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15 Dec 2008 : Column 323W—continued
Farmers: Markets
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has commissioned on the effects of farmers’ markets on (a) producers and (b) consumers. [241706]
Jane Kennedy: In recent years DEFRA has commissioned general research relating to regional and local food and these studies have examined the impacts of farmers markets on both producers and consumers. A recent example of such a study is research carried out for DEFRA by the University of Plymouth entitled, “Understanding of Consumer Attitudes and Actual Purchasing Behaviour, with Reference to Local and Regional Foods”. A copy of this report can be found on the DEFRA website.
Hazardous Substances: Waste Disposal
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much hazardous waste was sent to landfill in each of the last three years. [240892]
Jane Kennedy: The amount of hazardous waste landfilled in each of the last three years was:
| Tonnes | |
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for the management of hazardous waste; and if he will make a statement. [241710]
Jane Kennedy: Government set out the detailed arisings, trends and projections on hazardous waste in Waste Strategy for England 2007 (annex C9). The document includes an analysis of facility needs for England in order to cope with changes in legislation affecting the management of hazardous waste. That analysis identified priority needs for certain facilities, which continue to exist. We are working closely with the Environment Agency and the waste sector to help develop a more detailed picture of facility needs and to develop the strategy to help realise those facilities.
Horse Racing: Animal Breeding
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the number of thoroughbred horses which may be bred by the racing industry; and if he will make a statement. [243017]
Jane Kennedy: We have no plans to bring forward such proposals.
Horses: Artificial Insemination
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many frozen semen straws from the Hannoverian stallion (Weltmeyer 31-44035-84) have been imported since 1 January 1989; and how many such straws have been checked by an Agricultural Development Advisory Service vet. [240690]
Jane Kennedy: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Livestock: Disease Control
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for research on farm animal diseases in each of the last five years. [241475]
Jane Kennedy: The figures for DEFRA funding for research on farm animal diseases over the last five years are as follows:
| £ million | |
Figures taken from records held within the DEFRA Animal Health and Welfare Evidence Base Unit.
Livestock: Transport
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the six-day movement rule for farm livestock. [241479]
Jane Kennedy: In 2003, an extensive cost benefit analysis into movement standstills demonstrated the significant benefits of standstill regimes in reducing both the size and cost of a disease outbreak. These conclusions remain valid. Standstills confer significant protection when disease is present but undetected. It would not be desirable to remove this protection from the livestock industry.
This is a devolved issue and while we in DEFRA have no plans to review the standstill. The Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament would need to be consulted to determine the position in Wales and Scotland.
Packaging: Recycling
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many companies have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of being in breach of the Producer Responsibility Obligation (Packaging Waste) Regulations. [240921]
Jane Kennedy: Since the implementation of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations in 1998 there have been around 375 successful prosecutions in the UK.
In 2007, the last compliance year, there were 62 successful prosecutions in England and Wales resulting in fines of over £700,000. There were no prosecutions in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Pet Travel Scheme
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) European Union Commissioners on the pet movement derogation and its expiry date in June 2010. [241477]
Jane Kennedy: My Department has held a number of meetings with other Government Departments, the Commission and other member states regarding pet movement controls and are planning to have further discussions with the Commission in the new year.
Recycling
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to increase levels of processing of material awaiting recycling. [240885]
Jane Kennedy: The UK's performance in increasing recycling and reducing reliance on landfill has improved significantly in recent years. We have also seen increased demand for recyclable materials for developing economies, reflected in the unprecedented rise in the value of these materials earlier this year. Demand and prices for some materials have now dropped significantly and we want to ensure that this does not undermine public confidence in the value of recycling, nor lead to unacceptable environmental consequences. Indeed, resource efficiency and waste prevention are even more important during the economic downturn.
On 5 December, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) launched a new advice forum for local authorities to help them deal with lower prices and weaker demand for recyclable materials.
Recovered materials are still a valuable resource and, as with other commodities, prices can rise or fall sharply. Even in the current climate, not all commodities are affected. The price paid for glass, for example, continues to remain stable. Despite weaker markets for some recovered materials, WRAP research shows there is still strong demand for many higher quality recyclable materials. While demand for some lower quality recycled materials (e.g. mixed plastic trays, tubs, and pots) has dropped, there is still capacity and demand for other higher quality recyclables with low levels of contamination (such as plastic bottles and glass).
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of prevailing market conditions within the recycling industry on (a) levels of waste treatment and (b) waste storage capacity. [242704]
Jane Kennedy: The UK’s performance in increasing recycling and reducing reliance on landfill has improved significantly in recent years. We have also seen increased demand for recyclable materials for developing economies, reflected in the unprecedented rise in the value of these materials earlier this year. Demand and prices for some materials have now dropped significantly and we want to ensure that this does not undermine public confidence in the value of recycling, or lead to unacceptable environmental consequences. Indeed, resource efficiency and waste prevention are even more important during the economic downturn.
On 5 December, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) launched a new advice forum for local authorities to help them deal with lower prices and weaker demand for recyclable materials.
Recovered materials are still a valuable resource and, as with other commodities, prices can rise or fall sharply. Even in the current climate, not all commodities are affected. The price paid for glass, for example, continues to remain stable. Despite weaker markets for some recovered materials, WRAP research shows there is still strong demand for many higher quality recyclable materials. While demand for some lower quality recycled materials (e.g. mixed plastic trays, tubs, and pots) has dropped, there is still capacity and demand for other higher quality recyclables with low levels of contamination (such as plastic bottles and glass).
WRAP and the Environment Agency are monitoring current levels of waste storage by local authorities and waste management companies. The situation is dynamic. There has been no marked increase in requests for additional temporary storage of waste. WRAP and the Environment Agency will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Textiles: Waste Disposal
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statistics his Department holds on the amount of textile waste (a) recycled and (b) sent to landfill in each of the last five years. [240889]
Jane Kennedy: The following table details the amount of textiles waste from household sources recycled in England since 2003-04. This is likely to underestimate household textile recycling, as some will be recorded as co-mingled waste. No reliable data are currently available for textile waste sent to landfill.
| Recycled textiles | |
| Thousand tonnes | |
| (1) Contains a small amount of municipally collected textiles from non-household sources. Source: WasteDataFlow. | |
Waste Management: Fly Tipping
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to allow landowners to take fly-tipped waste to local authority waste management facilities; and if he will make a statement; [243073]
(2) what steps he is taking to help landowners deal with fly-tipped waste on private land; [243074]
(3) whether he plans to give (a) local authorities and (b) the Environment Agency an increased role in dealing with fly-tipped waste on private land. [243075]
Jane Kennedy: Landowners may dispose of waste at local authority waste management facilities but will often be charged for disposal given that it is not household waste. We have no plans to impose a new, unfunded burden on local authorities by obliging them to accept fly-tipped waste free of charge.
DEFRA is this year funding the Environment Agency to work with major landowner organisations on the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group. The Landowner Partnership Programme aims to quantify the extent of fly-tipping on private land and, through the dissemination of best practice techniques, reduce the financial impact of waste crime on private landowners.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, columns 487-9W, on compensation, of the 53 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, how many registered a claim for compensation; and of those who registered claims, what the (a) 10th, (b) 25th, (c) 50th, (d) 75th and (e) 90th percentiles were for the length of time from injury to registration. [243179]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Of the 53 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, 42 personnel have subsequently made a claim for compensation as at 13 November 2008.
The following table presents the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles for the distribution of time, in days, from the date of injury to the date on which compensation claims were registered with the Service Personnel and Veterans' Agency.
| Percentiles for the distribution of time, in days, from injury to registration for seriously injured personnel | |
| Percentile | Days |
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, columns 487-9W, on compensation, of the 41 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, how many registered a claim for compensation; and of those who registered claims, what the (a) 10th, (b) 25th, (c) 50th, (d) 75th and (e) 90th percentiles were for the length of time from injury to registration. [243180]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Of the 41 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, 38 personnel have subsequently made a claim for compensation as at 13 November 2008.
The following table presents the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles for the distribution of time, in days, from the date of injury to the date on which compensation claims were registered with the Service Personnel and Veterans' Agency.
| Percentiles for the distribution of time, in days, from injury to registration for very seriously injured personnel | |
| Percentile | Days |
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