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12 Mar 2008 : Column 417W—continued
Departmental Retirement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department retired on grounds of stress-related illness in each of the last three years. [187500]
Jonathan Shaw: Fewer than five staff in DEFRA retired due to stress-related illness in each of the last three years. The precise numbers cannot be supplied on grounds of confidentiality.
The current sickness absence management policy with supporting procedural documentation is also being redeveloped to ensure that it supports employee attendance at work as effectively as possible. A StressWeb is available for employee information through the health and safety intranet based website. It includes a stress policy and it is planned to update this
document during 2008. DEFRA is currently in the process of revising its policies for managing attendance.
In addition, there is a wide range of support available to staff both via the Intranet and through the outsourced Occupational Health and Employee Support Service which provides a range of support services including telephone and face to face counselling.
Departmental Sick Leave
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of working days lost by his Department's staff was attributed to stress-related conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available. [187873]
Jonathan Shaw: In the year ending on 31 December 2007, 7.7 per cent. of the working days lost by DEFRA staff were recorded as being due to stress.
The current sickness absence management policy with supporting procedural documentation is also being redeveloped to ensure that it supports employee attendance at work as effectively as possible. A StressWeb is available for employee information through the health and safety intranet based website. It includes a stress policy and it is planned to update this document during 2008. DEFRA is currently in the process of revising its policies for managing attendance.
In addition, there is a wide range of support available to staff both via the Intranet and through the outsourced Occupational Health and Employee Support Service which provides a range of support services including telephone and face to face counselling.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average hourly rate his Department and its predecessors paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency. [187915]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 the core Department holds the following average hourly charge rate data:
| Hourly r ate (£) | ||||
| Adecco | Office Angels | Brook Street | Kelly Services | |
| (1) October to December. | ||||
The average hourly rate charge varies from firm to firm because it is dependent on the total charge(s) divided by the total numbers of hours worked.
Departmental Travel
Mr. Jeremy Browne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to answer questions (a) 181609 and (b) 181524 on
departmental travel, tabled on 21 January 2008 by the hon. Member for Taunton; and what the reason for the time taken to respond is. [191407]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 3 March 2008]: These questions were answered on 6 and 10 March respectively.
Departmental Written Questions
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of Parliamentary questions for answer on a named day to his Department received a (a) holding and (b) substantive answer on the named day in each year since 2001. [190285]
Jonathan Shaw: Records for the parliamentary sessions 2001-02 and 2002-03 were not maintained in such a way as to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs.
| Session | Total named day parliamentary questions | Holding answers issued | Substantive answer on the due date |
My ministerial colleagues and I aim to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day questions on the due day. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many written questions to his Department had not received an answer as at 25 February 2008 for (a) between two and four, (b) between four and six, (c) between six and eight and (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer. [193386]
Jonathan Shaw: Our records are not maintained in such a way as to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs.
However, our records show the following:
| Parliamentary questions received by 25 February 2008 | ||
| Written | Named day | |
My ministerial colleagues and I aim to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day questions on the due day. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.
Environmental Stewardship Scheme
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the removal of management plans from the Entry Level Stewardship schemes; how many farmers he estimates have been affected; and what alternative schemes he plans to bring forward to encourage environmentally-friendly farming. [192345]
Jonathan Shaw: Four management plan options—for nutrients, soil, crop protection products and manure—were removed from the list of 62 available options under Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) following discussions with the EU Commission as part of the process of EU approval of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), under which ELS is funded. This was in response to concerns that these options did not require agreement holders to do more than would be required of them under cross compliance or part of good agricultural and environmental practice and would not therefore justify additional payment.
However, ELS agreements entered into before 1 January 2007 will not be affected by the change and these management plans will continue to attract appropriate payments for the remaining life of agreements.
A number of industry stakeholders have since raised concerns, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Agricultural Industries Confederation, Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG).
Of the 5,400 provisional agreements entered into from 1 January 2007, around 2,600 include management plans options and around 1,800 of these will no longer have sufficient surplus points to meet the points threshold now that management plan options are not available. Natural England, which delivers the scheme, has contacted all agreement holders and is working closely with those affected to help ensure that they are able to remain in ELS. The latest advice from Natural England suggests that most agreement holders want to remain in the scheme and will choose new options to achieve the required threshold.
It is important to bear in mind that even with the removal of management plans, ELS remains largely unchanged and, with over 30,000 farmers already signed up covering 50 per cent. of farmland in England, the scheme should continue to deliver key environmental outcomes. And with 58 options remaining available, farmers wanting to join ELS should still be able to do so.
Nature Conservation: Biodiversity
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans he has to replace the Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund; and what guidance he is providing to organisations that were in receipt of financial assistance from the fund on alternative funding streams; [192679]
(2) if he will make an assessment of the likely effect on (a) landscapes important for biodiversity and
(b) employment of the ending of the Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund. [192680]
Joan Ruddock: Natural England will make an announcement about any successor scheme to Countdown 2010 in April. However, Natural England will shortly launch Access to Nature, a £25 million grant scheme jointly funded with the Big Lottery. Many projects previously funded by Countdown 2010 will be eligible for this new scheme and guidance about the grant scheme can be found on Natural England’s website. Natural England is also seeking to identify additional funding for priority biodiversity habitats and species.
I expect Natural England to evaluate the likely impact on landscapes rich in biodiversity, which results from the end of the Countdown 2010 grant scheme. This evaluation will help to inform how Natural England determines priorities for its grant-in-aid in 2008-09.
As all existing Countdown 2010 projects were for a two-year period, I do not anticipate that their conclusion will have any effect on permanent employment.
Orders and Regulations
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to business of complying with his Department’s regulations in each of the last five years. [192033]
Jonathan Shaw: In accordance with the Better Regulation Executive’s guidance, the Department ensures that published regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) and impact assessments (IAs) are accessible via its website at:
RIAs/IAs include a cost and benefit analysis and information on individual regulations is therefore available from the DEFRA website. The Department does not currently aggregate that data but is looking to improve both data collation and analysis, as well as post implementation reviews, in the context of introducing an updated policy-cycle framework.
However, it needs to borne in mind that policy costs, in isolation, give a distorted picture of the impact of regulations as they need to be weighed against likely benefits to business, society, the environment, biodiversity, and animal health and welfare, and these will be different in each case.
Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers waste collection authorities conducting pilot studies have to require the use by residents of (a) receptacles and (b) bags for the collection of household waste that the authority provides and charges for; and if he will make a statement. [192312]
Joan Ruddock:
Under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 local authorities can serve notices requiring residents to use specified
receptacles. Local authorities running waste incentive pilot schemes will be able to use their existing powers to specify the type of bin or bag in which residents must put their waste. The same powers of enforcement for non-compliance for such requirements will also be available to pilot authorities: i.e. an authority could bring a prosecution or, more likely, offer an individual the option of paying a fixed penalty notice. Experience shows that the most effective means of encouraging compliance with any waste collection scheme is good engagement and communications with local residents.
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents registered with the Child Support Agency are living abroad; and what proportion of them were making payments to the parent with care in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [185917]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 12 March 2008:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents registered with the Child Support Agency are living abroad; and what proportion of them are making payments to the parent with care in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [185917]
The requested information is provided in the attached table.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
| Number of cases where the non-resident parent is living abroad | ||
| Cases where the non-resident parent lives abroad | Percentage of cases making a payment | |
| Notes: 1. The figures in the table show the number of cases where the non-resident parent is living abroad. This includes all cases where there is either a nil or positive assessment in place in the quarter to December. 2. The Agency’s Quarterly Summary of Statistics (table 25) sets out the number of non-resident parents that are recorded on CS2 as living abroad. These figures include all cases where the Agency is aware that the non-resident parent is living abroad. 3. The percentage of cases making a payment includes those cases where the non-resident parent is making a payment via the Agency or where a maintenance direct agreement is in place in the quarter to December. 4. The figures in the table include cases on the CS2 computer system only. No information is available on CS2 for cases where the non-resident parent was living abroad prior to 2004. 5. No information is available for cases recorded on the CSCS computer system where the non-resident parent lives abroad. 6. The table details the number of cases where the non-resident parent lives abroad. A non-resident parent may have more than one case with the Agency. 7. The figures in the table are rounded to the nearest 100. | ||
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