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17 Nov 2008 : Column 99W—continued
Maps: Environment Agency
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the area of (a) England and (b) Wales has been mapped by the Environment Agency using light detection and ranging technology. [231308]
Jane Kennedy: 51 per cent. of the total area of England and 66 per cent. of the total area of Wales has been mapped using light detection and ranging.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Environment Agency spent on using light detection and ranging technology to prepare flood maps in (a) each region of England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years. [231309]
Jane Kennedy: Environment Agency expenditure on light detection and ranging surveys for flood mapping is as follows:
| £000 | |||
| Region | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 |
Milk: Prices
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what forecast he has made of trends in the future price of milk; and whether he has assessed the likely effects of falling prices in Northern Ireland. [233872]
Jane Kennedy: Farmgate milk prices are determined by a number of factors, including the time of year; exchange rates; prices of dairy commodities prices on world and community markets; supply and demand; the value of the product mix; and for some contracts, production costs are taken into account.
With production in its seasonal trough, farmgate prices are likely to have reached the peak of this cycle. As production increases towards the spring, farmgate prices will fall. How far and fast they will fall will depend on the adjustments needed to the downside of the commodity cycle. Prices for products such as butter and milk powders are currently falling on EU and world markets. The global economic downturn is also likely to have an impact on dairy commodity prices and demand. In time, this will feed through to farmgate prices. However, because of exchange rates and the large liquid milk market in Great Britain, the full effects of the downturn in commodity markets are unlikely to be fed through into farmgate prices.
The exception is Northern Ireland, which is more reliant on the trade in commodity products than the rest of the UK. Northern Irish producers are therefore the first to benefit from increasing commodity prices and the first to experience falling farmgate prices as commodity prices weaken.
Looking to the longer term, prices will recover as demand increases. However, farmgate prices are likely to become more volatile in future as the market is further deregulated.
Oil: Waste Management
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 178W, on oil: waste management, what measures are in place to give priority to the regeneration of waste oil above its combustion; [232287]
(2) what assessment he has made of the implications of the European Court of Justice ruling in Case No. C-424/02, European Commission v United Kingdom for the UK’s management of waste oil; and if he will make a statement. [232288]
Jane Kennedy: The European Court of Justice in its judgment of 15 July 2004 in case C-424/02 found that the UK had failed to take the measures necessary to give priority to the processing of waste oils by regeneration to fulfil the requirement in the Waste Oils Directive (75/439/EEC as amended). However, since that time a revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD) has been developed which repeals the Waste Oils Directive, and includes a revised waste hierarchy. The text of the revised WFD was adopted by the Environment Council of Ministers on 20 October 2008, and following its publication in the Official Journal, the UK and other member states will have two years to transpose its requirements.
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the rate of duty to apply to waste derived fuel oil from 1 November on the achievement of complete recovery of waste oil to produce product equivalent fuel. [232290]
Jane Kennedy: The Government have considered the effects of the rate of duty on the management of waste oil as a whole.
In applying for a renewal of the derogation on waste oil reused as fuel, the Government were concerned about the impact of ending the derogation at a time when the future of the waste oil market was uncertain. This was due to the introduction of the EC Waste Incineration Directive and the review of the EC Waste Framework Directive. It was also felt that the benefits to be gained from ending the derogation would be disproportionate to the compliance and administrative costs involved.
The UK is required to impose duty on waste oils reused as fuel and the duty rate to be applied is consistent with the relevant EU Directive.
The Government’s assessment of the revenue and administrative cost implications is set out in the “Impact Assessment of the implementation of the Energy Products Directive (EPD) on the use of waste oils reused as fuel”, published on 20 February 2008.
Recycling
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether materials for recycling collected from municipal (a) litter bins and (b) recycling bins will count toward targets for domestic recycling. [235117]
Jane Kennedy: Materials collected for recycling from municipal litter bins and recycling bins by, or on behalf of, a local authority will count towards its household recycling targets.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided on recycling in an office environment. [235141]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 9 October 2008, Official Report, column 752W.
Waste and Resources Action Programme: Manpower
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many press, communications and marketing staff are employed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme. [232801]
Jane Kennedy: The Waste and Resources Action Programme employs a staff of 26 working on press, communications and marketing. Five staff work in the press team, four staff supporting its websites, 10 marketing officers, three people on the Love Food Hate Waste campaign and three on its Recycle Now campaign. These staff are led by a Director of Communications.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will remove from registered charities any liability to pay waste charges under the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992. [233703]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 6 November 2008]: DEFRA is currently considering whether Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations is due for review. Any such review would consider the position of charities in relation to this legislation.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2008, Official Report, column 757W, on waste disposal: fees and charges, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Flycapture Enforcement Course module on the issuing of fixed penalty notices for waste offences. [235114]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Joan Ruddock) on 14 January 2008, Official Report, column 858W.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the selection or designation of the pilot authorities for pilot waste incentive schemes for the collection of household waste will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. [235147]
Jane Kennedy: The Government will select pilot areas on the basis of the criteria set out in the guidance on application and designation.
Waste Disposal: Fines
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the maximum fixed penalty fine is that can be levied by a waste collection authority against a household for a waste disposal offence. [235133]
Jane Kennedy: The maximum fixed penalty fine that can be levied by a waste collection authority for a breach of section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 is £110.
Waste Disposal: Offices
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 9 October 2008, Official Report, columns 751-53W, on waste disposal: offices, what advice or guidance has been provided to firms in relation to removing or reducing the number of residual waste bins in office environments. [232592]
Jane Kennedy: The DEFRA funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) does not make any specific comments on reducing or removing residual waste bins in offices. WRAP does suggest putting recycling bins where material arises, eg positioning paper recycling bins near photocopiers. WRAP also recommends that bins are clearly labelled by material types.
Waste Management
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates his Department’s Advisory Group on Joint Waste Authorities has met to date; and what the membership of the group is. [235072]
Jane Kennedy: The Advisory Group on Joint Waste Authorities met on 12 November 2007, 9 January 2008, 13 February 2008, 30 April 2008, 29 July 2008 and 17 September 2008.
The membership of the Advisory Group consists of individuals from organisations and local authorities with experience of joint working and improving efficiency in provision of local authority waste services, who provide DEFRA with knowledge and expertise.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued on the replacement by waste collection authorities of stolen waste receptacles for household waste. [235073]
Jane Kennedy: No such guidance has been issued by either DEFRA or the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report commissioned for his Department entitled Municipal Waste Management Strategies and the Land Use Planning System for Waste in England - A Report to DEFRA and ODPM. [235090]
Jane Kennedy: I am arranging for a copy of the Department’s report entitled Municipal Waste Management Strategies and the Land Use Planning System for Waste in England - A Report to DEFRA and ODPM to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) his Department, (b) the Environment Agency and (c) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided
support to local authority schemes for recruiting volunteers to monitor local environmental quality. [235116]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA part-funds ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns) who provide advice and can offer training on how community groups can help to clean up their local areas and link with others interested in improving local environmental quality, for example through the 'Big Tidy Up' campaign. Local authorities have a statutory requirement to monitor and report on the cleanliness of their area but community groups may be able to assist authorities in fulfilling this obligation.
The Environment Agency and WRAP have not provided any support.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department has received on making joint waste authorities precepting authorities. [235134]
Jane Kennedy: The Government did not consult on this specifically and our position remains that Joint Waste Authorities will not have precepting powers. Precepting was raised by a number of respondents to the recent consultation on draft regulations and guidance for proposals for Joint Waste Authorities. In addition the issue has been raised by stakeholders as part of wider informal discussions.
Water Supply
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire of 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1998-9W, on water supply, what the titles are of the research reports and studies undertaken by the Environment Agency on household water use. [235003]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
As set out in my previous answer there are a series of studies that have been undertaken by various different organisations, including the Environment Agency, into water consumption in the UK. Some of these studies are in the public domain, others, which include commercially sensitive data, are not. Environment Agency reports include; “The Environment Agency’s advice to Ministers on the final water resources plans submitted by water companies as part of the 2004 periodic review”. This was published July 2004 and available to download from;
http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/pdf/GEHO 0704BLUV-e-e.pdf?lang=_e
In developing the water consumption levels set out in the Code for Sustainable Homes, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) also used information and data that were published in Environment Agency’s report titled “Assessing the cost of compliance with the code for sustainable homes”.
This was published January 2007 and available to download from;
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