| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Jan 2009 : Column 706W—continued
http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/reports/cat09/0807301054 _DD3_mapsrep2006_v2.pdf.
These reports also contain a map showing the location and extent of the UK agglomeration and non-agglomeration zones.
The model used to produce these reports is also used to provide projections of future air quality. This is a complex process and is generally only carried out in response to specific policy needs. In predicting future air quality, a "baseline" is constructed to show what effect currently planned measures and policies will have on air quality. Such a baseline has been prepared for 2010, 2011 and 2012 for PM10 and NO2, to support potential applications for time extensions for these pollutants, allowed under the 2008 directive, for compliance with the limit values. A consultation on the application for PM10 will be published shortly; it is planned to initiate a consultation on the application for NO2 towards the end of 2009. One of the outputs from this baseline is an assessment of the agglomeration and non-agglomeration zones predicted to contain locations where the air quality is above the relevant limit value level.
For NO2, the limit value is predicted to be exceeded in all but three zones in England in 2010, all but four in 2011 and all but five in 2012. The zones in compliance are predicted to be Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton, Blackpool Urban Area, and Preston Urban Area in 2010, additionally Bournemouth Urban Area in 2011, and additionally Coventry/Bedworth in 2012.
The outcome of the baseline assessment for PM10 was that two zones—Greater London and the West Midlands were predicted to be in exceedence in 2010, reducing to one (Greater London) in 2011 and 2012. The extent of the predicted exceedence in 2011 was a total 40km of roads, mainly in central London. However, the baseline assessment had not taken into account all of the traffic and transport measures planned for implementation by the Greater London Authority and Transport for London. Nor did the assessment use the
more accurate traffic growth projections prepared by Transport for London for the London area, relying instead on national data. Sensitivity analysis including these measures reduced the total road length exceeding to around 6km, which is well within the uncertainties of the model. Using this additional analysis, there is no exceedence predicted for 2012.
Birds: Nature Conservation
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of strengthening controls on the sale of those non-CITES species of birds removed from Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. [252762]
Huw Irranca-Davies: All non-CITES species of birds removed from Schedule 4 are subject to the sales controls provided in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The removal of certain species from Schedule 4 has not affected the fact that it will remain an offence to possess or sell a wild bird that has been illegally taken.
British Waterways Board: Finance
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether the £5 million spending on the infrastructure of British Waterways announced in the pre-Budget report will be included in the allocation for British Waterways for 2010-11; [251696]
(2) what budget his Department plans to provide for British Waterways in 2010-11. [251697]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The £5 million brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 is a movement of indicative budget from one year to another and will not be double-counted. Final allocations for the constituent parts of the DEFRA budget for 2010-11 have not yet been made. The intention is to agree 2010-11 budgets by the spring of 2009.
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of British Waterways' projected funding shortfall for 2010-11 in relation to the funding requirement identified by the steady state model. [252092]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA is working with British Waterways to agree a sustainable and affordable strategy for the waterways in order to get the best public benefits from the resources available.
The KPMG report published in September last year concluded that British Waterways has a significant funding gap in relation to the requirements of the steady state model. This has led to a review by British Waterways into its overall funding and initiatives to raise more income from a variety of sources and to see additional efficiencies and savings in its expenditure. These will feed into its consultation on future strategy later this year. We will discuss with British Waterways the conclusions of its review and its implications for future strategy and funding requirements for its waterways.
Carbon Emissions: Water
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from (a) industrial, (b) commercial and (c) agricultural uses of water; what steps he is taking to reduce levels of carbon dioxide emissions from heavily intensive water usage in each sector; and if he will make a statement. [251692]
Huw Irranca-Davies: A carbon footprint for the UK water industry was published for the first time in 2008 in “Future Water”, the Government’s water strategy for England. The industry emits around five million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year, as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). There are no separate figures for different end-uses, however, the non-domestic sector that includes the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors is estimated to use 23 per cent. of the public water supply. The industrial sector also uses significant quantities of direct abstractions but it is difficult to estimate the associated carbon emissions due to variability in the extent of treatment and in pumping distances.
The Carbon Reduction Commitment will bring about reductions in carbon emissions from across the economy, including from the water industry. In addition, we have received a commitment from Water UK that the water companies will seek to ensure that at least 20 per cent. of all energy used by the UK water industry comes from renewable sources by 2020.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contracts to which his Department is a party continue beyond 1 July 2010. [242150]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department is compiling this information for publication in its departmental report for 2009, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House. The report is published normally in May of the named year.
Departmental Correspondence
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department’s average response time to a letter received from (a) an hon. Member and (b) a member of the public was in each of the last three years. [251440]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members correspondence. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008, Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Information for 2008 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it is ready. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
The 2008 DEFRA Departmental Report contains the 2006 and 2007 performance figures for the handling of all types of correspondence. The 2009 report will contain the figures for 2008 and will be published as soon as it is ready. The report can be found on the DEFRA website.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) external contractors and (b) other non-departmental staff were employed by his Department in London in each of the last five financial years; and at what cost were such staff employed in each year. [251074]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Information on how many external contractors and other non-departmental staff were engaged by the core-Department in London and their costs in each of the last five financial years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The core-Department’s expenditure on consultancy and professional services for the financial years 2003-04 through to 2007-08 is set out in the following table.
| Expenditure | |||||
| £ million | |||||
| Category | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Departmental Official Residences
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 9 October 2008, Official Report, columns 727-28W, on departmental official residences, whether the council tax bills for departmental residential accommodation are paid from departmental funds; and what his Department’s policy is on responsibility for paying charges for the collection of household waste associated with the property. [252210]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department has a limited number of dwellings used to accommodate key workers. These premises are usually let on formal tenancies which require the occupiers to discharge council tax among the usual occupational outgoings.
With regard to a policy for the responsibility for paying charges for the collection of household waste, this is yet to be considered. However as an occupier cost it would not be unreasonable for any such charges to be borne by the occupiers.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in his Department attended at least one such training course. [252267]
Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally, there is no vendor ‘Internet Advertising Bureau’ registered on the core-Department’s financial system.
Departmental Travel
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure his Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each of the last five years. [251878]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 5W. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the ‘Ministerial Code’.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in his Department have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £700. [249139]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department strives to answer all parliamentary questions with the relevant information as accurately and as concisely as possible having regard to the disproportionate cost threshold. The Department does not keep records of occasions on which Ministers have used their discretion to overrule the application of the cost threshold.
Floods: Lancashire
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether Lancashire county council has bid for funding to protect against future flooding. [247015]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has received no bids for funding from Lancashire county council this financial year and the council has not applied for funding for the resilience grants pilots.
Lancashire, as a county, benefited from grant funding from the resilience grants pilot project through the Sunderland point pilot. This was run by Lancaster city council in collaboration with the Environment Agency from 2007 to 2008, with a project with a budget of £110,000. The results of this work are available in a report on the DEFRA website.
Floods: Montgomeryshire
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects of flooding on the Pylon development scheme in Kerry, Montgomeryshire; and if he will make a statement. [251614]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Flooding in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
Rodents
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish the latest English Condition Survey data on rodent presence in domestic dwellings. [252402]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department has published on its website the latest report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Key findings are that the occurrences of rats inside and outside properties in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the size of the rat population in the country. [252640]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department does not hold data on the size of the UK rat population. However, the latest report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04 is now available on DEFRA’s website. Key findings are that the occurrences of rats inside and outside properties in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
Water Charges
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has made an impact assessment of new site area-based charges for surface drainage on (a) sports clubs, (b) churches and (c) other voluntary groups. [252621]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Ofwat, the independent economic regulator for the water industry, is responsible for approving charging schemes. The Government are aware of the affordability issues faced by some customers as a result of the switch from charging based on rateable value to site area and are currently reviewing their position.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |