from DEFRA has been boosted by the regional development agencies (RDAs), helping activities to do with the promotion of quality regional and local food culture. The level and type of RDA funding reflects each region's priorities as set out in regional economic strategies. RDAs also deliver aspects of DEFRA's rural development programme for England (RDPE). Support is available under the RDPE to improve the competitiveness of a wide range of rural businesses, which can include local and regional food producers.
We have also commissioned research aimed at enabling policy makers, support organisations and the supply chain to better understand the regional and local food sector. One of these projects will investigate the practicalities and benefits of local food production. Other work will examine consumer attitudes and actual purchasing behaviour. The results will be published on our website.
Finally, DEFRA's ongoing public sector food procurement initiative (PSFPI) was launched in 2003 to help deliver the Government's sustainable farming and food strategy. This aims to increase opportunities for small and local producers to tender for contracts to supply food to the public sector. Our funding for this initiative supports workshops for buyers and suppliers, regional pilot projects to develop the supply side, and a range of guidance materials aimed at both food producers and public sector buyers. More information on the PSFPI can be found on the DEFRA website.
Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions have been brought under the provisions of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 in the last 12 months. [185037]
Jonathan Shaw: The Gangmasters' Licensing Act 2004 creates two main offences: operating as a gangmaster without a licence and entering into arrangements with an unlicensed gangmaster. It also creates offences in connection with false documents, such as a licence or a document issued by the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority (GLA) in connection with a licence. The GLA enforces the 2004 Act on behalf of DEFRA.
In the last 12 months, one prosecution has been brought for the offences created by the 2004 Act. This prosecution has been brought in Scotland by the Procurator Fiscal for the offence of acting as a gangmaster without a licence. The trial date has been set for March.
In addition, the GLA is investigating 105 cases where offences under the 2004 Act may have been committed. The GLA has said that from the 2008-09 financial year it will be placing increasing emphasis on enforcing the 2004 Act now that it has completed the task of designing and implementing the licensing scheme for gangmasters.
Public Sector: Procurement
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of publicly procured food was of British origin in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007. [186340]
Jonathan Shaw: There are no central records for the years 2005 and 2006 giving the proportion of publicly procured food of British origin. We have however published data giving the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service for the period July 2006 to 30 June 2007. The report is available on the PSFPI web site at:
and has been placed in the Library of the House.
Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) parking tickets and (b) speeding fines were issued for vehicles used by his Department in each of the last 10 years. [183346]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The information requested for each of the last 10 years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For the calendar years 2002 to 2007 inclusive the recorded number held centrally of parking tickets and speeding fines are;
| Number | |
Parking fines are not recorded separately from other fines. It is departmental policy that drivers are responsible personally for the payment of fines incurred by them while using a vehicle on departmental business.
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