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14 May 2008 : Column 1601W—continued
Danny Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the effect on his Department's expenditure would be of increasing the employee contribution to each pension scheme for
which his Department is responsible by one per cent.; and if he will make a statement. [200719]
Jonathan Shaw: An increase to the employee contribution would have a nil effect on the Department's expenditure.
Facilities Management
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the reasons why an in-house bid has not been made with regard to his Department's plans to outsource the facilities management functions in his Department and its agencies. [194170]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 14 March 2008]: Discussions have been held with departmental trade union side on the issue of an in-house bid. In those discussions, it was made clear that all bids would be treated equally. However, no such bid has been made. It is not for us to say why, but it should be noted that the proposed contract is far-reaching and requires far more than a replication of services currently delivered by the in-house team.
Fisheries: Quotas
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on placing a limit on catches for all EU vessels fishing within the UK 12 mile limit. [204856]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA has no plans to place a limit on catches for all EU vessels fishing within the UK 12 mile limit.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms other than EU quotas there are to limit the activities of non-UK fishing vessels within the UK 12 mile limit in respect of (a) fish and (b) shellfish catches; and what mechanisms there are to enable EU member states to manage their own inshore shellfisheries without derogating from the Common Fisheries Policy. [204859]
Jonathan Shaw: The activities of non-UK vessels in our waters would be subject to the full range of controls under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), including limitations on effort for those capable of catching any of the relevant recovery or management plan stocks. Otherwise, individual member states may extend any more stringent national rules applying to their own vessels to those of other member states, providing the Commission, relevant Regional Advisory Councils and the member states concerned are content.
We have no EU measures on shellfish but certain member states have limits at national level.
Fisheries: Shellfish
Dr. Julian Lewis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate he has made of changes in the (a) capacity of and (b) catch taken by non-UK fishing vessels with historical practice access to UK waters within the 12 mile limit and which target crabs and lobster since 1997; and whether the same minimum landing sizes of
crabs apply to vessels from other EU member states and UK vessels when fishing in those waters; [204855]
(2) what data his Department receives on catches by fishing vessels from other EU member states within the six to 12 mile band of UK waters. [204858]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA does not hold data on changes in capacity and catches by foreign vessels within the 12 mile limit. Minimum landing sizes, as set out in EU legislation, must by complied with by all EU-flagged vessels.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what shellfish stock assessment measures there are in respect of the six to 12 mile band of UK waters for the purpose of enabling accreditation schemes to demonstrate sustainability. [204857]
Jonathan Shaw: There is a range of stock assessment measures in place for shellfish at regional, national and EU levels, but there are no national or EU measures which explicitly relate only to the six to 12 mile zone. Sea Fisheries Committees (SFC) have introduced, or are in the process of introducing, a number of measures for the explicit purpose of gaining Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation, for instance South Wales SFC’s management of the Burry Inlet cockle fishery, and North East Sea Fisheries Committee’s (NESFC) attempt to gain accreditation for the local lobster fishery. These SFC measures, however, apply out to six miles only.
While none of the aforementioned measures has been introduced specifically for the purpose of enabling accreditation schemes to demonstrate sustainability, such measures are seen as an integral part of any shellfish management plan which would be a pre-requisite for gaining accreditation.
Flood Control
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the contribution of land management to reducing flooding. [204966]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA published the findings of a major review of the impacts of rural land use and management on flood generation in November 2004. Subsequently, further work was commissioned on the analysis of historical data sets to look for the impacts of land use and management change on flood generation. The final report will be published later this year.
As part of the Government’s making space for water delivery plan, the Environment Agency led a project to assess both the implications of land management change to flood risk at individual farm and catchment scale. This work included an update of the 2004 review.
Work was commissioned as part of the DEFRA-funded ripon project to model the effects of catchment scale land management in that area.
A research project to monitor and analyse the long-term impacts of land use change associated with the united utilities sustainable catchment management
plan in North West has been commissioned under the joint DEFRA/Environment Agency flood risk management Research and Development programme.
Horses: Exports
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horse and pony export licences were issued in each of the last three years. [205139]
Jonathan Shaw: The number of licences issued in each of the last three years, in connection with horses and ponies exported from English ports or airports, is as follows:
| 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what analysis he has commissioned of the costs and benefits of the implementation of nitrate vulnerable zones. [204212]
Mr. Woolas: We intend to announce and publish our response to the nitrate vulnerable zones consultation before Parliament breaks for summer recess. This will include a summary of what the Department plans to do as a result of the consultation responses.
The draft proposals which were subject to consultation earlier this year were costed.
Rural Areas: Visits
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of visits made to the countryside in (a) the 12 months prior to and (b) each year since the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000 gained Royal Assent; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the provisions of the Act on the numbers of people visiting the countryside. [204895]
Jonathan Shaw: No national monitoring of the number of visits made to the countryside was undertaken in the 12 months prior to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) receiving Royal Assent on 30 November 2000. However, the UK Day Visit survey 1998 estimated that there were 1253 million visits to the countryside that year.
The Leisure Day Visits survey 2002-03 for England estimated that there were 1126 million visits to the countryside and a further 200 million to the ‘seaside coast’.
The England Day Visits survey 2005 reported that in the twelve months surveyed there were approximately 692 million leisure visits made to the countryside and a further 72 million leisure visits made to the ‘seaside coast’. Of these, 21.2 million trips were made to open access land which was introduced by the CROW Act and fully rolled out by October 2005.
Natural England is currently designing a new methodology for a day leisure visits survey and there is no further breakdown of figures available until the survey is published.
Due to differences in the methodologies, the figures in these surveys are not directly comparable.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Prison Service
7. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received on the pay scales of prison officers in the Northern Ireland prison service. [204422]
Paul Goggins: The pay scales for prison officers in the Northern Ireland Prison Service are recommended by the Prison Service Pay Review Body. The current scales were set as part of an agreed three year pay and efficiency agreement.
Security
8. Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland. [204424]
Mr. Woodward: I welcome the publication of the 18th IMC report on 1 May indicating the continued significant improvement of the security situation in Northern Ireland.
I took that report into account in my recent review of specified organisations. I will lay today a draft order under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 which will result in the de-specification of the Ulster Volunteer Force/Red Hand Commandos and the specification of Oglaigh na hEireann.
Economy
9. Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the prospects for the Northern Ireland economy. [204425]
Mr. Woodward: I have regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and we believe that the prospects for the Northern Ireland economy are very encouraging. Last week's successful US Investment Conference is an excellent illustration of Northern Ireland's potential for growth.
Criminal Justice and Policing: Devolution
10. Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the devolution of criminal justice and policing to Northern Ireland. [204428]
Mr. Woodward:
The Government are ready to transfer responsibility for policing and justice as soon as the Assembly requests this. The people of Northern Ireland want to see policing and justice devolve. Significant progress has been made on this since last May, not least with the publication of the Assembly's
report which I laid before Parliament on 25 March 2008. I hope the parties will reach agreement on the timing without delay and complete the process of devolution.
PSNI
11. Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Catholics were recruited as police officers by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. [204429]
Paul Goggins: Between 29 April 2007 and 20 April 2008, 225 Catholic officers were recruited to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Energy Performance Certificates: Housing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what role his Department had in the (a) introduction of energy performance certificates for the sale of existing residential dwellings in Northern Ireland and (b) decision not to introduce home information packs in respect of sales of residential properties in Northern Ireland. [202821]
Mr. Woodward: This is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Departments for Social Development and Finance and Personnel.
Prisoners: Self-Mutilation
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many instances of self-harm there were in each of Northern Ireland's prison and detention centres in each of the last three years. [204753]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Incidents of self-harm | ||||
| Financial year | HMP Maghaberry | HMP Magilligan | HMP Hydebank Wood | Total |
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Adult Education: Finance
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent to support adult learners completing their first full level three course in further education in each of the last five years. [205528]
Bill Rammell:
Our ambition for higher intermediate skills (level 3) is critical to our future competitiveness and economic success. The Government's response to Leitch ‘World Class Skills: implementing the Leitch
review of skills in England’ (July, 2007) committed to the Leitch level 3 ambition, which equates to 1.9 million more adults achieving level 3 by 2020.
In terms of milestones, this will mean moving from 49.2 per cent. of the adult population (19+) with level 3 or higher qualifications in 2006 to 56 per cent. by 2011 and up to 68 per cent. by 2020.
Using actual and planned learner numbers on full level 3 qualifications it is possible to estimate the level of public funding invested in these qualifications. This estimate covers expenditure on all full level 3 qualifications as data are not collected on the number of learners undertaking a first full level 3 qualification. The following table sets out information from 2005-06 to 2010-11 based on the structure of the 2008-09 Grant Letter to the Learning and Skills Council. It covers the years that we are able to estimate on the overall level of investment in full level 3 qualifications.
| Estimated public investment in adult (aged 19+) full level 3 qualifications | ||||||
| £000 (rounded to the nearest £ million) | ||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
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