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16 Jun 2009 : Column 153W—continued
Fisheries: 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 fishermen in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997. [279330]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Data on the bids and allocations for support to fishermen are not held in a form that is easily accessible and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Some examples of work carried out by DEFRA in Essex and Castle Point in 2008-09 include the Environmentally Responsible Fishing Pilot Scheme, and funding for decommissioning of some ‘under 10 metre vessels’.
Since 2000, we have allocated over £170 million of funding to the fishing industry in the UK as a whole(1). This has consisted of structural funds, including the FIFG (Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance) and European Fisheries Fund (EFF), and a range of national schemes to help support development and sustainability of the UK fishing fleet.
Some £67 million(2) (including national match funding) is now available under the EFF, for projects in England. As part of this, during the past year, we have announced a package of support measures for the industry, amounting to around £5 million(3) worth of funding.
(1) Figures provided by Marine and Fisheries Agency.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
Forestry Commission
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) postal address and (b) budget for 2009-10 of each Forestry Commission regional advisory committee is. [279922]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Forestry Commission’s nine regional advisory committees can be contacted through the Commission’s regional offices.
Forestry Commission
Peil Wyke
Bassenthwaite Lake
Cockermouth
Cumbria
CA13 9YG
Forestry Commission
1, Walby Hill
Rothbury
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE65 7NT
Yorkshire and The Humber Office
Forestry Commission
Wheldrake Lane
Crockey Hill
York
YO19 4FF
Forestry Commission
Edwinstow
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
NG21 9JL
Forestry Commission
Government Buildings
Block B
Whittington Road
Worcester
WR5 2FR
Forestry Commission
Santon Downham
Brandon
Suffolk
IP27 0TJ
Forestry Commission
Mamhead Castle
Mamhead
Nr Exeter
Devon
EX6 8HD
Forestry Commission
Alice Holt
Wrecclesham
Farnham
Surrey
GU10 4LF
Forestry Commission
Government Office for London
Riverwalk House
157-161 Millbank
London
SW1P 4RR
The regional advisory committees do not have their own budgets. The chairs of the committees receive an annual payment, currently £2,545 per annum, and the members are unpaid. The chair and members receive reimbursement of expenses in accordance with Forestry Commission rules.
Livestock: Waste Disposal
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the six-day rule for fallen livestock; and whether he plans to end the rule. [279828]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The six-day standstill rule applies only to movements of live animals, not to fallen livestock. Fallen livestock must be taken to or collected by an approved knacker, hunt kennel, incinerator or renderer, either by private arrangement, or under the National Fallen Stock Scheme, following the usual strict biosecurity protocols.
Maintenance of the six-day standstill rule for the movement of live animals is essential in reducing the spread of livestock disease between the time of infection and the time the disease becomes evident. There are therefore no plans for its abolition.
National Parks: New Forest
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of recent representations by staff of the New Forest National Park Authority on the administration of the Park; and if he will make a statement. [279305]
Huw Irranca-Davies: On 8 June DEFRA's Permanent Secretary received an anonymous letter which made allegations about the management of the New Forest National Park. The issues outlined in the letter are matters for the National Park Authority to consider. However, DEFRA will be looking to the authority for reassurance that the issues raised in the letter are investigated and addressed, as appropriate.
Nature Conservation: Crime
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many convictions for offences related to birds were made under Part 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in each of the last five years. [279087]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for bird-related offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, in England and Wales, 2003 to 2007 (latest available figures) are shown in the following table:
| Number | |
| Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice | |
These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom bird-related offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one 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.
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government’s wildlife crime priorities are for 2009-10, with particular reference to species subject to illegal trade. [279088]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government’s wildlife crime priorities for 2009-10, agreed by senior Government and enforcement officers, are badger persecution, bat persecution, species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), freshwater pearl mussels, poaching, and raptor persecution.
The CITES species issues currently being focused on are caviar, ivory, ramin timber, tortoises and traditional medicines.
Rodents
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the effectiveness of the National Protocol for Cooperation on Rodent Control 2000 in meeting its objectives. [278977]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has no plans to review the effectiveness of the National Protocol for Cooperation on Rodent Control 2000. The protocol provides a mechanism for improved communication and co-ordination between local authorities and sewerage undertakers on the control of rats in sewers.
Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which species of flora and fauna will be considered as features that will be protected by the proposed network of Marine Conservation Zones. [279914]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 15 June 2009]: The Marine and Coastal Access Bill provides for the designation and protection of marine conservation zones (MCZs) to conserve rare and threatened species and representative habitats and species in English and Welsh territorial waters and UK offshore waters. All categories of flora and fauna can therefore be considered for protection within MCZs. MCZs, together with marine protected areas designated under existing legislation, will form an ecologically coherent network of sites. The features protected by this network will represent the range of features present in the UK marine area including seabirds.
Set-Aside Schemes
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Sir Don Curry on the introduction of a voluntary approach to set-aside. [279605]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Sir Don Curry and the High Level Set-Aside Group have been closely involved in considering how to re-capture the environmental benefits of set-aside. In his current advisory role to DEFRA, Sir Don Curry holds regular discussions with the Secretary of State and other Ministers, including in relation to the proposed voluntary approach to set-aside.
Special Areas of Conservation: Cumbria
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2009, Official Report, columns 1256-57W, on Special Areas of Conservation: Cumbria, what assessment his Department has made of the recent effect of peat extraction on the Bolton Fell Moss Site of Special Scientific Interest on the site’s candidature for designation as a Special Area of Conservation. [278948]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Continued peat extraction over the longer term would have a negative impact on the nature conservation interests at Bolton Fell Moss. Natural England is currently in discussion with the company that owns the peat extraction rights over the measures needed to secure the future protection of the site, and it is hoped that an agreement on this will be reached in the next few months. Natural England’s current assessment is that damage caused by peat extraction can be reversed and the nature conservation interest fully restored.
Trees
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated for the preservation of trees in (a) Mid Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England in each year since 1997. [278589]
Mr. Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
Local planning authorities are responsible for making and administering tree preservation orders. Funding for this function is contained in the Revenue Support Grant and is not ring-fenced. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Turtles: Conservation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what voluntary contributions have been made by the Government to fund projects which fall under the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Indian Ocean and South East Asia in each year since its inception. [279091]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Since the UK signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia (IOSEA) in 2002, my Department has contributed £150,000 towards its implementation. Our funding has supported a number of projects, including £10,000 in 2003 for the enhancement of sea turtle conservation in Kenya, £30,000 in 2005 for a survey of leatherback turtle populations in the Indian Ocean and other IOSEA-related projects, and £10,000 in 2006 for the satellite tracking and genetic study of turtles in the British Indian Ocean Territory and Indian Ocean.
A further £15,000 will be paid later this year towards the running costs of the MoU’s Secretariat.
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