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9 Oct 2008 : Column 721W—continued
Departmental Information
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what types of data have been sold by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months. [221941]
Hilary Benn: Core information produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and its agencies can be re-used free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
Neither DEFRA, nor its agencies, have sold any data or information under these Regulations in the last 12 months.
Departmental Official Residences
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided. [221936]
Hilary Benn: The Department currently holds 14 residential dwellings available for use by civil servants employed within the Department. The residential accommodation comprises houses, flats and shared residences.
With the exception of a single dwelling in Reading, the accommodation (13 units) is situated at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency research complex in Weybridge.
The provision of residential accommodation forms part of the Veterinary Laboratory Agency's key worker policy developed to support the ongoing research.
The majority of staff currently residing in Department held accommodation are at higher executive and executive officer grades, however accommodation is allocated subject to availability and based upon business need.
Departmental Public Relations
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have been seconded to public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in each of the last five years. [222201]
Hilary Benn: The numbers of staff that have been seconded out of DEFRA and its agencies to public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in the last five years are shown in the following table:
| Number | |
The available data do not split the numbers between DEFRA and its agencies.
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies have been seconded to (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [222202]
Hilary Benn: The following number of staff have been seconded to DEFRA and its agencies from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in the last five years:
| Number | |
The available data do not split the numbers between DEFRA and its agencies.
Departmental Surveillance
James Duddridge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications (a) his Department and (b) its agencies
have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months. [221950]
Hilary Benn: Figures on public authority use of covert investigation techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Service Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.
I can confirm that DEFRA does not have the power to apply for or conduct intrusive surveillance.
Dolphins
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has commissioned on the (a) stranding and (b) death of dolphins in the last three years; and what plans he has to commission further such research. [223971]
Hilary Benn: For over 15 years, the Government have funded studies by the Natural History Museum and Institute of Zoology on trends in cetacean strandings and causes of death around the UK coastline.
Strandings data are obtained and reported by the Natural History Museum in partnership with the Institute of Zoology and Scottish Agricultural College and Marine Environmental Monitoring. Annual reports of the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) are available on the DEFRA website at:
Under this research contract, not only are all stranded animals recorded, but post-mortem examinations are carried out on some of the animal carcasses to establish the exact cause of death. Abundance estimates tell us populations of studied cetaceans in UK waters have not changed significantly over the past 10 years.
The research conducted under this contract was renewed last April and runs until 2010 at a cost of over £1 million.
From 2000 to date, the UK has put over £2 million into researching by-catch mitigation measures and monitoring by-catch on vessels through observers, to try to identify those fisheries responsible for high levels of cetacean by-catch, and mitigation measures that are effective at deterring cetaceans over the long-term and are safe and cost-effective for the industry.
DEFRA has implemented a comprehensive system of by-catch monitoring under the requirements of the EC habitats directive and under Council Regulation 812/2004. The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) produces annual reports on this research for DEFRA (which are also available on the website). Furthermore,
SMRU has recently undertaken research on behalf of DEFRA into the effects of a new design of acoustic deterrent device (‘pingers’) on porpoise and dolphin distribution. These ‘super-pingers’ are larger, and therefore, fewer devices are required, reducing deployment problems. We hope to have more details on the efficacy of these new pingers by spring 2009.
In addition to this work, SMRU has also undertaken a by-catch mitigation research project, which has been looking at:
Providing updated estimates of marine mammal by-catch for all relevant fishery sectors through analysis of fleet effort data; existing by-catch rate data; and through further monitoring of UK fisheries as determined under the UK’s Small Cetacean by-catch Response Strategy;
Investigating the impact of by-catch and other indirect effects of UK fisheries on marine mammal populations, and exploring ways of addressing the limits to by-catch from a management perspective; and
Exploring as many research avenues as practicable to search for ways of changing fishing gear design or fishing tactics in order to minimise marine mammal by-catch.
The final report on this research project is expected to be made available publicly by the end of 2008. A new research contract on this issue has recently been agreed with SMRU and will run until April 2011.
Domestic Waste: Recycling
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average time per year spent by a household in sorting and recycling rubbish. [224311]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 6 October 2008]: No such estimate has been made.
Domestic Waste: Waste Management
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have reinstated weekly collections of residual household rubbish in the last 12 months (a) in whole and (b) in part for summer months according to records held by (i) his Department and (ii) the Waste and Resources Action Programme. [222870]
Hilary Benn: The information is as follows.
(i) We are aware that the following councils have made changes in the last 12 months:
Blackburn with Darwen council has re-instated weekly collections of residual waste within the last 12 months.
Following trials of an alternate weekly collection service in parts of their districts, East Cambridgeshire council and Rushmoor council have decided to retain weekly collections of refuse.
(ii) Epping Forest—operates alternate weekly collections and has re-instated weekly residual waste collections over the summer months.
Gedling—operates alternate weekly collections and has re-instated weekly residual waste collections over the summer months (June-September).
This summer City of Lincoln re-instated, on a trial basis, a weekly collection of residual waste in the areas of the city that receive an alternate weekly collection service.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities plan to end weekly collections of residual household rubbish in the next 12 months, or pilot such policies, according to records held by (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme. [222872]
Hilary Benn: DEFRA and WRAP hold no such records. The records of alternate weekly collections log what collections have taken place, but we do not have a record of local authorities’ prospective plans.
EDF Energy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment. [221843]
Hilary Benn: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. Information on what contracts DEFRA’s agencies have with EDF, and how much those agencies paid to EDF since 2001 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From information held centrally the core-Department’s financial system records the following expenditure profile with EDF:
| £ | |||
| Financial year | EDF Energy | EDF Energy Customer Field Services | EDF Energy Networks |
EU Law
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. [222268]
Hilary Benn: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials. As such, the specific information requested is not held centrally, and to provide it would involve disproportionate costs.
Fisheries: International Co-operation
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of UK fishing in the waters of Western Sahara. [223777]
Hilary Benn: Before the UK signed up to the agreement in 2006, the EU took legal advice from the United Nations. It ruled that the EU Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement was compatible with international law. The sea areas covered by this agreement are identical to those covered by the original agreement which was adopted in 1999.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Joint Committee established under Article 10 of the EU/Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement. [223778]
Hilary Benn: No formal assessment has yet been made of the effectiveness of the Joint Committee set up under the EU Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement. However, officials’ experience of the committee to date suggests that it is a useful way of monitoring the effectiveness of the fisheries agreement with Morocco.
Fisheries: Quotas
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of fixed quota allocation units are held by companies and individuals not directly engaged in fishing activities. [224530]
Hilary Benn: Fixed quota allocation (FQA) units are associated with fishing vessel licences. Given the way the details of fishermen in possession of licences are recorded, it is not possible to accurately determine an individual or company’s holding of FQA units at any given time. Gathering this information would incur disproportionate costs.
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