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26 Mar 2009 : Column 586W—continued
Dogs
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued to police and local authorities on the law on dangerous dogs in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [264620]
Jane Kennedy: We have not issued guidance to enforcers on the law on dangerous dogs since the 2003 guidance was issued. We are planning to release updated guidance shortly.
Dogs: Licensing
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to reintroduce dog licences; and if he will make a statement. [265523]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 23 March 2009]: DEFRA has no plans to reintroduce mandatory dog licences.
The dog licence was repealed by the Local Government Act 1988 because it cost more to administer than the revenue it generated and because it was estimated that only 44 per cent. of dog owners bought a licence. DEFRA supports voluntary identification, whereby dog owners voluntarily undertake to have their pets permanently identified and registered on nationwide databases.
Farms: Bio-security
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to improve bio-security on farms. [265330]
Jane Kennedy: It is the livestock keeper’s responsibility and it is in their interests to practise good husbandry and biosecurity procedures in order to minimise the risk of disease and the economic impacts on reduced productivity.
The Government work in partnership with industry to raise awareness of and promote good husbandry and biosecurity practice. This includes buying in healthy stock, providing clean food and water, maintaining good standards of hygiene, separation/isolation of new or ill stock, traceability and proper record keeping.
Encouraging and incentivising livestock keepers to implement good biosecurity on the ground is part of the work currently being taken forward with industry as part of the Responsibility and Cost sharing programme of work. This includes DEFRA’s ‘Give Disease the Boot’ campaign promoted through Livestock Market Roadshows and the Farm Health Planning Initiative. This initiative is about livestock owners working closely with their vet or other adviser on setting targets for their animals’ health and welfare and taking steps to measure, manage and monitor productivity.
Flood Control
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Stafford of 20 January 2009, Official Report, column 1286W, on the Floods and Water Bill, when he expects to publish the draft Floods and Water Bill. [265880]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey to my reply of 9 December 2008, Official Report, column 39W.
Floods: Property Development
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to increase the restrictions on development in flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement. [266795]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Planning policy is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government, and my Department has worked closely with them to ensure that the planning system properly takes account of the risks from all sources of flooding.
Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25), “Development and Flood Risk”, provides the policy framework for local planning authorities to avoid, manage and reduce flood risk to new development. This is supported by the Practice Guide published in June 2008 to assist local planners in implementing PPS25 policy. In his Review of the summer 2007 floods, Sir Michael Pitt agreed that current policy in PPS25 was right, but that it should be rigorously applied by local authorities. The Government are continuing to work closely with local authorities, the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to ensure that the policy approach in PPS25 is properly implemented and delivered on the ground.
Floods: Slapton
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which organisations are represented in the Slapton Line Partnership; what progress has been made on the Slapton Line project since January 2007; what proportion of the funds allocated by his Department to the project have been spent to date; what the primary areas of expenditure have been; what lessons have been learnt from the project on coastal erosion and flood defences; what evidence of coastal erosion at Slapton has been identified during the project; and if he will make a statement. [264258]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The organisations which are represented in the Slapton Line Partnership consist of the Partnership Steering Group and an advisory group.
The Partnership Steering Group meets quarterly and comprises of Devon County Council, South Hams District Council, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Slapton Ley Field Centre and South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty unit.
The Advisory Group meets twice a year and has representatives from Slapton Parish Council, Strete Parish Council, Stokenham Parish Council, East Allington Parish Council, HM Coastguard, Coleridge Association, Slapton Line Defence Group, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Strete Estate. The advisory group is open to public attendance.
The project programme is driven by the adaptation plan first developed at a community planning event held in 2006. Work undertaken so far includes support for local small business, improved communication with local residents, the ‘Celebrate Start Bay' event, replenishing shingle bastions, contingency planning and alternative route development.
60 per cent. of the grant from DEFRA's flood and coastal risk management innovation fund has been spent or committed so far. The primary areas of expenditure are business (including tourism), support and communications, contingency planning and beach monitoring.
The project is primarily focused on assisting the local community in anticipating and adapting to coastal changes.
Contingency preparation for the road closure could have created a negative image for a tourism area. A more positive long-term future has been developed by working with local businesses which includes promoting Start Bay as a tourism destination.
Shingle beach experts at Plymouth university are advising the Partnership on the planning and orientation of the shingle bastions. A full report will be produced at the conclusion of the project at the end of March 2010.
Monitoring shows that the beach has continued to vary dramatically following easterly storm events with a general steepening. The crest is largely static and no major erosion events have taken place since 2001. Long-term measurements have suggested an average erosion rate of 0.3m/year.
Horses: Databases
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking in respect of equines for which the owners do not hold passports. [265584]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The current horse passports regime is enforced by local authorities and the Meat Hygiene Service. When the new EU equine identification legislation is introduced in July we propose to expand the enforcement bodies to include Animal Health Officers who will perform checks on farms and yards.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanism there is to establish that an applicant for a horse passport is the legal owner of the animal. [265585]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 23 March 2009]: Horse passports are not ownership documents, but are intended to identify the horse and record veterinary medicines. Individual passport-issuing organisations set their own rules on what ownership documentation, if any, needs to be provided as part of a passport application.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what checks on equines presented for slaughter are undertaken to establish that the person presenting the animal (a) is its legal owner and (b) holds a valid passport for the animal. [265586]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The Meat Hygiene Service enforces the horse passports regulations at slaughterhouses. The Official Veterinarian is required to check that the horse presented for slaughter has a valid passport that matches the animal. Checks are also performed to ensure the passport is completed correctly and the horse is eligible for entry into the food chain. There is no requirement to establish that the person presenting the horse is the legal owner.
Lighting: Health Hazards
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has considered the merits of introducing health warnings on the packaging of energy saving light bulbs. [265522]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The Health Protection Agency has issued precautionary advice to the public concerning the use of open compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in certain close-working situations and on disposal of CFLs on their website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&;childpagename= HPAweb%2FPage%2FHPAwebAutoListName&cid= 1153999752025&p=1153999752025&pagename=HPAweb Wrapper&searchmode=simple& searchterm=CFLs&go=Go
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also has advice on its website concerning mercury and the disposal of CFLs at:
European regulations will require manufacturers to provide information on disposal and what to do if a lamp breaks, in terms of mercury, on the packaging from 2010.
The Department of Health is continuing to work with patient groups, clinicians and the lighting industry to keep health issues under review. The Department has no plans at present for additional health advice regarding energy saving light bulbs for the public at large.
Some support groups for people with certain light sensitive skin, autoimmune and neurological conditions have raised concerns that some low energy light bulbs, particularly CFLs, could aggravate light sensitivity symptoms.
Litter: Fines
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average fine was imposed for littering offences in England in each of the last three years. [264861]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Fixed penalty notice fines for littering can range between £50 and £80 with local authorities able to offer the lower figure for immediate payment.
In 2006-07 a total of 43,624 fines for littering were issued with a payment rate of over 60 per cent. drawing in a total of £1,521,905—an average of £57 per fixed penalty notice.
In 2005-06 a total of 33,033 fines for littering were issued with a payment rate of over 54 per cent. drawing in a total of £911,813—an average of £51 per fixed penalty notice.
Data for 2007-08 will become available later this year.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average fine has been issued as a fixed penalty notice under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 by (a) Kensington and Chelsea, (b) Westminster, (c) Liverpool, (d) City of York and (e) Doncaster local authorities were in the last 12 months. [264862]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The average fine issued under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 by (a) Kensington and Chelsea, (b) Westminster, (c) Liverpool, (d) City of York and (e) Doncaster in 2006-07 is listed in the following table. Data for 2007-08 will become available later this year.
| Local authority | Number of fines paid | Amount received (£) | Average fine (£) |
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty fines for litter offences were issued by each local authority in England in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008. [264444]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for environmental offences by, or on behalf of, each local authority in England can be found on the DEFRA website. Figures for 2008 will be available later this year.
The total number of fixed penalty fines issued for litter offences by local authorities in England from April 2006 to March 2007 was 43,624.
Litter: NGOs
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent discussions he has had with non-governmental organisations which have objectives to reduce littering; [264859]
(2) what recent representations he has received on levels of litter. [264860]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My noble Friend Lord Hunt of King’s Heath, who leads on these issues, met last week with representatives of ENCAMS (also known as Keep Britain Tidy) DEFRA’s delivery partner which campaigns on litter, and provides research and technical advice to Government. He addressed an audience of local authority officers and other land managers at the Cleaner, Safer, Greener Network Conference in Brighton last week where he launched the latest local environment quality survey of England.
My noble Friend Lord Hunt has also met recently with representatives of the Campaign to Protect Rural England to discuss their ‘Stop the Drop’ campaign and their recent report on littering.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Minister of State for Farming and the Environment plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 3 February 2009, on a ban on the use of glue traps. [264878]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 20 March 2009]: I have on the 24 March 2009 responded to the hon. Member's letter about the use of glue traps.
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, of 26 January 2009, on emergency response to flooding. [265573]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 23 March 2009]: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 28 February 2009.
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