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17 Mar 2009 : Column 1009W—continued
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which beacon councils have been nominated for recognition of best practice in waste collection in the last 24 months. [262515]
Jane Kennedy: The beacon councils scheme is run by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). Councils apply for beacon status; they are not nominated. The waste theme was run in ‘IDeA round seven’ and beacon status for March 2006 to July 2007 was awarded to 10 councils.
The requested information on successful councils can be found at:
Farmers: Income
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average farm income was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [261355]
Jane Kennedy: Information on the average farm business income and net farm income in England, since 1997 is shown in the table.
| £ | ||
| March to February each year | Average farm business income (per farm) | Average net farm income (per farm) |
| Note: 1. Farm business income is the headline measure of the profitability of farm businesses. It represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and directors and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings. It is not available for years before 2003-04 given the way that data were recorded in earlier years. Source: Farm Business Survey(1) (1) The FBS sample covers businesses with a Standard Labour Requirement (SLR) of at least 0.5, i.e. a size considered sufficient to occupy a farmer for at least half their time. | ||
Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business. It is net of an imputed rental charge on owned land and an imputed charge for other unpaid labour.
Fisheries
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many deep sea fishermen there are in England. [263583]
Huw Irranca-Davies: There is no precise definition of what constitutes a deep sea fisherman, although vessels over 24 metres in length have the capability to fish in such waters. In 2007, there were 104 active English fishing vessels over 24 metres in length with 1,003 full-time and nine part-time fishermen.
Fisheries: Essex
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fisheries officers were based in each principal town in Essex in each of the last three years. [263587]
Huw Irranca-Davies: There has been one fishery officer in Essex, based in Harwich, in each of the last three years.
Fisheries: International Cooperation
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to
the answer of 9 October 2008, Official Report, column 732W, on fisheries: international co-operation, what experience officials have had of the committee to date. [264045]
Huw Irranca-Davies: UK officials have attended these meetings and have found them a useful forum to discuss potential difficulties and agree practical solutions.
Fisheries: Pollution Control
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s policy on minimising pollution from line fishing. [263586]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency (EA) has published a Research and Development report entitled ‘The Impact of Lost and Discarded Fishing Line and Tackle on Mute Swans’ (2002). This showed that around 30 per cent. of all reported swan incidents could be attributed to fishing tackle related injuries. However, between 1996-99 only 3.6 per cent. of swan rescues could be attributed to lead poisoning nationally, a significant decline since the restriction of lead weights was introduced in 1987.
The EA works to maintain public awareness of the legislation and promote responsible techniques in angling to avoid lead and line loss to the environment.
Floods: Canvey Island
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward the timetable for consultation of Canvey residents on plans to flood the west of Canvey Island. [263482]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Thames Estuary 2100 plan considers flood risk management and habitat creation proposals for the whole Thames estuary. It will be released for consultation by the Environment Agency on the 31 March 2009. West Canvey Marshes is one site in the plan and needs to be best considered as part of the wider estuary consultation.
Floods: Greater London
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flood risk management projects (a) in Greater London and (b) on the Essex coastline his Department has identified for implementation. [263588]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency’s Thames estuary 2100 strategic tidal flood risk management plan for the Thames estuary will show what actions are needed to manage flood risk through to the end of the century.
In the Greater London area there are a total of 51 capital flood risk management schemes ongoing or planned to start within the next five years ranging in value from £100,000 to £11.4 million and significantly reducing flood risk to over 72,000 properties.
The major capital schemes taking place in London are:
Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Improvements
Bermondsey and Deptford—Deptford Creek Tidal Frontages
Barking and Dagenham—Tidal Sluice and Pumping Stations
Salmons Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme (Enfield)
Cobbins Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme (Waltham Abbey)
The Environment Agency has a number of flood risk management projects that are at varying stages of implementation on the Essex coast. One scheme that has just been completed is at Jaywick which cost £10 million.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what flood prevention plans are being implemented around the Isle of Dogs. [263589]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency is producing a strategic tidal flood risk management plan for the Thames estuary through to the end of the century—called Thames Estuary 2100. This includes the future management of the Isle of Dogs tidal defences and the Thames Barrier which provide protection to the area.
The Environment Agency has worked to raise awareness of tidal flood risk in the Isle of Dogs and presentations have been provided to members of the business community in Canary Wharf. A flood exercise has been developed for the Financial Services Authority based on a breach in the Canary Wharf area to test emergency plans.
Discussions on tidal flood risk and its impacts on transport in the area have been held with Transport for London, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway, and members of the community have signed up to receive the Environment Agency flood warning service.
Floods: Havering
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to examine flood prevention measures along the River Rom in the London Borough of Havering. [263590]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency will continue to carry out routine maintenance on main rivers in the River Rom catchment to reduce the risk of flooding. Dredging work has recently been carried out on the section of the River Rom downstream of Roneo Corner, Rush Green in Romford.
The Cross Road flood storage area at Collier Row, Romford will continue to be maintained providing upstream attenuation of peak flood flows. This flood storage facility alleviates the risk of flooding to properties within the west Romford area downstream of Collier Row.
The Environment Agency is also implementing several improvement measures which will be carried out to the Cross Road flood storage area during 2010 and 2011 at an estimated overall cost of £620,000. This is to ensure that the current standard of flood alleviation is maintained for the downstream area.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to fund maintenance of the River Rom in the London Borough of Havering. [263591]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The River Rom is a high risk system and in 2008-09 the Environment Agency carried out planned maintenance work. The Environment Agency plans to spend £40,000 in 2009-10 on further channel and asset maintenance.
Fly Tipping
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions there were for fly-tipping in each local authority in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [261004]
(2) how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each local authority in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the estimated cost was of dealing with such incidents. [261054]
Jane Kennedy: I am arranging for the data requested to be placed in the Library of the House.
Data on the number of incidents of fly-tipping and the number of prosecutions taken by local authorities against fly-tippers are currently available for the last four years only.
DEFRA's Flycapture system started collecting data on the number of incidents cleared and enforcement actions taken by local authorities in 2004.
The estimated cost of clearing fly-tipped waste shown in these tables does not necessarily reflect the cost to the taxpayer as some authorities have structured their service contracts to include the cost of clearing fly-tipped waste.
Prosecution is only one of a number of enforcement actions that local authorities can use against fly-tippers. Warning letters, statutory notices, formal cautions and injunctions are also used where appropriate.
Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health on food security and public health. [263900]
Jane Kennedy:
Following the machinery of government changes in October 2008, DEFRA has taken the lead in co-ordinating food policy across Government. As part of that we have introduced a new departmental strategic objective to ensure a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply. I regularly discuss food and health matters
with ministerial colleagues—the new ministerial sub-committee on food (DA(F)) is another vital vehicle for this—and officials from DEFRA, the Department of Health, and other Departments are working together towards achieving objectives that we share on food.
Food: Waste Disposal
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of food waste which is organically produced. [263911]
Jane Kennedy: The DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) undertook research in 2007 to quantify the amounts and types of household food waste produced in the UK. According to its report “The Food We Waste”, UK households waste 6.7 million tonnes of food every year: around one third of the 21.7 million tonnes we purchase.
No data were obtained to ascertain how much of that food was organically produced.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Maize
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on the early planting of MON 810 maize. [262985]
Huw Irranca-Davies: MON 810 was authorised for cultivation in 1998 under directive 90/220/EEC and has been grown in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. While UK farmers are able to plant MON 810, the seed is not being marketed here.
A farmer in Wales has claimed to have grown some MON 810 maize. However, it is not expected that MON 810 will be grown on a normal commercial basis in the UK. This maize is designed to be resistant to an insect pest, the European corn borer, which is not present in the UK, and the GM trait has been bred into maize varieties not suitable for UK conditions.
Horses: Transport
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horse passports have been issued by each of the issuing bodies in each of the last five years. [259505]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the following table. These figures have been supplied by the National Equine Database, which only began collecting this information in 2006. We cannot provide exact data for previous years.
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