| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Jun 2009 : Column 1055W—continued
Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Formula Grant.
In addition to this funding, DFT has made some funding available specifically to support cycling. In 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 DFT provided £250,000, £346,000 and £440,000 respectively to Merseyside to fund cycling training. In total Merseyside received £1,036,000 in grants, which will fund 25,900 cycle training places between 2007 and 2010.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made in controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis among cattle. [278777]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 9 June 2009]: Since November 2008 DEFRA has been working alongside representatives of the farming industry and the veterinary profession as part of the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England. The Group is examining a range of policies and will make recommendations to the Secretary of State on establishing a programme which will enable Government and the industry to move towards eventual eradication of the disease in this country.
Bovine TB is a complex and chronic disease and, in addition to the long-standing and vital cattle control measures in place, we have implemented a wide-ranging programme of research. This includes work on improving diagnosis, gaining a better understanding of how the disease is spread and pursuing the future use of vaccination of cattle and wildlife, through vaccine research, and the development of a badger vaccine deployment project.
Council for the Protection of Rural England
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Council for the Protection of Rural England on its Keep Britain Tidy Day initiative; and if he will make a statement. [278290]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
In April 2008 the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) launched their three-year, anti-litter and fly tipping campaign in England's countryside—‘Stop The Drop’. The Government welcome this contribution to raising awareness of litter issues. CPRE has worked closely with DEFRA's grant-aided delivery partner, Keep Britain Tidy, to help expand its activities and
collaborate on the Big Tidy Up campaign encouraging communities and individuals to get involved, and take an interest, in improving their neighbourhood.
CPRE officials have met DEFRA Ministers and officials on several occasions in the last few months.
Dairy Farming: Finance
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated for the support of dairy farmers in (a) Mid Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England in each year since 1997. [278588]
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated for the support of dairy farmers in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997. [279328]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Unfortunately, the data required to provide dairy farmers’ funding information by region and for earlier years are not held in a form that is easily accessible. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Dairy Farming: Government Assistance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to assist dairy farmers during the economic downturn. [278322]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are helping the dairy industry help itself adjust to some of the challenges it faces, for example through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum. The forum is engaged in an extensive programme of work, looking at issues including barriers to innovation, supply and demand, as well as efficiency at farm level.
The future prospects for the dairy industry are encouraging, and growth in global demand is expected to return. The UK is well placed to take advantage of this. The British dairy sector is fundamentally sound and the efficiency improvements, innovation and investment in new products mean that in the medium to long term, the sector can do very well.
Dairy Farming: Merseyside
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated for the support of dairy farmers in (a) Crosby and (b) Merseyside in each year since 1997. [278905]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The data required to provide dairy farmers’ funding information by region and for earlier years are not held in a form that is easily accessible. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Dairy Products
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of (a) liquid milk, (b) butter and (c) cheese was (i) produced in and (ii) consumed in the UK in each of the last 10 years. [277296]
Jim Fitzpatrick
[holding answer 9 June 2009]: The volume of drinking milk, butter and cheese produced in
the UK and the volume available for consumption in the UK is shown in the following table.
| Liquid drinking milk | Butter | Cheese | ||||
| Production (million litres) | Available for consumption (million litres) | Production (thousand tonnes) | Available for consumption (thousand tonnes) | Production (thousand tonnes) | Available for consumption (thousand tonnes) | |
| Source: Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2008, DEFRA. | ||||||
Litter
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) street cleanliness, (b) the welfare of wildlife and (c) the incidence of crime and anti-social behaviour of levels of littering. [278292]
Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA funds Keep Britain Tidy (formerly known as ENCAMS) to carry out the annual Local Environment Quality Survey of England which looks at 32 local environmental quality issues, including the most commonly found items of litter discarded on the street and general cleanliness. The results for the seventh survey were published in March 2009 and are available on the Keep Britain Tidy website at
Litter can be harmful to wildlife and some studies have suggested a link between high levels of litter and crime. DEFRA has made no separate assessment of the effects of litter on wildlife or on the incidence of crime and antisocial behaviour.
Livestock: Finance
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated for the support of livestock farmers in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997. [279329]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Unfortunately, the data required to provide livestock farmers’ funding information by region and for earlier years are not held in a form that is easily accessible. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the Government Office for London's performance in implementing the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative. [278694]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government office for London, as well as all of the other Government offices, has co-ordinated the implementation of several projects to support the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) since its inception in 2003. In London the projects have ranged from: events and workshops for caterers, chefs and food buyers; guidance and promotional material; one-to-one support for individual London boroughs; to a project in 2008-09 focusing on researching the opportunities to expand the reach of PSFPI in London. Progress reports on the PSFPI projects carried out by the Government offices can be found on the DEFRA website.
In addition, an independent evaluation completed in March found that the PSFPI has had a positive impact on public sector food procurement. Evidence of this success is presented in the report. The report also made a number of recommendations on how performance could be improved and we are considering how to take these forward. A copy of the evaluation is on the DEFRA website.
Communities and Local Government
Cabinet: Glasgow
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) special advisers and (b) officials accompanied her to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009. [273917]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The then Secretary of State was accompanied by a special adviser. For information relating to the Cabinet and public engagement event held in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 487W.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what car journeys she took in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273918]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The then Secretary of State took the following car journeys:
(1) From her hotel in the city centre to FARE (Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse) in Easterhouse, including a guided car tour of Easterhouse and Rogerfield
(2) From FARE to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) where the Cabinet meeting was held.
(3) From the SECC to Glasgow Central train station.
For information relating to the Cabinet and public engagement event held in Glasgow on 16 April I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 487W.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much expenditure was incurred by her Department in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273919]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The expenditure incurred was £871.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) food (i) she and (ii) officials in her Department incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273920]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is as follows:
(i) The costs incurred for the then Secretary of State's visit to Glasgow were:
(a) travel—£497
(b) accommodation—£78
(c) no additional costs were claimed for food.
(ii) The costs incurred for her special adviser were:
(a) travel—£218
(b) accommodation—£78
(c) no additional costs were claimed for food.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |