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10 Mar 2008 : Column 44W—continued
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Rural Areas
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on the possible effects reducing the Warm Front grant will have on the 21 per cent. of rural fuel poor who live in settlements of fewer than 10,000 people; [191427]
(2) what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of reducing the annual Warm Front grant relating to energy efficiency levels in settlements of fewer than 10,000 people classified as (a) hard to reach and (b) hard to treat. [191426]
Mr. Woolas: As confirmed in the Government's 5th Annual Report on the UK's Fuel Poverty Strategy published in December 2007, funding for the Warm Front Scheme for 2008-11 period will be just over £800 million.
DEFRA has had no discussions with HM Treasury regarding the impact of the scheme on rural fuel poor during this period.
No direct assessment of the environmental impact of the annual Warm Front grant relating to energy efficiency levels in settlements of fewer than 10,000 people has taken place.
Warm Front will continue to actively target hard to reach and hard to treat properties including those in rural settlements to help improve the energy efficiency of those households.
Landfill Tax
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008, Official Report, column 981W, on landfill tax, what the notional financial value in 2007-08 is of the 0.2 per cent. reduction in employer's national insurance contribution. [192175]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
Structural reforms to employers' national insurance contributions in 1999 mean that it is not possible to calculate the current notional value of the 0.2 percentage point rate reduction that accompanied the introduction of landfill tax.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008, Official Report, column 981W, on landfill tax, what the estimated revenue in landfill tax in each of the next three years is. [192177]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
Forecast landfill tax receipts for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are published in Table B8 of the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review available at:
Marine and Fisheries Agency: Manpower
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff at each (a) grade and (b) job title were employed in the Marine and Fisheries Agency in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement. [190472]
Jonathan Shaw: The Marine and Fisheries Agency was created on 1 October 2005, and the first available staff numbers are as at 31 October 2005. The number of staff in full-time equivalents at each grade equivalent in each year is shown in the following table. Job titles are not generally used.
| 31 October 2005 | 31 March 2006 | 31 March 2007 | 31 December 2007 | |
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are plans for staff reductions at the Marine and Fisheries Agency in the next three financial years; and if he will make a statement. [190473]
Jonathan Shaw: The Marine and Fisheries Agency has no plans at present to reduce staff numbers over the next three financial years. MFA has already achieved headcount targets and will continue to review staffing levels in order to meet its business objectives and any wider departmental efficiency requirements.
Oikos: Canvey Island
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice the Environment Agency has provided to Oikos on Canvey Island on remedial work in respect of their operations; and if he will make a statement. [191909]
Mr. Woolas: Oikos Storage Ltd. undertakes a variety of operations at its site in Haven road, Canvey Island. These range from liquid hazardous waste storage and treatment to the filtration and refinement of waste fuels, including oils and tallow.
The Environment Agency regulates these activities through compliance assessment and enforcement of the current waste management licence and the pollution prevention control (PPC) permit.
The Environment Agency is not aware of any ongoing remedial works. However, the PPC permit requires several improvement conditions to be met. These include reviewing the integrity of the storage tanks and improving bunding arrangements and site surfacing. Other improvement conditions required include the reduction of risk of pollution from fire water and major spillages, a review of the type of boiler fuel used to reduce potential emissions, and measures to control both gaseous emissions and discharges to the Thames estuary.
The Environment Agency is awaiting the outcome of the review from Oikos and will enter into discussions with the company should any improvements be required.
Pollution Control: Nitrous Oxide
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the permitted levels of nitrous oxide emissions from incinerators are under European legislation; and if he will make a statement; [192720]
(2) what assessment he has made for benchmarking purposes of the performance of other EU member states and the US in reducing nitrous oxide emissions from incinerators; and if he will make a statement; [192726]
(3) when his Department last reviewed the permitted levels of nitrous oxide emissions from incinerators; and if he will make a statement. [192727]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 7 March 2008]: The Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) does not specify any limits for emissions of nitrous oxide from incinerators.
The Best Available Techniques Reference Document (“BREF”) for waste incineration published by the European Commission quotes measured values of nitrous oxide for well-performing municipal waste incinerators in Europe of 1-12 mg/m(3) with an average of 1-2 mg/m(3). We have no equivalent figures for incinerators in the United States.
Permits issued by the Environment Agency for incineration plants do not impose an emission limit value for nitrous oxide but require periodic monitoring (twice a year) where ammonia or urea is used for abatement oxides of nitrogen. In addition, applicants for new incinerators are required to include nitrous oxide emissions in their assessment of the global warming potential of the plant.
Poultry: EC Law
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department plans to give to farmers on the interpretation of Council Directive 2007/43/EC on poultry stocking density. [192858]
Jonathan Shaw: Council Directive 2007/43/EC on the protection of meat chickens will come into force on 30 June 2010.
The directive will be implemented in England through an amendment to the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. The devolved Administrations will similarly transpose the directive in their legislation.
As with all new legislation, appropriate guidance will be issued. The legislation and associated guidance will be the subject of a full public consultation exercise.
Seas and Oceans: EU Action
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) penalties his Department has faced from the European Commission in relation to marine and fisheries policy and its administration, (b) criticisms the European Commission has raised in relation to UK marine and fisheries policy and its administration and (c) disallowances and financial sanctions his Department has faced in relation to UK marine and fisheries policy and its administration in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [191930]
Jonathan Shaw: The European Commission (EC) periodically looks at legislation which implements EC obligations and, either as a result of this or of a complaint received, any perceived failures or criticisms are dealt with in accordance with the infraction procedures set out in the treaty. The UK has never received a fine, disallowance or any other penalty as a result of these procedures.
Seas and Oceans: Nature Conservation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to submit the first candidate offshore special area of conservation to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement. [191614]
Joan Ruddock: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has been consulting on seven offshore marine sites since December 2007. These include: Braemar Pockmarks, Darwin Mounds, Haig Fras, North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef, Scanner Pockmark, Stanton Banks and Wyville Thomson Ridge. The consultation is due to close on 14 March 2008.
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, it is expected that the submission will be made before September this year.
Sewage: Energy
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department has on (a) the energy consumption of sewage treatment in the UK and (b) the energy saving potential of urine separation. [192250]
Mr. Woolas: Treating and pumping wastewater consumes energy and releases greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas emissions from the water sector were mapped for the first time in “Future Water—The Government's Water Strategy for England”, which was published in February 2008. Over 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, as carbon dioxide equivalents, are emitted from the treatment of wastewater every year.
The use of urine separation systems has the potential to help reduce emissions, save water and reduce wastewater treatment costs. However, while urine-separation toilets would be relatively easy to install, it would also be necessary to adapt associated domestic pipe work and fit on-site storage facilities. Existing public sewerage systems have been developed to carry away all foul water from premises. To alter these systems in order to separate waste streams would be costly and impractical, but could be considered in new developments with discrete sewerage infrastructure.
Sustainable Development: Flood Control
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on inclusion of sustainable urban drainage systems in new housing or community developments; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such systems. [191461]
Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has received a range of representations on the inclusion of sustainable drainage systems in new housing or community developments. We expect to receive more during the course of the consultation on Surface Water Drainage, which was recently published alongside the Government's water strategy, ‘Future Water’.
As part of the impact assessment to accompany the current consultation on Surface Water Drainage, DEFRA has made a quantitative assessment of the benefits of implementing sustainable drainage systems in relation to reducing localised flooding. The benefits to water quality are also outlined in the impact assessment but have not yet been quantified.
Trapping
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his timetable is for publishing a review of his Department's Snares Action Plan; and if he will make a statement. [191993]
Joan Ruddock: The Department aims to complete a review of the Department's Snares Action Plan by the end of this year and to publish it as soon as practicable.
Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 January 2008, Official Report, column 753W, on waste disposal: domestic wastes, what plans he has to apply charges for household waste disposal to civic amenity sites in the pilot areas for schemes to incentivise the reduction of household waste. [192314]
Joan Ruddock: As stated in the Climate Change Bill, the Government have no plans to apply charges for household waste under waste incentive schemes to civic amenity sites. Residents will be able to use their civic amenity site in exactly the same way as now.
Waste Disposal: Hazardous Substances
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of the UK's hazardous waste was treated and stored in Gloucestershire in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [183100]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 29 January 2008]: According to Environment Agency records, 112,410 tonnes of hazardous waste was deposited in Gloucestershire in 2006, the most recent period for which figures are available. This figure does include waste transfer, so the waste may ultimately be disposed of outside the county.
6,037,068 tonnes of hazardous waste was produced in the UK in that year, making Gloucestershire's share 1.86 per cent. of the UK total.
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