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20 July 2009 : Column 736W—continued
Oil: Waste Disposal
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals his Department has for the disposal of residual waste from energy production. [287410]
Dan Norris: DEFRA has no plans affecting the disposal of ash or other residual waste from power stations. This is the responsibility of the operators of such facilities.
Origin Marking: Israel
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into consumer attitudes in respect of country of origin labelling for goods imported into the UK from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. [287155]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are not planning to commission research into consumer attitudes in respect of labelling goods from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Pesticides
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he next plans to revise guidelines to farmers on the spraying of pesticides near schools and residences. [287819]
Dan Norris: The Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products includes advice to farmers on spraying pesticides near schools and residences.
Two new pieces of European legislation governing the system for pesticides are likely to come into force in 2011; a Regulation on pesticide authorisations that is largely an updating of the existing European regime, and a directive on the sustainable use of pesticides that will establish a framework to promote best practice in the storage, use and disposal of pesticides.
The Government plan to hold a public consultation this autumn on a range of options for the implementation of this new legislation. Once we have agreed our approach to national legislation and guidance, we will revise the Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products.
Pollution: Prosecutions
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of diffuse pollution have been recorded in each year since 1997; and how many such incidents have resulted in (a) prosecutions and (b) fines for those convicted of such offences. [286464]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency's national incident recording system (NIRS) records all pollution incidents reported to the Agency since 2001. The Environment Agency does not classify such incidents as point or diffuse pollution. An approximation of the number of "diffuse incidents" can be derived from NIRS by counting incidents that arose from an unregulated site where the cause was not identified. Data are available and provided on this basis for full calendar years from 2001 until 2009.
For prosecution and fines there is often a time lag between the incident being reported and the completion of any enforcement action. Yearly figures in this table
therefore may relate to incidents which occurred in the previous year or earlier. This is why some prosecutions have been prosecuted and reported in 2009.
| Number of "Diffuse" incidents | Number of prosecutions | Fines (£) | |
Recycling
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of waste collected in the City of York was recycled in each year since 2003-04; what funding his Department provided to City of York council to increase recycling rates in that period; and what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage local authorities to increase waste recycling rates. [285866]
Dan Norris: Recycling is strongly promoted by a range of Government measures in recognition of its environmental benefits. This includes the introduction of three national indicators within the local government performance framework to encourage local authorities to reduce waste, recycle more and send less household waste to landfill. This is in line with DEFRA's belief that local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the waste management strategy for their communities. 85 per cent. of authorities have negotiated at least one waste-related national indicator target with the Government Office in their region.
DEFRA has provided the City of York council £359,838.71 in 2008-09 and £361,122.65 for 2009-10 as part of Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant (WICG). This funding is provided to help authorities get waste management facilities on the ground in time to help England meet landfill targets.
The following table shows York city council's municipal recycling rates from 2003-04 to 2007-08. 2004-05 is not available due to data not being submitted.
| York city council's municipal recycling rate | |
| Percentage | |
| (1) Data not available Source: WasteDataFlow and DEFRA's Municipal Waste Survey | |
Reservoirs
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the capacity of reservoirs owned by the water industry in England was (a) in 1989 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. [286785]
Huw Irranca-Davies: A reservoir capacity figure for 1989 is unavailable.
The total capacity of reservoirs owned by water companies in England which fall under the Reservoirs Act 1975 (large raised reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000 m(3) or more above natural ground level) was 1,855,244,628 m(3) on 14 July 2009.
River Thames: Pollution
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the likely effects of the recent raw sewage spillage in the Thames in the Mogden area on river usage and wildlife. [288784]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency measured the chemical quality of the river using a series of water quality monitoring stations located at strategic points along the estuary. Readings taken indicated a significant decline in the oxygen saturation of the river.
Environment Agency officers were deployed to assess the extent of the incident by monitoring the river in the upper reaches to record the impact on fish at low water. Approximately 200 dead fish, mostly flounder, were found around the Kew area. Other inspections did not identify notable amounts of dead fish.
The monitoring network indicated the river returned to a near normal condition by the afternoon of 5 July.
Rivers: Pollution
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of significant non-water industrial discharges to rivers in each region was reviewed by the Environment Agency in each year since 1997. [286463]
Huw Irranca-Davies: This information is not readily available. It will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as possible.
Television: Energy
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of daily energy consumption resulting from the use of stand-by units on televisions. [287897]
Dan Norris: The Government's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) estimates that in 2008 the 66 million television sets in use in UK homes consumed an average of just over 600 Watt hours each per day. Of this an average of 30 watt hours (5 per cent.) was consumed while the television was in stand-by mode.
MTP evidence indicates that the on average a new television consumes 2.5 watts while in stand-by. This will be reduced to one watt from January 2010 as a result of new EU legislation under the ecodesign for energy using products framework directive and falling further to 0.3 watts in 2012.
Thundersley Common
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the effect on mammalian wildlife of the removal of trees from Thundersley Common. [287868]
Huw Irranca-Davies: While negotiating a higher level stewardship agreement with Castle Point borough council to support the council's heathland restoration work on Thundersley Great Common site of special scientific interest (SSSI), Natural England assessed the overall impact on the mammalian fauna as neutral or beneficial, for the following reasons:
(1) The common is small and heavily used by the public, and so does not support a rich mammal fauna, though both bats and badgers do occur;
(2) The restoration only affects part of the common and the wooded part of the common outside the SSSI will not be affected;
(3) The result of the restoration will be a mosaic of open heath, scrub and trees which should be at least as favourable for mammal and bird species as the common is now. The mosaic will also support a range of more unusual heathland plants and animals and provide an open greenspace for the public to enjoy.
Before issuing a felling licence for the removal of some trees, the Forestry Commission assessed the selected trees individually. The commission considered one to be of potential value for roosting bats so Castle Point borough council agreed that this tree should be left and an alternative one removed.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with (a) Essex County Council and (b) Castle Point Borough Council in respect of Thundersley Common in the last five years. [287870]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department has had no substantive discussion with either local authority about Thundersley Common in the last five years. However, Natural England (non-departmental public body sponsored by DEFRA) has had discussions with Castle Point borough council.
Natural England's purpose is to ensure England's natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for current and future generations. An important part of Natural England's remit is the protection of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)-the country's best sites for wildlife and geology.
Castle Point borough council owns and manages Thundersley Common, which includes Thundersley Great Common SSSI. Within the last five years, discussions in respect of this SSSI between Natural England and the borough council have included several on-site and office meetings and regular discussions by phone, e-mail and letter. Natural England has offered consistent advice to the council on the conservation management of the site, aimed at restoring the heathland habitats for which the SSSI is notified. Since 2007, council staff have negotiated a higher level stewardship agreement with Natural England to support the council's restoration of the SSSI to favourable condition.
Within the last five years, Natural England has not held discussions with Essex county council specifically on this SSSI, because the county council does not own or manage it.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public consultations have been held in respect of the removal of trees from Thundersley Common; and if he will make a statement. [287872]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Natural England does not have any information on public consultations held in respect of the removal of trees from Thundersley Great Common site of special scientific interest (SSSI), or in respect of the other essential components of the heathland restoration work being undertaken by Castle Point borough council. These works have the full support of Natural England, in fulfilling the council's statutory duties to protect and enhance the special interest features for which this SSSI is notified.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date responsibility for Thundersley Common was transferred to Natural England; and if he will make a statement. [287888]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thundersley Great Common (14.8 hectares) is owned and managed by Castle Point borough council. In 1987, 8.9 hectares of the common were notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 by English Nature (one of Natural England's predecessor bodies): the ownership remains with the borough council. Both Castle Point borough council and Natural England have statutory responsibilities to conserve and enhance the special interest features of the SSSI.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many oak trees have been removed from Thundersley Common in the last five years; and for what reasons the trees were removed. [287889]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The notified special interest features of Thundersley Common Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are its dry heath, wet heath and acid grassland plant communities. It is one of the best remaining fragments of heathland in Essex.
Natural England's records show that five oak trees, and one birch, have been removed from Thundersley Great Common SSSI since 2004. These trees were felled during the 2008-9 winter by Castle Point borough council with the assent and support of Natural England. The work was done as part of a higher level stewardship agreement to restore the special interest features of the SSSI-namely its rare heathland habitats-to favourable condition. Some tree removal is essential as part of this restoration work because many oaks became established on the heathland in the second half of the last century when the site was less actively managed. There are now over 100 trees on the northern half of the SSSI which are rapidly shading out the remaining patches of heathland vegetation. If these are all left to mature a large part of the SSSI will soon be dense woodland and the heathland will be lost.
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