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24 Nov 2008 : Column 838W—continued
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's expenditure was on (a) hospitality and entertainment, (b) advertising and promotion, (c) consultants, (d) photography, (e) media training, (f) media monitoring, (g) foreign language services, (h) hotel accommodation, (i) external legal advice, (j) recruitment and (k) public affairs in each year since 2001. [233592]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The departmental report, published annually, contains much helpful information on DEFRA's expenditure and I refer the hon. Member in particular to Chapter 9: Better Regulation and Corporate Services and Chapter 10: Defra's Delivery Partners, of the 2008 report. Copies of previous departmental reports are held in the Library of the House.
Departmental Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on maintaining his Departmental website in the latest year for which figures are available. [231941]
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of maintaining his Department's website was in 2007-08; and what the forecast costs for maintaining his Department's websites are in 2008-09. [233249]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
Direct operating costs—the staff costs for the central team with lead responsibility for updating and maintaining websites—are estimated to be around £330,000 for the financial year 2007-08 and about £340,000 for the current financial year. Additional costs arise from the activities of staff in business units across the Department, contributing to the content of websites, but the cost for this could not be readily calculated. Website hosting services—as well as a range
of IT applications—are provided as part of DEFRA's overall IT service provision and the costs could not be readily disaggregated.
Departmental Lost Property
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) equipment and (b) data was lost by his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [231444]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has recorded 15 personal data related incidents in its 2007-08 Departmental Report published on 19 May 2008. All involved the loss of laptop computers.
Since then, a number of initiatives have been—and will continue to be—introduced, aimed at improving the safety of data assets and raise security awareness. This includes encryption rolled out as part of an IT Renew programme, guidance about protecting data (in on-line and paper form) and a project to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government.
Departmental Offices
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on office removal contracts in each of the last three years. [236747]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 17 November 2008]: DEFRA office removal contract expenditure covering the last three financial years:
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Departmental Older Workers
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people recruited by his Department in 2007-08 were aged over (a) 55 years and (b) 60 years; and what percentage this represented of the number of new recruits in each case. [235246]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In 2007-08, DEFRA (excluding the Executive Agencies) recruited eight staff who were over 55 years of age and fewer than five staff who were over 60 years of age, which represented 2.8 per cent. and 0. per cent. respectively of all new recruits in the period.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Devizes of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 162W, on departmental public participation, what outcomes resulted from the citizens' jury meeting held with 15 people from Devon in November 2007; and if he will make a statement on the Department's plans for citizens' juries. [231323]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 28 October 2008]: A Citizen's jury was formed as part of a three-year research and development project funded under the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme, lead by the research councils and with supporting funds from DEFRA.
The project was aimed at determining risks associated with pollution of water courses in the Taw river catchment, Devon, from microbes arising from livestock farming.
With the specific scientific aim of gaining insight into the public's attitudes and responses to the risks posed to water quality by these microbes, the jury was made up of 15 people from Devon. It was constituted to address:
defining and attributing responsibilities for water course pollution from the livestock farming sector;
assigning responsibilities to specific stakeholders on reducing the risk of microbial pollution from livestock farming; and
the efficacy of specific policy measures to reduce the risk of pollution from livestock farming.
Within the context of a much wider programme of research, the jury's findings contributed to informing scientific recommendations supporting potential policy options in reducing water course pollution, compatible with current farming practices.
Citizen juries are one of the research tools available to scientists seeking to gain further insight into the behavioural responses to proposed policy measures, in this instance into potential options to reduce water course pollution. They provide valuable scientific information into the efficacy of proposed options in advance of formulation and implementation. As such they provide an option, of many, for engaging public perceptions of science across research and development programmes. Within the framework of well-defined scientific programmes, they will continue to be convened on a specific needs basis only.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 17 September 2008, Official Report, column 2231W, on departmental public participation, what the timetable is for the Navigator study to be completed. [235047]
Jane Kennedy: It is anticipated that the executive summary of the Navigator study will be completed early next year.
Departmental Public Relations
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of (a) entertainment, (b) advertising and promotion and (c) public relations consultancy to his Department in 2007-08. [228152]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The core Department holds no information centrally on the expenditure categories of (a) entertainment (b) advertising and promotion and (c) public relations consultancy. It could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Surveillance
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 most recent inspection report of his Department by the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner. [234988]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The last report on DEFRA by the Office of Surveillance Commissioner (OSC) was in May 2008. As the report includes sensitive information on the areas and use of covert investigation techniques under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), including the resources available, it would be inappropriate to place the report in the Library.
The Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Service Commissioner, who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA, publish annual reports. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports for use of specific covert techniques are not broken down by individual public authority. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.
Departmental Television
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the television licence fee in his official Ministerial residence is paid for from public funds. [233243]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) does not have an official ministerial residence.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years. [229085]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The totality of this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department publishes in its annual departmental report information on its expenditure for consultancy and professional services, which includes temporary staff. I refer the hon. Member to Chapter 9 of the 2008 Report: ‘Better Regulation and Corporate Services’.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have introduced weekly organic waste collections for households (a) across their locality and (b) as pilot schemes. [235061]
Jane Kennedy: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average cost per household to local waste collection authorities of domestic waste collection with (a) a weekly and (b) an alternate weekly frequency. [235091]
Jane Kennedy: No such estimate has been made.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 6 November 2008, Official Report, columns 654-56W, on domestic waste, what (a) financial incentives will be available to and (b) financial penalties will be imposed on local authorities if they meet or fail to meet the targets for reducing residual household waste. [236036]
Jane Kennedy: There are no financial incentives available to, or financial penalties imposed on, local authorities if they meet or fail to meet their agreed targets for reducing residual household waste.
Many local areas have adopted their own targets around waste management, recycling and street cleanliness. Details of individual agreements are available publicly from the CLG website, IDeA website or from local authorities.
Domestic Wastes
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 743-45, on the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which of the authorities and partnerships listed in the Answer have been allocated funding to assist with the introduction or implementation of alternate weekly collections. [232588]
Jane Kennedy: None of the authorities and partnerships listed have been allocated funding specifically for the introduction or implementation of alternate weekly collections. The Waste and Resources Action Programme's funding for local authorities was designed to help them improve the performance of, and increase levels of public participation in, their recycling and composting services. Funding has been awarded to a large number of local authorities, running a variety of waste collection schemes. In each case, the purpose was to support the local authority's delivery and communication of its strategy for improving recycling rates. What this strategy was in each case, and whether or not it involved the introduction of alternate weekly collection of residual waste, was a matter for the local authority to decide.
Domestic Wastes: Contracts
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 1 September 2008, Official Report, column 1487W, on domestic wastes: contracts, what the timetable is for the peer review of WR0106 and for the completion of WR0506. [235005]
Jane Kennedy: The peer review for WR0106: Achieving Household Waste Prevention Through Service Systems, is now complete. The final report for WR0506: Benefits of Third Sector Involvement in Waste Management, is due to be submitted to DEFRA by the end of November 2008.
Dorneywood
James Duddridge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the
Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008, Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use his Department has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months. [221931]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 October 2008, Official Report, columns 90-91W, by my hon. Friend the Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson).
Fishing Catches
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the fish catch in EU waters was discarded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [234367]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Information on the scale of such discards is not currently available.
Since 2002 all EU countries have been required to collect data on discarding under Council Regulation 1543/2000, but the information is not yet compiled systematically. Quantities of discards are estimated quarterly using data collected by scientific observers aboard commercial fishing vessels. They are required to record the quantity landed and discarded, and the species and size composition of the discards each time the fishing gear is hauled. Deploying scientific observers in this manner is expensive and time consuming, with the result that it is usually only possible to sample a small proportion of the overall fishing trips in a given area. As a result, it is necessary to extrapolate from the limited sampling to provide estimates for the entire fleet. Although the sampling is intended to cover a representative sample of the fleet, this does mean that the estimates of total discards are subject to uncertainty.
However, it is clear that in order to more effectively manage discard activity, it is essential that full and accurate data is available for all fisheries, and we continue to press the Commission to ensure this is delivered by member states.
Flood Control
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many miles of flood defences will be abandoned if the proposed catchment management plans proceed. [235104]
Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency have now completed 55 out of 68 Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) for England. Within each CFMP, long term flood risk policies have been assigned to geographical areas.
Each geographical area is referred to as a policy unit and across England and Wales there are approximately 860. In 38 of these, the flood risk management policy option will be to provide no active intervention. In practice this means that the Environment Agency will continue to monitor flood risk, but will not carry out maintenance on watercourses and defences. Flood risk in these areas is relatively low and the policy reflects the current practice of low intervention to manage risk.
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