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9 Jun 2009 : Column 804W—continued
Departmental Furniture
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on furniture by (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years. [276270]
Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally, the core Department’s financial system records the following expenditure on furniture and all related services (fitting, movement, etc.) by (a) the Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years:
| £ | ||
| DEFRA | Natural England | |
Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Employment Tribunals Service
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many actions under employment law have been brought against his Department in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many such actions were contested by his Department at an employment tribunal. [277412]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The number of employment actions brought against the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in each of the last three years are as follows:
2006-07: 24
2007-08: 19
2008-09: 11
They were brought under the followings categories:
Unfair/wrongful dismissal: 21
Disability discrimination: two
Racial discrimination: one
Unfair/wrongful dismissal: 17
Age discrimination: one
Sex discrimination: one
Unfair/wrongful dismissal: three
Disability discrimination: three
Age discrimination: two
Sex discrimination: one
Redundancy: one
Terms of employment: one
The number contested by his Department at an Employment Tribunal is:
2006-07: of 24 cases in total 16 were contested at an ET
2007-08: of 19 cases in total five were contested at an ET
2008-09: of 11 cases in total one was contested at an ET
Fisheries
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) experience and (b) professional knowledge the Chairman of the sustainable access to inshore fisheries project has of the matters which fall within the project’s remit; and if he will make a statement. [277983]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I have recently appointed Alan Riddell as the chair of the new Sustainable Access to Inshore Fisheries (SAIF) Advisory Group. Alan has a long history of leading regional development and community sustainability. These are issues which are inextricably linked to what we are trying to achieve through SAIF; a thriving and sustainable fishing industry in the future.
Alan has no prior connections to the fishing industry and this enables him to chair the group with complete independence. This provides scope for fresh thinking and new and innovative solutions to problems which have affected the inshore fleet for a number of years. He will have access to fishing expertise both within the advisory group, which incorporates a number of fishermen and industry experts, and from outside the group in terms of access to our wide network of stakeholders.
I look forward to working closely with him over the coming months.
Fisheries: Finance
Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what budget for fisheries management his Department and its predecessor set for each year since 1997; and what proportion of the budget was spent on (a) research, (b) administration and (c) enforcement in each such year. [276708]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In the following table is a summary of the annual spend for fisheries management and the proportion spent on research, enforcement and associated administration.
Fisheries management, enforcement and associated administration is the responsibility of the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA), which was created on 1 October 2005. The figures for 2004-05 are a broad estimate from the comparative figures in the annual report and accounts.
Research expenditure on sustainable marine fisheries and conservation of salmon and freshwater fish stocks is incurred within the DEFRA Marine Programme. In 2008-09 a further £11 million was allocated to operational science, which covered:
stock assessment surveys;
biological sampling;
discard monitoring;
fisheries science partnership; and
management advice.
| Spend (percentage) | ||||
| Total spend (£ million) | Research | Enforcement | Administration | |
The administration figures include the totality of corporate and finance support for the MFA. It is not possible to meaningfully apportion this between the various activities of the agency.
Information for prior years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Flood and Water Management Bill (Draft)
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish his response to his Department’s consultation on the draft Flood and Water Management Bill. [277982]
Huw Irranca-Davies: We published the draft Bill on 21 April. The public consultation period closes on 24 July and we hope that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee will be able to report on its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill before the summer recess. The Government would then intend to respond to both exercises when the House returns in the autumn.
Flood Control
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the (a) target completion date and (b) actual completion date was for each major flood defence project since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [277397]
(2) what the (a) pre-construction budget and (b) outturn cost of each major flood defence project has been since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [277398]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency’s National Capital Programme Management Service has been in operation since April 2000. In the earlier years of this operation flood defence capital programmes were administered by regions which have since been superseded. Information is not therefore available for years prior to 2004-05.
A table has been placed in the Library of the House showing the required information from 2004-05 to 2008-09.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of his Department’s performance in facilitating information sharing in respect of flooding between responders through local resilience forums. [277654]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government encourage work to facilitate the sharing of information between responders through Local Resilience Forums and looks to Category 1 and 2 responders to ensure that they fulfil their duties in this respect under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) and its regulations.
The Government are reviewing how to improve the effectiveness of the duties under the CCA, including whether the existing information sharing duty is sufficient or should be strengthened.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in formulating guidance for regulators to encourage those building critical infrastructure to incorporate high levels of resilience to flooding; and when he expects such guidance to be published. [277656]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Natural Hazards Team, established in the Cabinet Office in May 2009, is working with Lead Government Departments and economic regulators to encourage resilience building by critical infrastructure owners. Guidance for regulators is expected to be published in summer 2009.
Floods: Hospitals
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of hospital buildings in high flood-risk areas; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of such buildings which are flood-resistant or resilient. [277402]
Huw Irranca-Davies: A national assessment of the number of hospitals located in areas at risk from flooding has been completed as part of the Environment Agency’s recent National Flood Risk Assessment.
As part of the Department of Health’s commitment to UK resilience, the Department has completed an assessment of NHS assets to establish their vulnerability to a wide range of disruptive challenges—including flooding. This work is an on-going process as part of the civil resilience agenda under the CONTEST strategy.
Inland Waterways
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date in 2010 he expects Waterways for Tomorrow to be published; and for what reasons the document is not to be published in 2009. [277811]
Huw Irranca-Davies: We will publish the update to “Waterways for Tomorrow” when it is ready following consultation later this year. We expect this to be in early 2010, which would be appropriate as it falls 10 years after “Waterways for Tomorrow” was published in 2000.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to publish the minutes of the Inter-departmental Group on Waterways. [277813]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the minutes of the Inter-Departmental Group on Waterways have been published on the DEFRA website:
together with any related information that is key to its wider context.
Sewers: Private Sector
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department’s timetable is for the transfer of private drains and sewers to water company ownership; and if he will make a statement. [277986]
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 precise timetable for the transfer will be set out in the regulations that we anticipate will be consulted on later in 2009, prior to their being presented to Parliament for approval. Once Parliament has approved these regulations, the transfer will be a statutory duty for water and sewerage companies.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for sale of alcohol to a drunk person (a) have been brought and (b) resulted in conviction in each criminal justice area in each of the last five years. [275876]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 15 May 2009]: Available information on the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the sale of alcohol to a drunk person, under section 141 of the Licensing Act 2003, by police force area, for 2006 and 2007 (latest available) is given in table 1.
The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. For example, when a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
A Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) of £80 may also be issued by the police for certain alcohol related offences such as the sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk. The numbers of persons issued with a PND for this offence, which was added to the scheme in April 2005, by police force area, from 2005 to 2007 are shown in table 2.
Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
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