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25 Jun 2009 : Column 1087Wcontinued
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that the Cabinet Committee on Flooding should meet at least three times a year. [276904]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office gave to her on 23 March 2009, Official Report, columns 50-51W.
This answer stated that it is established practice that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including exactly when and how often they are to meet, is not disclosed.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of buildings on Canvey Island which (a) are not flood-resistant and (b) are flood resilient. [281325]
Huw Irranca-Davies: No estimate has been made of the number of properties on Canvey Island that are flood resistant or resilient. However, the Environment Agency spent over £4 million in 2006 to improve the drainage of the island and address fluvial flooding issues.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of buildings in Peterborough which (a) are not flood-resistant and (b) are flood resilient. [281664]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has made no estimate of the number of properties in Peterborough that are, or are not flood resistant or resilient.
We are considering how a realistic national estimate can be effectively and economically achieved using information sourced locally. The route for providing the appropriate information for such an estimate will be clearer after the passage of the Flood and Water Management Bill through Parliament.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of land in England is (a) woodland and (b) covered by peat. [281980]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The provisional figure published in June this year for woodland is 1.128 million hectares or 9 per cent. of England's land area.
It is estimated that 3-4 per cent. of England's land area is covered by peat soils. This figure refers to substantial peat deposits of at least 40cm in depth. This estimate excludes small pockets of peat in areas that are mapped as part of other soil types.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his assessment is of the cost to farmers of livestock rustling in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 to date; and if he will make a statement. [281894]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Comprehensive figures on livestock rustling are not held centrally therefore we have made no assessment of the cost incurred to farmers. Such offences would come under Home Office classification 49 'Other theft or unauthorised taking' and cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded under that classification.
However, the Cattle Tracing System shows the following numbers of cattle have been reported to British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) as stolen:
Number | |
Source: Figures provided by the BCMS. |
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what forecast he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of the inshore fisheries and conservation authorities proposed under the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. [281498]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Over 2009-11, one-off costs related to implementation of the reform package will be made available. This will be in the region of £1.6 million based on current estimates. In addition, the establishment of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) will result in an estimated additional financial burden on constituent local authorities of approximately £5 million per year. This will include expenditure on:
(i) effective management of estuarine and coastal areas that have previously been subject to low intervention;
(ii) enhanced byelaw making procedures, including improved evidence-based decision making and consultation on impact assessments;
(iii) increased monitoring, inspection and enforcement (including more enforcement officers); and
(iv) improved staff training and development.
A consultation setting out options for establishing future IFC district boundaries and the local authorities that will fall within the districts closed on 22 April and the Government intend to publish its response this summer. The outcome of the consultation will help inform what changes need to be made and their associated costs. Officials will work closely with Sea Fisheries Committees and local authorities to quantify the changes necessary.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Billericay of 6 April and 7 May 2009 regarding his constituent Fran Smith. [282181]
Dan Norris: The hon. Member for Billericay's letters of 6 April and 7 May regarding his constituent Fran Smith were replied to by my right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy) on 10 May.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hours he spent on his ministerial duties in the seven-day period beginning Sunday 7 June 2009. [282180]
Dan Norris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) had a full diary of official duties.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely effect on levels of greenhouse gas emissions of the designation of the River Humber as a sensitive area under the EU urban waste water treatment directive; and if he will make a statement. [280779]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
Yorkshire Water estimates (based on United Kingdom Water Industry Research Limited,
Greenhouse Gas workbook) that designation will increase carbon dioxide equivalents by 380 kilotonnes during construction and 125 kilotonnes per year through operations.
Severn Trent Water estimates an increase of between 100 and 150 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide per year, a 20 to 30 per cent. increase on current emissions. Additional emissions from Anglian Water will be much smaller.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the costs which would be incurred if the River Humber were to be designated as a sensitive area under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive; and if he will make a statement. [280780]
Huw Irranca-Davies: If the UK was required to designate the Humber as sensitive to eutrophication, industry has estimated the capital cost of additional treatment to be approximately £900 million, with operating costs of approximately £50 million a year.
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints in relation to the processing of claims by the Rural Payments Agency his Department has received in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 . [282037]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 24 June 2009]: The following table sets out how many complaints in respect of the single payment scheme have been dealt with by the Rural Payments Agency for the last three years.
Financial year | Number |
Note: 1. Financial years cover the period 1 April to 31 March. 2. The figures for 2008-09 are subject to confirmation in the annual Exchequer audit. |
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2009, Official Report, column 96W, on sheep, what estimate has been made of the number of sheep in each county in England in each year since 1997. [281992]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The total number of sheep and lambs in England by county/unitary authority in each year since 1997 are shown in the following tables.
Figures for 1999 onwards can also be found on the DEFRA website at:
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