Written Answers to Questions
Monday 17 March 2008
Electoral Commission Committee
Ipsos MORI
Mr. Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what payments the Electoral Commission made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes. [194318]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the total payment made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months was £181,928. This covered five public opinion research studies where the public were consulted on a number of issues including electoral administration, electoral registration, the conduct of elections, party funding and absent voters.
Political Parties: Finance
John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission on what dates specific guidance was sent to hon. and right hon. Members by the Electoral Commission on the reporting of donations by regulated donees since 2000. [194233]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Commission’s guidance for Members of Parliament was included in the Standards in the Commons pack produced by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and sent by that Office to all Members in December 2003.
Following the 2005 general election, the Commission’s summary guidance for Members was included in the Standards in the Commons pack sent by the Office of the Commissioner in May 2005 to all new Members. All Members elected at subsequent by-elections have also been provided with a copy of the summary guidance.
The Commission has written separately to regulated donees who stand for elective office within their party, offering advice and providing a copy of the relevant regulated donee guidance.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Zero-Grazing
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions on the welfare implications for dairy cattle of zero-grazing he has had at EU level; and if he will make a statement. [193664]
Jonathan Shaw: We have not held any discussions at EU level and there are none planned in the foreseeable future.
Air Pollution: East of England
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2008, Official Report, columns 2270-71W, on air pollution: East of England, what funds each local authority in the East of England has received from the Department’s air quality grant programme; and how many individual grants were made in the East of England under the programme in each of the last three years. [193280]
Jonathan Shaw: The air quality grant programme is a capital grant scheme established under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. The following table details the air quality grant payments made in the last three financial years to local authorities in the East of England.
| Award | |||
| East of England | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
|
Cambridge city council joint award with South Cambridgeshire district council and Huntingdonshire district council | |||
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2008, Official Report, columns 2270-71W, on air pollution: East of England, how many areas formerly designated as air quality management areas have had that designation lifted in each year since 1997. [193281]
Jonathan Shaw: Local authorities can amend or revoke an existing air quality management area order where it appears from a subsequent air quality review that the air quality standards and objectives are being achieved and are likely to continue to be achieved within the designated area.
Since 1997, seven local authorities in the East of England have revoked air quality management areas, as shown in table 1. Where a local authority had designated
more than one individual air quality management area, or one single larger area, the authority only revoked the area where the objectives were achieved. Following the revocation, some local authorities declared further air quality management areas in different areas within their borough where air quality objectives were not being achieved. These are shown in table 2.
| Table 1 | |
| Number of local authorities that revoked air quality management areas | |
Eaga Partnership: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will arrange for Eaga to send a substantive reply to the letter to the Chief Executive of Eaga Partnership of 16 January 2008 from the hon. Member for Walsall, North pursuant to the interim reply of 19 February 2008. [193543]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 12 March 2008]: Following on from Eaga’s interim reply of 19 February, a full response has now been dispatched.
Ground Water: Pollution
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 sites have the highest level of contamination of groundwater by (a) PCBs and (b) other toxic substances in England; what remedial action is proposed for each site; and if he will make a statement. [191939]
Mr. Woolas: Most contaminated land in England, including where groundwater is contaminated, is inspected and regulated by local authorities. This can be undertaken through the land use planning regime or Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA1990). For this reason we do not hold detailed, national information about the sites where groundwater is contaminated by any particular substance or group of substances.
Landfill Tax
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the operation by his Department of disbursement arrangements of tax foregone on the landfill levy. [193487]
Joan Ruddock: My officials and I have regular discussions with representatives from HM Treasury. Disbursement arrangements of tax forgone on the landfill levy is however, a matter for HM Treasury Ministers to decide.
Waste Management: Local Authorities
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by his Department to local authority chief executives in October 2007 with the subject Classification and reporting of waste. [193897]
Joan Ruddock: I am arranging for the information requested to be placed in the House Library.
Water Charges
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the timetable is of the independent review of water charging announced in his Department's water strategy; [193305]
(2) what the (a) remit and (b) scope of the independent review of water charging is; and if he will make a statement; [193306]
(3) who will undertake the independent review of water charging announced in his Department's water strategy. [193307]
Mr. Woolas: In “Future Water”, the Government's water strategy, we outlined informally both the remit and scope for the independent review of charging households for water and sewerage services. Work is under way to commission the review, including appointing a reviewer and agreeing the final terms of reference and timetable for the review. These details will be announced in due course.
Northern Ireland
Homosexuality: Belfast
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a meeting has taken place between the organiser of the 2007 Belfast Pride parade and the full Parades Commission; and if he will make a statement. [194748]
Paul Goggins: I can confirm that a meeting took place between the parade organiser and the full Parades Commission on 30 January 2008.
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