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30 Apr 2008 : Column 455W—continued
Mature Students: Finance
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making the support available to (a) 25 to 30-years-olds and (b) 25 to 35-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course equivalent to that of 19 to 25-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course in respect of tuition fees; and if he will make a statement. [196895]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 29 April 2008, Official Report, columns 296-97W.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Biofuels
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for research and development into biogas production and trials for farmers. [201221]
Jonathan Shaw: Since 2000, DEFRA has spent £720,000 on research and development into biogas production. Current work includes the UK contribution to a EU FP7 Biogas project (£300,000 over four years). This project is due to complete in 2010 and will result in a synthesis of information required to assess the development of a sustainable biogas industry in the UK.
Agriculture: Employment
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review labour strategies for farm work, with particular reference to the supply of farm labour from overseas. [201255]
Jonathan Shaw: The Government fully appreciates the importance for agriculture and horticulture of the supply of labour from overseas. The expansion of the EU has opened up a wide labour market. The Accession Monitoring Report for the period May 2004 to December 2007 records that more than 77,000 workers from the new EU Accession States have registered under the Worker Registration Scheme to take up work in agriculture.
The Government are also aware of the importance of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) to help out at peak times during the year. The Minister
responsible for SAWS at the Home Office, my hon. Friend the Minister for Borders and Immigration, and I recently had a useful meeting with the National Farmers’ Union and representatives of SAWS operators at which we discussed the labour needs of the industry and the challenges facing it for the future. We shall continue to keep in touch with the Home Office and the industry on these issues and will consider whether any review of policy is necessary.
Agriculture: Land Use
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the area of land required to produce equivalent amounts of organic and non-organic food. [202116]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 28 April 2008]: DEFRA has not funded research specifically on land use in organic and non-organic systems. However, the following DEFRA-funded projects have involved some element of comparison between organic and non-organic farming:
IS0205—Determining the environmental burdens and resource use in the production of agricultural and horticultural commodities
OF0145/301—Testing the sustainability of stockless arable organic farming on a fertile soil
OF0165—Factors influencing biodiversity within organic and conventional systems of arable farming
OF0319/OFO 326—Sustainable organic hill and upland farming—A collaborative case study approach
OF0189/OF0190/OF0373— Economics of organic farming
Further information on these projects can be found can be found on the research pages of the DEFRA website.
Alpacas: Farming
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision has been made to support alpaca farmers in the event of an outbreak of animal disease. [201966]
Jonathan Shaw: No specific provisions have been made to support alpaca farmers in the event of an outbreak of animal disease.
DEFRA has established a camelids (camels, llamas, alpacas, guanaco and vicuna) stakeholder group, which is a forum for forward planning and raising issues, as well as updating camelid stakeholders on the current disease risks. In addition, particularly during outbreaks, DEFRA holds regular meetings with industry stakeholders to which representatives from camelid societies are invited.
Animal Welfare
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members of the England Implementation Group to oversee animal health and welfare strategy are; and what organisations they represent. [201328]
Jonathan Shaw: The membership of the England Implementation Group looking at the animal health and welfare strategy is as follows:
Helen Browning (Chair)
Richard Bennett
Tim Brigstocke
Chris Brown
Neil Cutler
Nigel Durnford
Stewart Houston
Peter Jinman
Diane McCrea
Martin Potter
Peter Scott
Dick Sibley
Sarah Wolfensohn
The EIG was appointed by DEFRA Ministers, to advise Government on implementing the Strategy in England. The 13 members of the group are there for their individual expertise and experience in animal health and welfare, rather than as representatives of particular organisations.
Further information on the members is available on the DEFRA website.
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of cases of animal cruelty which have taken place in (a) urban and (b) rural areas in the last 12 months. [201624]
Jonathan Shaw: Information on whether an offence was committed in an urban or rural area cannot be separately identified from the data reported to the Ministry of Justice.
Animal Welfare: Circuses
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what forms of regulatory systems, standards or husbandry guidelines his Department's feasibility study on wild animals in circuses is considering; on what date it is expected to report; and if he will make a statement; [193113]
(2) whether winter quarters for circus animals are subject to the same regulatory regime as travelling circuses; and if he will make a statement; [193114]
(3) whether interested parties will be consulted as part of his Department's feasibility study on wild animals in circuses; whether such bodies will be able to submit evidence; and if he will make a statement; [193115]
(4) whether his Department's feasibility study on wild animals in circuses is considering direct application of the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practices to circuses, the creation of new Standards for circuses only or new legislation covering wild animals in circuses; and if he will make a statement. [193116]
Jonathan Shaw: My noble Friend the Lord Rooker will write to the hon. Member following the completion of ongoing policy discussions.
Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003: Essex
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) males and (b) females, broken down by age group were
(i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 for (A) noise, (B) graffiti and fly-posting and (C) waste and litter in (1) Southend, (2) each local authority in Essex and (3) Essex police authority area, broken down by basic command unit in each year since the introduction of the powers. [194373]
Joan Ruddock: Data on court proceedings are reported to the Ministry of Justice and are included in the following table in as much detail as the data allow.
Offences relating to acts of graffiti and fly posting are not separately identifiable from other criminal damage (such as vandalism and damaging property) and therefore have been omitted from the data table.
Records are kept for the principal offence, that is, the one which carried the heaviest penalty. It is possible that more prosecutions were taken that included one of these offences, but not as the principal offence.
The data are for the Essex police force area; data are not recorded by local authority.
| Male | Female | |||
| Number proceeded against | Number found guilty | Number proceeded against | Number found guilty | |
There are no proceedings recorded for noise offences.
Bees
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department plans to provide for bee inspectors in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [201612]
Jonathan Shaw: Detailed allocations have still to be finalised. The expectation is that funding for DEFRA’s ongoing programme of support for bee health will be around the same level as previously. In the event of a need to respond to new serious threats, there are contingency arrangements in place for additional funding to be made available.
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to investigate the reasons for unexplained losses of queens from bee hives. [201613]
Jonathan Shaw: Unexplained colony losses which have occurred this season, for which there is no ready explanation, are being investigated by the National Bee Unit.
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the emergence of an Asian variation of the bee pathogen Nosema ceranae. [201614]
Jonathan Shaw: Last year, the National Bee Unit conducted an initial survey to estimate the prevalence of both Nosema species that affect honeybees across England and Wales as part of a horizon scanning project. Nosema ceranae, which is sometimes termed the Asian variant of the more common Nosema apis, was confirmed for the first time in the UK, infecting 37 per cent. of colonies sampled during the summer of 2007. This is the first time that sampling for Nosema ceranae has been carried out. It has been found in samples from 13 counties in England and Wales, including Cornwall and North Yorkshire. Nosema apis was also present in 14 per cent. of these samples.
We do not yet know the impact of Nosema ceranae, but the distribution suggests that it has been present for some time. A more detailed survey to estimate the impact of both Nosema species across England and Wales is planned for this year.
Biofuels: Imports
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the biofuels target he expects to be met from imports in each year until 2015. [201269]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
The Government expect that transport fuel suppliers will use a mixture of imported and domestically produced biofuels to comply with the requirements of the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO). We do not, however, have precise estimates of the likely split between imports and domestic production in any given year. The Renewable Fuels Agency will be reporting regularly on these matters.
Biofuels: Wales
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for research and development into biogas production and trials for farmers in Wales. [202104]
Jonathan Shaw: Since 2000, DEFRA has spent £720,000 on research and development into biogas production. Current work includes the UK contribution to a EU FP7 Biogas project (£300,000 over four years). This project is due to complete in 2010 and will result in a synthesis of information required to assess the development of a sustainable biogas industry in the UK.
DEFRA holds the research and development budget and commission research relevant to England and Wales.
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