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15 Sep 2008 : Column 2042W—continued
The percentages are calculated from the number of staff in post at the beginning of the financial year, not the total number of staff employed over the financial year.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years. [218966]
Jonathan Shaw: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Energy Efficiency: Low Incomes
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to help domestic consumers on low and middle incomes to improve the energy efficiency of their homes; and if he will make a statement. [223668]
Mr. Woolas: The Government have announced a comprehensive Home Energy Saving Programme, worth £1 billion, to help domestic consumers cut their energy bills permanently.
Further details can be found on the DEFRA website at:
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to increase the proportion of allowances auctioned under Phase II of the Emissions Trading Scheme to 10 per cent.; and if he will make a statement. [223561]
Mr. Woolas:
The Government have given careful consideration to whether the level of auctioned allowances in the current phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme should be raised from the 7 per cent. set out in
the UK's National Allocation Plan to the maximum 10 per cent. permitted under the Directive. They have concluded that it would be better to maintain certainty for business about the UK's previously published National Allocation Plan and not seek to reopen allocation issues consulted on and determined in 2006.
As part of the Government’s climate change strategy, we are aiming in the longer term to move towards more auctioning of allowances, and Budget 2008 announced the Government's intention to auction 100 per cent. of all allowances in the large electricity producers’ sector.
Flood Control: Fees and Charges
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with OFWAT on the imposition of surface drainage charges on churches, schools and hospitals. [223536]
Mr. Woolas: While my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State holds regular meetings with Ofwat to discuss a range of issues, there have been no discussions about this issue specifically.
I have had a number of meetings with stakeholders but not with Ofwat.
Flood Control: Rural Areas
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures have been put in place to ensure that rural areas affected by floods in 2007 will receive resources and assistance to establish effective flood resilience. [223480]
Mr. Woolas: The Government take a risk based approach to the management of flood risk, prioritising investments on the basis of the risk faced by the community and not whether it has recently experienced a flooding event. This is an approach which was supported by Sir Michael Pitt’s independent review of the 2007 summer floods.
DEFRA has been working continuously, in conjunction with other Government Departments and agencies, to reduce the risk of flooding throughout England.
Flood Control: Somerset
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much internal drainage boards in the Somerset Levels and Moors have spent on infrastructure projects for the maintenance and enhancement of sites of scientific interest and special protection areas since 1987. [219927]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA does not hold the information requested.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the risk of flooding in the Somerset Levels and Moors was assessed as (a) in 1987 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [219929]
Mr. Woolas: In 1987 there was no flood map information for the Somerset Levels and Moors and dependent urban areas.
The Environment Agency has undertaken a number of flood management schemes since 1987 to improve flood risk on the Somerset Levels and Moors. This includes work undertaken in Bridgwater, where protection is currently to a 1:200 year event standard (tidal), and work undertaken at Taunton where the protection is approximately up to a 1:100 year event standard (fluvial).
Floods: River Derwent
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, columns 465-70W, on floods: River Derwent, what progress has been made on hydraulic modelling for Derby; and if he will make a statement. [221734]
Mr. Woolas: The hydraulic modelling is now complete. The public consultation for the Lower Derwent Strategy is planned to be launched on 10 September 2008 and will run for a period of three months.
The Environment Agency has been working closely with Derby city council, which has used some of the information to develop a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment hydraulic model to help guide decision making. No further modelling is planned to inform the strategy.
Home Information Packs
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many home information packs have been commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies to market a residential property; for which properties; at what cost; and whether a voluntary home condition report was purchased as part of the packs. [219009]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department, including its executive agencies, has commissioned four home information packs in respect of surplus residential property disposal. Of the principal property holding non-departmental public bodies, only one information pack has been procured in connection with a the Forestry Commission disposal.
In each case, on advice from our retained property advisors, home condition surveys were not purchased as part of the home information pack.
The details on commissioning body, location and cost are set out in the following table.
Morning Star
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many copies of the Morning Star publication his Department and each of its agencies subscribes to each week; and at what cost. [215660]
Jonathan Shaw: Neither DEFRA or its agencies subscribe to the Morning Star.
Pets Travel Scheme
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many spot checks were carried out under the Pets Travel Scheme at ports of entry into the UK in each year since 2000; and in what proportion of such checks a problem was detected. [223640]
Jonathan Shaw: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Rural Areas: Motor Vehicles
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will develop policies to assist rural motorists who have no alternative to car transport in areas where petrol prices are particularly high. [219136]
Jonathan Shaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary on 1 September 2008, Official Report, column 1478W.
Seas and Oceans: Nature Conservation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what vessel monitoring systems data have been used in assessing the levels of fishing in proposed offshore Special Areas of Conservation sites; when that assessment took place; and if he will publish the data. [221636]
Jonathan Shaw: As part of public consultation the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in their draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations considered the levels of fishing in possible offshore SACs using VMS data from 2004 for England and Wales published in:
Eastwood, P. D., Mills, C. M., Aldridge, J. N., Houghton, C. A., and Rogers, S. I. 2007. “Human activities in UK offshore waters: an assessment of direct, physical pressure on the seabed”. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 453-463
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether steps to prevent fishing activity in offshore sites designated as being of UK importance must be taken under the auspices of the Common Fisheries Policy or under environmental legislation. [221647]
Jonathan Shaw: In the offshore zone the European Commission has exclusive competence for fisheries management. Where a need is identified for controls to be placed on fisheries activities in order to protect an area, habitat or species of national importance, the UK will approach the Commission and other member states to seek adoption of appropriate measures through the common fisheries policy.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Adult Education: Yorkshire and the Humber
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many adults took part in publicly-financed education courses in (a) Leeds West constituency, (b) Leeds Metropolitan District and (c) Yorkshire and Humberside in each of the last five years. [218028]
Bill Rammell: Our planned and continuing strategy is to realign funding from a high number of very short and low quality courses to qualifications such as Skills for Life, full level 2 and full level 3 that offer the greatest opportunity for adults to gain the skills for employability and further progression in learning. But we understand that as well as increasing skills, education is also about meeting the basic human desire for intellectual stimulation. That is why we have safeguarded £210 million each year through to 2010/11 to support informal adult learning. Through our recent consultation we have led discussion on a new vision for informal adult learning for the 21st century.
The following table sets out the total number of LSC-funded adult learners aged 19 or over resident in Leeds, West constituency, Leeds metropolitan district and Yorkshire and Humberside from 2002/03. The figures cover learners enrolled in further education, work based learning and train to gain provision. These figures replace earlier information provided in response to PQ209210.
| Number of LSC funded learners aged 19 or over 2002/03 to 2006/07 | |||||
| 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | |
| Notes: 1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Includes learners in FE, work-based learning and train to gain provision, but excludes adult safeguarded learning due to the reliability of the data. Source: Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record. | |||||
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department has taken to monitor the cost of its mail services in the last 12 months. [221483]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was established under machinery of government changes in June 2007 and currently monitors the cost of mail services according to the policies put in place by its predecessor Departments—the Department for Education and Skills (now the Department for Children, Schools and Families—DCSF) and Department for Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform—BERR). DIUS is a relatively small volume sender of mail and sends second class unless there is a business need for first class delivery
Economic and Monetary Union
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on what date the euro changeover plan of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies was last updated; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of each. [215687]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was established under machinery of government changes in June 2007; it comprises higher and further education (from the former Department for Education and Skills, now the Department for Children Schools and Families-DCSF) and science and innovation (from the former Department for Trade and Industry, now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform—BERR).
To date, DIUS has been split between BERR and DCSF. DIUS therefore currently rely on the Euro changeover plan of BERR and DCSF. The DCSF Euro changeover plan is currently being reviewed and updated to take account of the machinery of government change in June 2007 and changes in the delivery of corporate systems over the next nine to 12 months. A copy of the completed document will be placed in the Library when this work is completed.
DIUS agency, NWML provided information to the former DTI in October 2004 and this formed part of their Euro preparations, A more detailed plan was performed in March 2000 which formed part of HM Treasury Euro changeover plan.
DIUS agency, UK-IPO last updated its Euro conversion plan in September 2004 and it formed part of the DTI overall plan. The plan has not been published, given the time that has lapsed, while the principles are still relevant the legislation, IT systems and costs referred to are significantly out of date and publication would be of trifle value.
With the advent of a shared service arrangement, a single system will be in place.
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