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20 Apr 2009 : Column 82W—continued
| Table 2: Estimates of volume of imported whole cereal grain used in animal feedingstuffs | |||||
| Tonnes | |||||
| Crop year | |||||
| Cereal type | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| Source: DEFRA, HNIRC | |||||
Animal Welfare: Finance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has allocated for (a) animal health and (b) increasing agricultural productivity in the South West in 2009-10. [267480]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA's annual report gives estimated figures for its total spending in 2009-10 on animal health issues through Animal Health area offices and activities and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, and on research and development directed towards improving agricultural production and productivity, but expenditure under these headings is not regionalised and so no separate figure for the south-west of England can be given.
Improving the competitiveness of the agriculture and forestry sectors is one of the objectives of Axis 1 of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). In the south-west, Axes 1 and 3 of the RDPE are delivered by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA). DEFRA has made an indicative allocation of £30.27 million to SWRDA for Axis 1 and 3 in 2009-10.
Animals: Circuses
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the importation of elephants to perform in circuses; and whether his Department issues guidance on such imports. [267637]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has received no representations specifically on that issue.
The UK is a signatory party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of non-domesticated animals and plants does not threaten their survival. The management authority of any state may waive the normal requirements which apply to the movement of a specimen where that specimen forms part of a travelling circus and provided certain conditions are fulfilled. These conditions include the requirement that the management authority is satisfied that any living specimen will be so transported and cared for as to minimise the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment.
Beijing
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many visits were made by staff of his Department to Beijing in the financial year 2007-08. [264566]
Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally DEFRA staff made 30 visits to Beijing in the financial year 2007-08. All visits by staff were undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent in each region on tackling bovine tuberculosis in each of the last three years; what estimate he has made of the amount of private sector expenditure in each region on tackling bovine tuberculosis in those years; and if he will make a statement. [266506]
Jane Kennedy:
The Department is unable to breakdown spend by region. The financial system that we use only
allows us to record spend on a country basis and until 2008-09 on a GB basis. Therefore, we have provided as follows a breakdown of the total amount spent on tackling bovine tuberculosis in each of the last three years(1) and only 2008-09 are England figures.
We have made no specific estimates of the amount of private sector expenditure in each region on tackling bovine tuberculosis.
(1) Data sourced from DEFRA Oracle Financial system.
| £ million | |||
| 2006-07 Actual spend | 2007-08 Actual spend | 2008-09 Forecast spend | |
| (1) Cattle testing: the cost of carrying out the testing of cattle for TB by arranging, assessing and monitoring tests, conducting investigations of incident herds and diagnostic testing by local veterinary inspectors on behalf of DEFRA. NB: This expenditure is funded by DEFRA for GB. (2) Compensation: includes payments for ‘reactors’ and ‘contact animals’ which are compulsorily slaughtered. This includes ‘salvage’ money received by the Government for those carcasses which are permitted to go into the food chain. Payments up until 2007-08 include those carcasses which are eligible for the Over Thirty Month Scheme. NB: For 2006-07 and 2007-08, these costs include Scotland and Wales and are funded by their respective Governments. From 2008-09 onwards, these costs are England only. (3) Surveillance activity by the VLA: includes all DEFRA funded work carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency relating to TB in cattle and badgers including the supply of tuberculin. NB: This expenditure is funded by DEFRA for GB. (4) HQ/overheads: includes staff costs for veterinary advice and administration of TB policy in England only. | |||
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle have been slaughtered because of suspected bovine tuberculosis in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [R] [269010]
Jane Kennedy: In 2008, 27,455 cattle were slaughtered in England (26,038 as test reactors, 487 as inconclusive reactors and 930 as direct contacts). The 2008 spend on compensation for England was £27.5 million.
Compost
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the potential health effects of composting. [264864]
Jane Kennedy: Since 1 December I have answered five written parliamentary questions and supplied a reply to one email inquiry.
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress his Department has made towards the target of increasing its energy efficiency per square metre of its Estate by 15 per cent. by 2010, relative to 1999-2000 levels; and if he will make a statement. [266882]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I can confirm that information relating to DEFRA’s performance against the energy efficiency per metre square Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) target is available on the Sustainable Development Commission website.
DEFRA has an ongoing programme of work to improve the energy efficiency of its estate. A key element of this programme is to reduce the size of the DEFRA Estate and make more efficient use of the existing portfolio. To date this strategy has resulted in an overall reduction in energy consumption across the estate, but has had a negative effect on the energy efficiency per metre squared.
Also, over the past four years, DEFRA has increased its capability to investigate and respond to animal and plant disease outbreaks. This work is carried out in energy intensive high containment laboratories which are regulated by strict legislation. It is accepted by energy efficiency expert bodies such as the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) that energy efficiency of laboratory buildings cannot be calculated solely on a floor space basis. 75 per cent. of the DEFRA Estate’s total energy consumption is used for laboratory activities.
It should be noted that the DEFRA office estate is performing well, and if SOGE target for energy efficiency related solely to the office estate, DEFRA would currently be within 4 per cent. of achieving the target.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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. [267134]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Allowing for the fluctuation in the number of vacant public buildings within the departmental portfolio during 2008-09 financial year due to new vacancies and property disposals, it is estimated that the change in empty property rates relief has resulted in an additional annual rates liability amounting to approximately £670,000 for the period.
Departmental Energy
Greg Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a)
electricity, (b) gas and (c) other fuel has been used by (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies since its inception. [267336]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The annual energy consumption of buildings on the DEFRA and Executive Agency estate is shown in the following tables.
| kWh | ||||||||
| 2007-08 | Electricity | Gas | Oil | WDHS | CHP h eat | CHP e lectricity | Solar | Total |
| kWh | ||||||||
| 2006-07 | Electricity | Gas | Oil | WDHS | CHP heat | CHP electricity | Solar | Total |
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