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28 Jan 2009 : Column 520W—continued
| Summary of RfRs | |
| £000 | |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Badgers
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the badger population in each of the counties of England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [251235]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Surveys of badger populations in Great Britain were undertaken in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. In the mid-1980s the badger population was estimated to be 250,000 badgers and in the mid-1990s a survey estimated the population had increased by 77 per cent.
DEFRA is not aware of any other national surveys which have attempted to estimate badger numbers in each of the counties of England.
DEFRA does not have regional breakdowns of these figures.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of dairy herds in each local authority area are under restrictions following a bovine tuberculosis breakdown. [248789]
Jane Kennedy: Bovine tuberculosis data are only collated on a county or regional basis and therefore it is not possible to break the data down by local authority area or by herd type.
A full county breakdown of TB herd statistics for 1998-2007 is available on the DEFRA website. The latest provisional county and regional statistics for 2008 are also published on the DEFRA website.
Carbon Neutral Newcastle
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants his Department has given to Carbon Neutral Newcastle; on what dates those grants were made; and for what objectives and purposes. [250835]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 27 January 2009]: Carbon Neutral Newcastle set up a charity Carbon Neutral North East to help deliver its objective of making Newcastle the first carbon neutral city in the world. It delivers elements of the city’s climate change strategy, helping people and businesses understand their impact on climate change and providing them with information and support. Carbon Neutral North East also has the wider remit of promoting similar schemes and spreading the low carbon agenda through the north-east.
A grant was made from the Climate Challenge Fund over 2006-07 and 2007-08 to Carbon Neutral North East for a travelling outreach programme using a ‘Climate Dome’. This housed an exhibition about climate change, which brought information to the public throughout the north-east region. The Climate Challenge Fund was part of the Climate Change Communications Initiative granting funding to projects across England to encourage more positive attitudes towards tackling climate change. These projects worked through community-based organisations and other trusted intermediaries and used creative communications.
The dates and amounts of grants were as follows:
| £ | |
2006-07 | 207,746 |
2007-08 | 188,275 |
Total | 396,021 |
I understand this to be the total sum of grants DEFRA made to Carbon Neutral Newcastle. However, officials are still completing their research into the matter, and if any other grants are identified I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Regulations
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations were (a) implemented and (b) revoked by his Department in 2008. [250239]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In 2008, DEFRA completed the making of 87 statutory instruments. Of these two were signed on behalf of the Forestry Commissioners, and one on behalf of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, and two were Orders of the Privy Council.
These statutory instruments revoked 110 enactments, that is to say where all or nearly all of the statutory instrument (or Act in a small number of cases) was revoked.
Flood Control: EC Law
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in implementing the EU Floods Directive; and if he will make a statement. [251111]
Huw Irranca-Davies: We intend to consult on arrangements for implementing the directive in England this spring, alongside the draft Floods and Water Bill.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial and economic impact assessment has been made of the implementation of the EU Floods Directive. [251112]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Impact assessments have been published for many elements of the directive, for example, as part of the Government’s response to Sir Michael Pitt’s Review of the Summer 2007 floods, which was published in December 2008. Further impact assessments will be published whenever measures to implement the directive are proposed or consulted upon. An example of this will be the impact assessment to be published alongside the consultation document for the draft Floods and Water Bill, which we are intending to publish this spring.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the implementation of the EU Floods Directive; what response he made; and if he will make a statement. [251113]
Huw Irranca-Davies: We continue to have discussions with the Environment Agency, the devolved Administrations and other interested parties about the implementation of the directive upon which we shall consult this spring.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Somerset
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plant breeding methods were used to produce the GM-contaminated oilseed rape seeds in Somerset in 2008; [250020]
(2) at what location GM-contaminated oilseed rape seeds were grown in Somerset in 2008; [250021]
(3) whether the variety of GM-contaminated oilseed rape seeds grown in Somerset in 2008 was (a) listed on and (b) awaiting approval for the National List of Varieties; [250022]
(4) what the country of origin was of the GM-contaminated rape seeds grown in Somerset in 2008; [250023]
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