| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 July 2009 : Column 555W—continued
Departmental Billing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 484W, on departmental billing, how much his Department's non-departmental public bodies have paid in interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years. [282325]
Dan Norris: The Department does not hold information regarding payments made to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1988 by the Department's Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPB). Each NDPB is required to publish such payments in their independent annual accounts.
Departmental Databases
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what categories of personal information on members of the public are contained on each database which contains such data managed by his Department and its agencies; when each category of information was first collected; and if he will make a statement. [284896]
Dan Norris: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) Information Asset register provides detail on many of the databases, including those containing personal data, managed by the Department. This register is available on the Department's website at:
The additional details requested about these assets, and full details of databases not included in the Information Asset Register, are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All databases containing personal data maintained by DEFRA are in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Following the publication of the cross Government data handling review in June 2008, staff establishing new projects and programmes in the Department that hold significant amounts of personal data are obliged to conduct privacy impact assessments.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what databases managed by his Department and its agencies hold personal information on members of the public; on what date each such database became operational; and if he will make a statement. [285975]
Dan Norris: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA's) information asset register provides detail on many of the databases, including those containing personal data, managed by the Department. This register is available on the Department's website at:
The additional details requested about these assets, and full details of databases not included in the information asset register, are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All databases containing personal data maintained by DEFRA are in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Following the publication of the cross-Government data handling review in June 2008, staff establishing new projects and programmes in the Department that hold significant amounts of personal data are obliged to conduct privacy impact assessments.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the planned databases that will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies and which will hold personal information on members of the public are expected to become operational in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [286145]
Dan Norris: Information about which of the planned databases that will be managed by the Department or any of its agencies and which will hold personal information on members of the public that are expected to become operational in each of the next five years can be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department.
Routine assurance of database developments during the business planning cycle ensures that any planned databases containing personal information are identified before development commences and referred to the departmental data protection team to ensure that they adhere to the Data Protection Act.
Moreover, following the publication of the cross-Government data handling review in June 2008, staff establishing new projects and programmes that hold significant amounts of personal data are obliged to conduct privacy impact assessments.
Departmental Work Experience
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) paid and (b) unpaid graduate internships his Department has awarded in each of the last six months. [281516]
Dan Norris: In each of the last six months the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has awarded no graduate internships, on either a paid or unpaid basis.
Five graduate internships commenced placements with DEFRA on 6 July 2009, three via the Cabinet Office Summer Development Programme (ethnic minorities) and two from the Summer Placement Scheme (disability). All interns are engaged on a paid basis at executive officer level.
DEFRA is actively exploring ways of increasing its graduate internship numbers via HMG's Public Sector Jobs imperatives, and we are registered as an organisation with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Graduate Talent Pool online matching programme.
We anticipate recruiting graduate interns via the Cabinet Office schemes mentioned above in 2010.
EC Law
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of statutory obligations provided for by legislation on matters for which his Department is responsible which were introduced as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the latest period for which figures are available. [281865]
Dan Norris: It is very difficult to provide precise figures for the proportion of UK legislation that stems from the European Union.
The administrative burdens measurement exercise carried out by the Government in 2006 put the proportion of administrative burdens stemming from the EU at approximately one third of the total administrative burden.
The important thing is not the origins of a legislation, which could of course be a devolved administration or a local authority, as well as the Government or the EU, but the quality of the regulation. All regulations, irrespective of their origins, should comply with the principles of better regulation. Regulations should be risk based, proportionate and well designed, so as to achieve their objectives while also keeping costs to a minimum. The Government continue to work with European partners to ensure that EU regulations meet these standards.
Environment Protection: Public Opinion
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what publicly-funded research has been undertaken by his Department into (a) levels of public interest in and (b) public attitudes towards environmental issues in the last five years. [287125]
Dan Norris: The list details the research projects that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has undertaken to assess levels of public interest in and public attitudes towards environmental issues in the last five years.
This list includes projects commissioned by DEFRA's Sustainable Behaviours Unit and also projects commissioned through the Central Office of Information.
Climate Change Desk Research (attitudes)
Public Attitudes to Climate Change Waves 1, 2 and 3
Public tracking
Public attitudes to Climate Change Waves 4 and 5
Youth Climate Change omnibus
Approach to ecosystems
Public understanding of sustainable finance and investment
Public understanding of sustainable consumption of food
Public understanding of sustainable energy consumption in the home
Public understanding of sustainable leisure and tourism
Public understanding of sustainable transport
Public Understanding of Links between Climate Change and Energy and Food consumption in the Home
Per Capita Carbon Footprints
Public Understanding of Sustainable Clothing
Public attitudes to Climate Change Waves 6 and 7
Natural Environment Desk Research
Natural Environment Qualitative Research
DEFRA survey of public attitudes and behaviours towards the environment 2007
Carbon Offsetting Qualitative Research
Young People Climate Change Tracker
Public attitudes towards wildlife management
ACT ON CO2 Tracking
Desk research on conservation volunteering
Public Understanding of Sustainable Water Use in the Home
Public perceptions of short term actions government could take to mitigate climate change
Tracker survey of public attitudes and behaviours towards the environment 2009
Environment Protection: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) specific purpose and (b) monetary value was of each special environmental grant awarded by his Department to City of York Council in each year since 2003. [285755]
Dan Norris: There are a number of environmental grants in existence and it is unclear which special environmental grants are being referred to.
The city of York council received £359,838.71 in 2008-09 and £361,122.65 for 2009-10 as part of a waste infrastructure capital grant. Waste infrastructure capital grants are paid to local authorities in recognition of the need to get front-end waste infrastructure, e.g. recycling and composting facilities, on the ground in time to help England meet landfill targets.
Agri-environment schemes are administered by Natural England on behalf of DEFRA. There have been no Countryside Stewardship Scheme or Higher Level Scheme agreements with the city of York council since 2003.
Flood Control: Expenditure
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on flood protection measures in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the City of York in each year since 2003. [285756]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The table shows:
Total expenditure by DEFRA-including by DEFRA through the Environment Agency, local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards-on flood and coastal risk management in England from the 2004-05 financial year; and
Environment Agency investment of grant in aid (from DEFRA) through its regional flood defence committee for the Yorkshire region and expenditure in respect of the city of York.
| £ million | |||
| Total for England | Yorkshire and Humber region | City of York | |
| Notes: 1. The figures do not include Government funding to local authorities by means of revenue support grant nor funding DEFRA has retained for the implementation of the Pitt Review recommendations, adaptation, resistance and resilience measures. These data are published on the DEFRA website. 2. The totals for England include resource and capital funding to the Environment Agency and funding to the Environment Agency to grant aid local authority and Internal Drainage Board flood risk management capital improvement projects. 3. The resource budget funds maintenance and operational costs of the Environment Agency's flood and coastal erosion risk management activities, and the capital programme funds new and improved defences and projects. 4. The totals for England for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are based on outturns, data for 2008-09 on budgeted amounts. 5. The totals for England for 2004-05 and 2005-06 include capital grant and supported capital expenditure (resource) to local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards. | |||
Flood Control: Finance
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has allocated to the Environment Agency for flood defence grants in each year since 1997; and what expenditure his Department has incurred on flood defences in each such year. [286474]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table shows total funding from DEFRA (and its predecessors) to the Environment Agency for flood and coastal erosion risk management. This includes funding for grants to internal drainage boards and local authorities for capital improvement projects.
Until 2004-05 the flood risk management function of the Environment Agency was funded primarily through a combination of grants from DEFRA (and its predecessors) for specific projects and levies on local authorities. The data shows funding from DEFRA and does not include funding from other sources, such as local government investment using settlement funding and levies to the Environment Agency.
The figure for 2008-09 is based on budgeted amounts, subject to confirmation of final outturns.
| Funding ( £ million ) | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |