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30 Mar 2009 : Column 842W—continued
Foot and Mouth Disease
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take legal action against those responsible for the 2007 foot and mouth outbreak. [263537]
Jane Kennedy:
The Secretary of State will not be taking any legal action in relation to this matter. The 2007 foot and mouth outbreak was investigated by
Surrey county council’s trading standards service, and on 29 May 2008, the council announced that there was insufficient evidence to take legal action in respect of the outbreak.
Until 28 April 2008, when the Health and Safety Executive took over the responsibility, Surrey county council was the authority responsible for investigating and enforcing possible offences under the Animal Health Act 1981, including the provisions of the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 1998 that applied to the operation of the two laboratories at Pirbright.
Foxes: Urban Areas
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent reports he has received of groups or individuals releasing foxes captured in urban areas into the countryside; and if he will make a statement. [267748]
Jane Kennedy: From time-to-time DEFRA receives anecdotal reports of urban foxes being released into the countryside.
The Government do not condone the translocation of foxes from urban to rural areas. While it is not illegal under wildlife legislation to move foxes from one place to another as long as the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 are complied with, there are welfare concerns with releasing foxes into areas unfamiliar to them and the potential to spread disease. Under section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence for a person to fail to provide for the welfare needs of an animal under his or her control. This includes failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that an animal has the ability to fend for itself in the wild on release. If it were found that an animal had suffered unnecessarily after release, it could also be an offence of causing unnecessary suffering under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
If it is suspected that an illegal activity has occurred this should be reported to the police.
Milk: Prices
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the change in the average farmgate price for milk in each year since 1997. [264678]
Jane Kennedy: The average milk farm-gate price since 1997 can be found in the following table:
| Farm - gate price (pence per litre) | |
Oils: Waste Disposal
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of the quantity of used cooking oil sent to landfill in the last 12 months. [266905]
Jane Kennedy: No such estimate has been made. The landfilling of all non-hazardous liquid waste has been banned since October 2007. Government policy is to encourage the recovery of all waste, including cooking oil.
Pigs
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of pig farmers who ceased to trade in 2007-08. [265201]
Jane Kennedy: The June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture does not collect figures on the number of farmers who have ceased trading. Figures from the survey indicate activity on registered holdings in England at June each year showing net change only. Larger pig businesses are likely to have a number of holdings where pigs are kept and this number can change from year to year.
| Specialist pig holdings (based on predominant activity) | All holdings with pigs | Total p igs | |
| Source: June Survey of Agriculture | |||
Renewable Energy: Waste
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the production of biogas from municipal waste; and if he will make a statement. [267529]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has issued no specific guidance to local authorities on the production of biogas from municipal waste.
Trees: Disease Control
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken to prevent the spread of (a) oak and (b) rhododendron diseases; and if he will make a statement. [265199]
Jane Kennedy:
We recently announced the allocation of new money to support a five-year programme of work to manage and contain the risks of two plant diseases, Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae, from spreading further. P. ramorum and P. kernoviae are fungus-like pathogens of plants. There is strong evidence that they both have the ability to kill
trees in the UK, and have the potential to kill native heathland species and cause serious disease on some garden shrubs.
In addition to further research and development and an education and awareness programme, we will be looking to reduce the level of disease by removing infected and susceptible plants in woodlands and the wider environment. We will also work to identify and control any new outbreaks. Experience has shown that the eradication of Rhododendron ponticum (the main host for the diseases) is the most effective control measure to reduce disease spread in the wider environment. At a selected number of woodland sites, the clearance of all rhododendrons, whether infected or not, has proved effective and appears to have prevented further infection of trees on those sites.
Waste Disposal: Rural Areas
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for the future provision of mechanisms for the disposal of trade waste in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [265746]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA funds the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Centre for local authorities to deliver a central support service to help them provide more tailored advice to their business communities on waste and resource efficiency issues. This includes rural authorities.
The centre has created a network of over 850 local authority officers to help share experience in this area, and has developed over 100 good practice case studies and other guidance for local authorities. Specific business resource efficiency projects are being taken forward with selected local authorities and the lessons learned from these are being shared widely by the centre. This includes guidance notes for local authorities who are considering implementing a trade waste recycling service, available on the following website at:
Wales
Departmental Buildings
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what properties his Department has sold in each of the last five years. [267555]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has not sold any properties in the last five years.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme. [266734]
Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department has not adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.
As a small Department we have taken full advantage of the Carbon Trust's small and medium sized Business Toolkit. This resulted in a full Carbon Trust survey and follow-up action plan in 2006. All action points raised have been implemented together with the introduction of a robust recycling programme.
The Wales Office is currently establishing a sustainable development strategy to further assist in further reducing emissions.
Departmental Empty Property
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the change in the annual cost to his Department of maintaining the empty public buildings owned by his Department as a result of the April 2008 changes to empty property rate relief. [267130]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not maintain or own any empty public buildings.
Departmental Energy
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps have been taken by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings in the last 12 months. [266756]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office undertook an energy efficiency test in 2008 and reached a C grading.
We continue to look for ways to improve the energy efficiency of the building, although we are limited in our ability due to the Grade 2 listing of the building.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the (a) production and printing and (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report. [266684]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office spent £14,170 on its last bilingual departmental annual report. We do not print an autumn performance report.
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much and what proportion of its waste his Department recycled in each of the last five years. [266614]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office began recording the volume of waste produced in April 2007 onwards. For the year 2007-08, 12,619 kg of waste was recycled, equating to 80 per cent. of the total waste produced. The figure for 2008-09 is not yet available.
Departmental Standards
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [266703]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not deliver services directly to the public and does not have a public service agreement.
Leader of the House
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Leader of the House how much and what proportion of its waste her Office recycled in each of the last five years. [266598]
Chris Bryant: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in 2007. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Cabinet Office.
It would not be possible to provide information prior to 2007 without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Northern Ireland
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) who drafted the Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland; which (a) individuals and (b) organisations were consulted prior to writing the Guidance; and if he will make a statement; [266995]
(2) when the Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland will come into force; and if he will make a statement; [266996]
(3) how many abortions were performed on women in Northern Ireland on the grounds that (a) it was necessary to preserve the life of the woman and (b) there was a risk of real and serious adverse effect on her physical or mental health, which was either long-term or permanent in each of the last five years, broken down by health authority; [266999]
(4) if he will include information on (a) counselling and (b) possible alternatives to abortion in the Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [267000]
Paul Goggins: This is not a matter for which my Department has responsibility. The law relating to the termination of pregnancy is part of the criminal law and as such is a matter currently reserved to the UK Parliament. However, the provision of health and social care services, including information or guidance of the sort to which the hon. Gentleman refers, is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the legal costs of the Saville Inquiry were in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. [267713]
Paul Goggins: The legal costs in relation to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in each of the last 12 months for both the Inquiry and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for which figures are available are shown in the following table. These costs cover payments to lawyers working for the Inquiry and to lawyers representing interested parties and witnesses before the Inquiry (including those funded by the MOD).
| £ | |||
| Month | Bloody Sunday Inquiry | MOD legal costs | Total |
| (1) Final figure not yet available. | |||
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