Written Answers to Questions
Monday 13 July 2009
Scotland
Departmental Internet
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his Department plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6. [285029]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office shares an information technology system (SCOTS) with the Scottish Executive, which is responsible for the development, administration and maintenance of the system, including the provision of hardware and software.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on salaries and pensions for Ministers in his Department since 2005. [284857]
Ann McKechin: Ministers' salaries and pensions are set out in the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975. Information on salaries and pension contributions of Scotland Office Ministers can also be found in the resource accounts of the Ministry of Justice.
Departmental Publications
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much it cost to produce each of his Department's publications in each of the last three years. [280771]
Ann McKechin: The cost of producing each Scotland Office publication in the last three years is as follows:
Departmental Secondment
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many employees of his Department have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years. [284887]
Ann McKechin: All posts in the Scotland Office are filled by civil servants on secondment from either the Ministry of Justice or the Scottish Executive. Civil servants are required to act in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code.
Civil servants may shadow MPs as part of the Civil Service MP Attachment Scheme run by the Industry and Parliament Trust. There are no staff in the Scotland Office participating in this scheme.
QinetiQ: Location
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar of 1 July 2009, Official Report, column 308W, on Hebrides range, what the outcomes were of the meeting he hosted for the Under- Secretary of State for Defence, the hon. Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) and the Western Isles Council established task group on 1 July 2009 at Dover House. [285587]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The meeting provided a valuable opportunity for the Western Isles Council established task group including Highland and Islands Enterprise and community representatives to give their initial response to the Ministry of Defence consultative document 'Cost Saving Investment Proposals affecting the MOD Hebrides and Aberporth Ranges'. I undertook to remain in close contact with the task group. The hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr. MacNeil) attended the meeting.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Lancashire
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the future viability of farming in Lancashire. [283620]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Farms in Lancashire are in a relatively strong economic position. The predominant farms in Lancashire are Dairy, Less Favoured Areas (LFA) grazing livestock and non LFA grazing livestock and incomes on these farms are expected to have increased in 2008-09. In each of years 2003-04 to 2007-08 inclusive, incomes at the all farm types level were slightly higher in Lancashire than for the North West Government Office region as a whole. The balance sheet position of Lancashire farms is also favourable.
In each year, total liabilities were equivalent to less than 20 per cent. of total assets, and the average net worth (total assets less total liabilities) in 2006-07 and 2007-08 was also stronger in Lancashire than the North West region.
Air Pollution
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in levels of air pollution on meeting the Government's targets for reductions in levels of carbon dioxide by 2020. [285516]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 9 July 2009]: The effect of reductions in air pollution on meeting carbon dioxide reduction targets was considered by the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) in their 2007 report on air quality and climate change. The main recommendations of the AQEG report are included in the UK's Air Quality Strategy, which is available via the following link:
The AQEG report recognised both the trade-offs and synergies between air quality and climate policies and encouraged the promotion of improvement measures that reduce both air pollution and carbon dioxide levels. Examples of such 'win:win' measures include energy conservation in the home and efficiency improvements at industrial installations.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding is available to local authorities to assist them in reducing air pollution. [285517]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 9 July 2009]: Local authorities are required to work towards meeting the air quality objectives in the air quality regulations 2000 by designating air quality management areas where concentrations of any of the seven pollutants in the regulations exceed, or are likely to exceed, the stated objectives. To help local authorities do this, DEFRA operates an Air Quality Grant scheme, a capital grant for which local authorities bid. All local authorities are invited each year to bid for a grant. Applications are considered and, where successful, awards made towards the cost of air quality projects. Our letter, inviting bids under the 2009-10 grant programme, together with application form is available on the DEFRA website:
Barn Hall
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the contract of sale for Barn Hall, Wickford, Essex. [285383]
Dan Norris [holding answer 9 July 2009]: There has been no ministerial contact in respect of either the disposal of the former Horticultural Research Institute at Barn Hall or the planning application or subsequent planning determination. Likewise there has been no contact between officials.
The only known contacts between departmental officials in connection with this matter were:
December 2008: DEFRA was approached by Department for Communities and Local Government to alert DEFRA to pleadings made by Basildon district council in their request for judicial review of the decision to grant planning permission. Department for Communities and Local Government indicated that officials could not enter into any discussions regarding the determination or application for judicial review and none were undertaken.
April 2009: Department for Communities and Local Government transferred a Freedom of Information request made by the hon. Gentleman on behalf of his constituent seeking a copy of the disposal contract to DEFRA, which has been made available.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions with Government Departments other than the Department for Communities and Local Government his Department has had on Barn Hall, with particular reference to the contract of sale. [286287]
Dan Norris: The Department has had no communications with other Government Departments in respect of the contract for sale for Barn Hall Wickford.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms in (a) Lancashire, (b) the North West and (c) England were under bovine tuberculosis restrictions on the latest date for which figures are available. [284686]
Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA cannot provide the information in the format that the hon. Member has requested. DEFRA collects data on the number of herds under restriction because TB measures apply to a herd and not a farm.
The latest data (from the Vetnet system on 1 June) show that the number of herds under bovine TB restrictions on 31 March 2009 was (a) 31 in Lancashire, (b) 171 in the North West and (c) 5,493 in England.
Note:
Data downloaded from Vetnet are provisional and subject to change as more data become available.
Dairy Farming
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will arrange immediately to hold a conference for all interested parties to discuss the state of dairy farming. [285137]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Representatives from throughout the production and retail chain already attend the twice-yearly Dairy Supply Chain Forum. The most recent of these forums was held on 17 June 2009. Both industry and the Government felt that the key message was a need to boost market confidence.
DEFRA will be chairing a new Horizon Scanning subgroup to identify key challenges and opportunities to help the UK dairy sector meet demand competitively.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the application of state aid rules to compensation for dairy farmers affected by the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain; [286184]
(2) what advice he has received on the compatibility with state aid rules of compensation arrangements for farmers affected by the entry into receivership of Dairy Farmers of Britain. [285717]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Any national financial support for farmers needs to meet EU agricultural state aid rules.
The rules require that state aid must make a real contribution to the development of specific regions or viable businesses and not purely improve the financial situation of its recipients.
Departmental Energy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) electricity and (b) gas was used (i) on his Department's estate and (ii) by his Department's agencies in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09. [280513]
Dan Norris: The annual energy consumption of buildings on the DEFRA and Executive Agency estate is shown in the following table. Data cannot be provided for 2008-09 at this time as it is still being verified.
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