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18 Nov 2008 : Column 310W—continued
Plants: EU Action
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response he has made to the European Parliament's proposals on the draft Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market; and if he will make a statement. [234830]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee adopted its second reading report on 5 November 2008. It contains many amendments, which we are still examining in detail. It is, however, clear that they have moderated the first reading amendments which would have had the greatest impact on the availability of plant protection products.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he is taking to ensure an assessment of the impact of the proposed EU regulation on the placing of plant protection products on the market on the UK ornamental horticulture and gardening industry is made prior to any implementation; and if he will make a statement; [234854]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential impact on UK producers, suppliers and distributors of plant protection products as a consequence of the European Parliament's position on the proposal for a Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. [234856]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Pesticides Safety Directorate is revising its previous impact assessment (published in May 2008) in light of the second reading report adopted by the Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee on 5 November 2008.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the derogation contained in the Council of Ministers’ Common Position of the proposal for a Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market for emergency use of plant protection products for up to five years will continue; and if he will make a statement. [234855]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The United Kingdom will support retention of the derogation during the second reading negotiations with the European Parliament.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the zoning proposals contained in the draft EU Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market; whether he is seeking any changes to these zones; and if he will make a statement. [234857]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The United Kingdom welcomed the concept of zonal authorisation in the Commission’s proposal and supports the compromise provisions adopted as part of the common position of the Agriculture Council in June 2008.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission a further analysis by experts of the proposed zones in regards to the proposed EU Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market; and if he will make a statement. [234858]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The United Kingdom is satisfied with the analysis prepared in 2006 by the Commission for their proposed regulation. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to address the potential impact on the British horticulture industry of the European Parliament’s proposals on substitution contained in its position on the proposed EU Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market; and if he will make a statement. [234859]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Parliament’s first reading report included amendments for identifying and approving candidates for substitution which could ultimately have eliminated a large number of active substances. The Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee adopted its second reading report on the proposed regulation on 5 November 2008. It included modified amendments on candidates for substitution which would allow these substances to remain on the market until replacements were available. Consequently, these provisions would not be expected to have any significant impact on the British horticulture industry.
Property: Forestry Commission
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Forestry Commission has spent on maintaining its properties in each of the last five years. [236513]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 17 November 2008]: The Forestry Commission holds a wide range of property across England including offices, depots, visitor centres, agricultural buildings and domestic properties. The estimated cost of maintaining these over the last five years is:
| £ million | |
Smoking: Departmental Co-ordination
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on the effect of the public smoking ban on levels of (a) noise nuisance and (b) smoking-related litter. [235008]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I have had no discussions with the Department of Health on the effects of the smoking ban on levels of noise nuisance or litter. However, DEFRA and the Department of Health have in place a partnership agreement, a key component of which is a senior official level working group who, along with key delivery partners, provide a framework to improve the quality and appropriateness of the work between the two Departments. The working group held their second meeting in October.
Trade Unions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants in his Department were seconded to work for (a) trades unions and (b) the Trades Union Congress in each year since 2003. [229099]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.
Tuna: Conservation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to suspend bluefin tuna fishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean until such time as the contracting parties to the International Convention on Atlantic Tuna fully comply with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna recommendations on bluefin. [235561]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) takes place in Marrakech from 17-24 November 2008. The UK’s aim at this meeting will be to agree a total allowable catch for blue fin tuna that does not go above the limit recommended by the ICCAT Scientific Committee. In addition we will fully support the EU Commission in seeking enhanced control measures in the fishery including identifying spawning areas and setting a uniform fishing season and minimum landing size. We would hope that enhanced control measures could be agreed and implemented in time for the 2009 fishing season.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the proposed pilot waste incentive schemes for the collection of household waste will include houses in multiple occupation. [235148]
Jane Kennedy:
It will be for local authorities piloting waste incentive schemes to determine which households they wish a proposed waste reduction scheme to cover,
within the legal framework set out in the Climate Change Bill. DEFRA published draft guidance for authorities in the summer, which considers this issue in more detail. We plan to publish the final version after Royal Assent to the Bill.
Waste Management
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates his Department's Waste Incentives Project Board has met to date; and what the membership of the Board is. [235132]
Jane Kennedy: The Waste Incentive Project Board has met on the following dates:
19 December 2007
17 January 2008
29 February 2008
23 April 2008
27 June 2008
14 August 2008
17 October 2008.
The board is comprised of DEFRA officials and representatives of the Local Government Association, Waste and Resources Action Programme, Department of Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relationship there will be between regional waste strategy boards if established and joint waste authorities. [235145]
Jane Kennedy: Regional waste strategy boards are not created under legislation. There is no statutory relationship between them and joint waste authorities. It is anticipated that joint waste authorities will work constructively with regional waste strategy boards, should boards be established.
Water: Fees and Charges
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the remit is of Ofwat in relation to pricing for low income groups; and if he will make a statement. [235658]
Jane Kennedy: Ofwat is the independent economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales
In 1999 Ofwat received guidance from the Secretary of State of the then Department for the Environment, Transport and Regions on protecting vulnerable groups, including those on income related benefits.
In approving charges schemes Ofwat has to have regard to section 2 of the Water Industry Act 1999, which includes a reference to the interests of certain types of customers including those with low incomes.
Home Department
Border and Immigration Agency
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) operations there were in (a) 2007 and (b) the last 10 years; what records her Department maintains on (i) the number of arrests made during BIA operations and (ii) the number of BIA operations which take place during which no arrests are made; what approval from whom is required for BIA operations; what notice an establishment receives before a BIA operation takes place on its premises; what the maximum number of times an establishment may be raided in a 12 month period is; what obligations there are upon the BIA to avoid unnecessary disruption of business activities during its operations; and if she will make a statement. [207175]
Mr. Woolas: Information on how many United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) operations there were in 2007 and in the last 10 years and details of records maintained on the number of arrests made during UKBA operations are set out in the following table.
| Operational activity | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| (1 )Data not recorded prior to 2007-08 | |||
Prior to April 2005 the UKBA did not produce regular reports on numbers of individuals arrested. The data provided are management information. They may be subject to change and do not represent published national statistics.
All UKBA operations are authorised in advance. Operations are grouped into three tiers (lower, middle and upper) and each tier is authorised at a different level. All UKBA operations are intelligence led. There is no limit on the number of times premises can be visited and the UKBA is under no obligation to avoid unnecessary disruption of the employer's business activities during its operations. Officers will always try to ensure that any disruption to members of the public during such operations is kept to a minimum.
Employers can work in co-operation with UKBA. However, in certain cases employers may be reluctant to assist UKBA officials in the identification of illegal workers. In these instances no notice is given and officers are advised to obtain a warrant in order to gain entry to the premises.
Chapter 31.5 of Enforcement Instructions and Guidance details the levels of authority for operations. Chapters 18.6 and 18.7 provide illegal working guidance, Copies of the document are placed in the Library of the House. It is also available to view at:
Departmental Official Visits
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) date, (b) location and (c) purpose was of the meetings she had while in the United States in February 2008; and who attended each meeting. [188841]
Mr. Coaker: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary visited the US from 10 to 12 February 2008. In Washington DC she had meetings with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drugs Enforcement Administration. In New York she met senior New York police officials, and visited the Gangs Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Project.
The meetings were to enhance co-operation and understanding between the UK and the US on issues such as tackling terrorism and organised crime.
She was accompanied on her visit by senior officials from the Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism, the International Directorate, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Press Office and members of her Private Office.
Departmental Pay
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of employees in her Department who received a performance-related bonus at their last appraisal were (a) male, (b) female, (c) from an ethnic minority, (d) disabled and (e) not heterosexual; and if she will make a statement. [208378]
Mr. Woolas: The information required is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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