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2 Jun 2009 : Column 332W—continued
Fisheries
Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the level of illegal fishing within the UK’s 12 nautical mile limit in each year since 1997. [276707]
Huw Irranca-Davies: By its very nature, illegal fishing is clandestine and so it is extremely difficult to make an accurate estimate of the levels of illegal fishing activities.
Information on the number of successful prosecutions of offences discovered, and the number of official written warnings issued by the UK fisheries control authorities, in relation to vessels not complying with regulations regarding access to the 12 mile limit is set out in the following table.
| Prosecutions | Official written warnings | |
| Source : Statistics supplied by the Marine and Fisheries Agency, Marine Scotland and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. | ||
All other successful prosecutions of fisheries offences and official written warnings issued, are not recorded in a way which specifies whether the offence took place within or outside of the 12 mile limit.
Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs) enforce local fisheries bye-laws and some other fisheries regulations within the six mile limit of England and Wales. Information on successful prosecutions of fisheries offences by SFCs are not held by the Marine and Fisheries Agency.
Fisheries: Quotas
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total allowable catch is of vessels from each EU member state in fishing zones partially or fully within the UK's 200 nautical mile limit; and if he will make a statement. [277100]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The United Kingdom's 200 nautical mile fisheries limit includes part of the fishing zones classified by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) as areas IIa, IV, Vb1, Vb2, VIa, VIb and VIIa, d, e, f, g, h and j. A map of these zones can be found on the ICES website:
Since fish stocks can straddle the territorial waters of several member and non-member states of the European Union, the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for stocks which fall partially or wholly within these ICES zones are set at Community level by Ministers each December at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council and, where necessary, by third country agreements with Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Details of TACs and Quotas for 2009 can be found in the following EU legislation, which is available on the European Commission's website:
Council Regulation (EC) No 43/2009 of 16 January 2009 fixing for 2009 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required (Annex I); and
Council Regulation (EC) No 1359/2008 of 28 November 2008 fixing for 2009 and 2010 the fishing opportunities for Community fishing vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks (Annex, Part 2)
Flood Control
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of (a) high risk and (b) other flood defence systems have been at target condition in each of the last five years. [277396]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency began measuring the condition of flood risk management systems in 2007.At that time 45.0 per cent. (643 out of 1,429) of high consequence systems and 45.8 per cent. of all systems were at or above their required condition.
In 2008, 66.5 per cent. (958 out of 1,440) of high consequence systems and 72.5 per cent. (2,259 out of 3,117) of all systems were at or above the required condition.
As of April 2009 71.9 per cent. (951 out of 1,323) of high consequence systems and 73.5 per cent. (2,136 out of 2,907) of all systems were at or above required condition.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent to local authorities in December 2008 on flood risk and the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Pitt report on flooding. [277400]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I will place a copy of the letter in question in the Library of the House.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities which have (a) collated and (b) mapped their main flood risk management and drainage assets. [277442]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In October 2008 the Local Government Association undertook a survey for DEFRA to assess what local flood risk management activities were being undertaken by local authorities. The survey included a question on whether they had collected and mapped information on flood risk management assets owned by themselves, by water companies and those privately owned. 66 per cent. of authorities responded to the survey and indicated that:
85 per cent. had collated and mapped some or all of their own assets;
41 per cent. had collated and mapped some or all water company assets and;
48 per cent. had collated and mapped some or all privately owned assets.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish (a) the national register of flood rescue assets and (b) a list of assets which must be purchased before the winter of 2009-10. [277445]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In April 2009 we initiated a national Flood Rescue Enhancement Project involving all the key organisations in the UK associated with search and rescue, and flood rescue in particular. The project has prepared a draft national register of flood rescue assets. Work is in hand to validate the information held on the register to ensure it is kept up-to-date—we envisage that it will be a ‘live’ dataset to track the availability of flood rescue assets (and trained rescue personnel) across a range of organisations operating in the UK. As it will be a dataset of assets owned by a multitude of organisations, publication of a snapshot of the register, once completed, would be a matter for collective agreement by all of the organisations involved.
The review of existing assets and the ongoing work during the summer to determine flood rescue capability requirements will provide a much clearer indication of any gaps in existing capability. We will then be in a position to target investment in order to bring existing assets (and trained rescue personnel) that are not yet declared on the national register up to an agreed operational standard.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which emergency response organisations have enhanced their training and flood rescue capability following the floods in summer 2007. [277446]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Following the floods in 2007, organisations which have enhanced their training and flood rescue capability include the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, numerous fire and rescue services throughout England and Wales, mountain rescue services, and the Maritime Coastguard Agency. Other enhancements have also been made by organisations such as the Automobile Association, the Red Cross, the RSPCA and numerous small specialist flood rescue associations and groups such as Global Rescue Services.
Some of these organisations have trained together and begun to use commonly recognised accreditation standards such as “Swift Water Rescue Technician”. Some have made investments in both the training and purchasing of equipment and assets to enhance their flood rescue capability over the past 18 months.
The Flood Rescue National Enhancement Project will bring a lot of these components together to deliver the primary aim of improving flood rescue capability and co-ordination between the agencies concerned.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in increasing flood resilience at sites of critical infrastructure. [277657]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The energy sector began work on improving resilience to flooding in the autumn of 2007, with an initial focus on electricity substations being extended to include both gas and oil installations. The Energy Networks Association, working with the Government and the electricity industry, has produced a report on the steps that can be taken to further safeguard electricity substations. The matter is being given full consideration with the industry regulator in the scope of the current distribution companies' price review.
In addition, lessons from the 2007 floods are being taken forward in relation to water companies. All companies have considered resilience in their draft business plans, which were submitted to Ofwat in August. The plans vary, as expected, reflecting the size of the company and the specific challenges presented by their locations. In total, almost £1 billion of investment has been proposed to increase resilience.
The Natural Hazards Team is now in place in the Cabinet Office and will work across all infrastructure sectors to prioritise and co-ordinate work to counter the risks to national infrastructure from natural hazards.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in the establishment of a natural hazard team. [277709]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Natural Hazards Team was established in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office at the beginning of May.
Floods: Gardens
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the outcomes of the research conducted by his Department into the effects of the paving of back gardens on levels of flood risk. [277405]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned this research, which has not yet been completed. We intend to publish the final report on completion.
Floods: Property Development
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers his Department has other than those in Planning Policy Guidance 25 to restrict building on flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement. [275636]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Powers to control and restrict building development are provided by the Town and Country Planning Acts. These powers are principally exercised by local planning authorities and, where appropriate, by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. My Department has no specific additional powers to influence planning decisions.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2009, Official Report, column 1057W, on floods: property development, which local planning authorities granted planning permission against an Environment Agency objection in each of the years for which information was provided in the answer. [277264]
Huw Irranca-Davies: A document listing those English local planning authorities that granted planning permission against Environment Agency advice on flood risk in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 has been placed in the Library of the House.
Inland Waterways: Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to assist British Waterways to enable the transport of freight by water to and from the Olympic site. [277047]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
DEFRA provides grant in aid to British Waterways in order for it to meet its statutory responsibilities for the maintenance of its waterways, including enabling freight transport as appropriate. DEFRA and its sponsored bodies—British Waterways, the
Environment Agency and Natural England—promoted an initiative to maximise the potential of the waterways around the Olympic site, including for freight. The construction of Prescott Lock, which has opened up these rivers for the sustainable movement of materials by water, was funded by a number of bodies, among them the Department for Transport through a Freight Facilities Grant, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the Olympic Delivery Authority and Transport for London. Apart from grant in aid support for British Waterways, DEFRA provided £2 million towards the total £20 million cost of this project from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund(1).
(1) Figures obtained from British Waterways
Sewers: Private Sector
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of anticipated changes to charges to households from the transfer of private drains and sewers in England and Wales to the ownership of the statutory water and sewerage companies from 2011. [277364]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 15 December 2008 that privately owned sewers and lateral drains in England will be transferred to water and sewerage companies from 2011. The accompanying impact assessment indicated an average rise of £10 per year on all sewerage bills, varying from £4 to £12 across different companies in England and Wales. This equates to around 7.5 pence to 23 pence a week.
Such increase must be balanced against the potential for significant bills for repair and maintenance which householders can currently face, often unexpectedly finding that they own a section of private drain or sewer beyond their property's curtilage.
Transfer in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government, which announced as part of its Strategic Policy Position Statement on Water on 31 March that it will pursue the development of regulations in 2011 to facilitate the transfer of private sewers.
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