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1 Sep 2008 : Column 1488W—continued
(1) Enviros (2007) Health Impact Assessment of Alternative Week Waste Collections of Biodegradable Waste. A report by Cranfield university and Enviros Consulting. DEFRA Waste Implementation Programme—Wycombe district council. Report DE0110102 A, Enviros Consulting Ltd. (February 2007)
(2 )DEFRA (2004) Review of Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management: Municipal Solid Waste and Similar Waste. A report by Enviros in association with the university of Birmingham. Product code PB9052A.
(3 )WRAP (2007) Alternate weekly collections guidance (Project code: ROT 028) ISBN: 1-84405-337-7.
Energy
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many meetings he and his officials have had with representatives of (a) the nuclear energy and nuclear waste industry and (b) the combined heat and power industry since January 2007; who attended each meeting; when each such meeting was held; and what matters were discussed; [220583]
(2) what research his Department has commissioned on (a) nuclear energy and nuclear waste and (b) combined heat and power in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the budget was for each piece of research. [220584]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 21 July 2008]: DEFRA Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of the nuclear waste and nuclear energy industry, including the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), its site operating companies and British Energy to discuss issues including radioactive waste management, radioactive discharges, legislation and regulation.
DEFRA Ministers and officials also regularly meet with representatives of the combined heat and power (CHP) industry, including the Combined Heat and Power Association (CHPA), to discuss a range of issues.
DEFRA has not commissioned any specific research on nuclear energy and nuclear waste in the last two years. We recently published the 2007 “UK Radioactive Waste Inventory” with the NDA and this was commissioned in 2005. The inventory is available on the NDA's website.
In the last two years DEFRA has commissioned five research studies on CHP, copies of which are available on the DEFRA website.
Fairtrade Initiative
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008, Official Report, column 2723W, on the Fairtrade initiative, what Fairtrade products are available for purchase in his Department’s staff catering facilities; what value of Fairtrade produce was purchased in his Department’s staff catering facilities in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of total revenue this represented. [208701]
Jonathan Shaw: Fairtrade products available at Baxterstorey operated DEFRA staff restaurants, total value purchased as well as percentage of total revenue Fairtrade products represented from February 2005 to February 2008.
| Products | Percentage | Value (£) |
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008, Official Report, column 2723W, on the Fairtrade initiative, how much his Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this total was spent on Fairtrade products. [208708]
Jonathan Shaw: Total hospitality spent and percentage of Fairtrade.
| Hospitality spent (£) | Fairtrade percentage | Fairtrade value (£) | |
Farms
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in discussions with farmers and farming organisations on cost-sharing. [221527]
Jonathan Shaw: Following the completion of the work of the UK Consultative Forum (comprising the main UK farming unions and Government representatives from the devolved administrations and DEFRA), the Government intend to consult this autumn on specific proposals for implementing responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare.
Fisheries
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures he is taking to stop the practice of discards in fisheries; and if he will make a statement on the pilot scheme that has been undertaken for inshore vessels. [221423]
Jonathan Shaw: Under the EU’s cod recovery programme, the UK is trialling a real-time closure mechanism designed to ensure vessels avoid significant concentrations of the species, particularly of spawning and juvenile fish—and thus reduce the need to discard. In addition, commercial trials are being undertaken to identify how certain gears can be made more selective. We will provide encouragement for the widespread deployment of those found to be effective amongst our fleet—and will press the Commission for them to be applied Community-wide.
The initial phase of the Irish Sea Data Enhancement Pilot was completed recently. Fisheries dependent data are being cross-checked against observer data collected from vessels in the same fishery. This validation process is essential to ensure that the estimates of discards that result from the project are both realistic and representative.
I announced in February 2008 an environmentally responsible fishing pilot research project. The aim of the 12-month project is to quantify all components of the environmental footprint of commercial fishing vessels targeting quota stocks in inshore waters of the North sea off England. The project will collect data across a range of indicators associated with the fishing operation, marketing and ancillary services and will make an important contribution to the implementation of Fisheries 2027, DEFRA’s long-term vision for sustainable fisheries. Around 30 fishing vessels from Hartlepool, Lowestoft and the Thames estuary have been invited to take part. Training and installation of vessel monitoring equipment and is expected to start in July with all participating vessels operating under the scheme from August.
Flood Control: Somerset
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure of internal drainage boards in the Somerset Levels and Moors has been since 1987. [219928]
Mr. Woolas: The following tables show a breakdown of (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure of internal drainage boards in the Somerset Levels and Moors since 1999, the earliest period for which figures are available without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Capital expenditure | ||||||||
| £ | ||||||||
| Capital | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
| (1) Information not collected. | ||||||||
| Other expenditure | ||||||||
| £ | ||||||||
| Other | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
| (1) Information not collected. | ||||||||
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) local environment agency plans, (b) catchment flood management plans, (c) water management studies and (d) other catchment studies have been undertaken by the Environment Agency and its predecessors in the Somerset Levels and Moors since 1987. [219930]
Mr. Woolas: I have placed the requested information in the Libraries of the House.
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