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21 July 2009 : Column 1165W—continued
Treasury Solicitors Department: Standards
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General what obligations there are on the Treasury Solicitor and those working for him to comply with the professional obligations of lawyers with practising certificates. [267502]
The Solicitor-General: The holding of practising certificates does not, in itself, impose professional obligations on lawyers. The Treasury Solicitor and his legally qualified staff are under the same obligation to comply with the rules of their professions as any other practising lawyer, solicitor or barrister.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General what guidance there is to ensure that the Treasury Solicitor's Department advises its clients on obligations concerning (a) disclosure and (b) statements of truth required in litigation; and what records are kept of material by the Treasury Solicitor on provision of such advice. [267546]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown and its servants are obliged to comply with the terms of the Civil Procedure Rules with regard to disclosure and the making of statements of truth.
The Treasury Solicitor and his legally qualified staff owe the same duty of professional care to the Crown as any solicitor or barrister does to his or her client to act lawfully and in the client's best interests.
As well as these requirements all civil servants are expressly bound by the Civil Service Code to "comply with the law and the administration of justice" and Government lawyers are additionally told by the Attorney General's Guidance Note for Government Lawyers "to give impartial, objective and frank advice". In providing such advice, they must "have particular regard to the fact that it is a fundamental obligation of Government that it should itself act in accordance with, and subject to, the law."
Advice tendered to clients in the course of litigation will be a matter of record in the case file pertaining to the matter.
Prime Minister
Cabinet
Robert Neill: To ask the Prime Minister (1) in what circumstances the Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Doncaster Central, will attend Cabinet; [288292]
(2) in what circumstances the Minister for Housing will attend Cabinet meetings. [288321]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the ministerial appointments press notice issued by my Office. Copies are available in the Library of the House and are also available on the No. 10 website at:
Foreign Relations
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Prime Minister from which (a) Heads of State and (b) Heads of Government he received a letter of congratulation on his appointment. [288618]
The Prime Minister: Details of this correspondence is not made public, but I was grateful to receive such letters.
Government Departments: Security
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he uses when determining whether to request the Security Commission to investigate a breach of security in Government Departments. [287286]
The Prime Minister: The Prime Minister would refer a case to the Security Commission following consultation.
Members: Surveillance
David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister whether any hon. Member has been subject to (a) official surveillance and (b) interception of communications in the last two years. [288592]
The Prime Minister: The Wilson doctrine continues to apply to all forms of surveillance and interception that are subject to authorisation by Secretary of State warrant.
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish an updated list of the Government's special advisers before the House adjourns for the summer recess. [286779]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 16 July 2009, Official Report, columns 73-76WS.
National Security Forum
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings the National Security Forum has had in July 2009; and what matters were discussed at each meeting. [287494]
The Prime Minister: The Forum met in July, attended by me, to discuss a variety of issues put to it by the Cabinet Committee on national security, international relations and development. As I set out in my written ministerial statement on 9 March 2009, Official Report, columns 3-4WS, the Government will report annually on its activity.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many maps of their land submitted by farmers in claiming common agricultural policy subsidies in 2007-08 were judged by his Department to be materially incorrect. [284402]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is responsible for the maintenance of mapping data used to support the single payment scheme (SPS) and other direct support schemes.
RPA cannot determine which map notifications from farmers are materially incorrect (have incorrect boundaries and in field features), other than by undertaking an inspection of the farm. In each scheme year the RPA inspects 5 per cent. of SPS customers. As a result of these inspections, in the 2007 scheme year the need for mapping changes were identified in 3,284 farm businesses, which resulted in 18,375 amended fields. In the 2008 scheme year the need for mapping changes were identified in 3,033 farm businesses, which resulted in 20,860 amended fields.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the Rural Payments Agency decided to issue a new set of maps in connection with claims for payments under the single payment scheme; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost of doing so. [R] [286065]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is in the process of updating land information used to support the single payment scheme and other direct support schemes. The programme of work is under way to deliver the up-to-date geographic information system, required under EU regulations following criticism in European Commission audits which has the potential to result in financial penalties (disallowance). It is calculated that approximately 5 per cent. of land parcels change every year.
RPA has projected a budget of £21.4 million (covering the period January 2007 to April 2010) to complete the programme of work which includes updating the Rural Land Register (RLR) data with the latest mapping information and confirming the link between each land parcel and a specific claimant; the strategy, necessary IT infrastructure and capability to update the RLR regularly and systematically in future to ensure it meets regulatory requirements and can support further service enhancements such as electronic access.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what date farmers are required to notify the Rural Payments Agency of amendments in relation to the new set of maps issued in connection with claims for payment
under the single payment scheme; and within what time period the Rural Payments Agency will be required to confirm such amendments. [R] [286070]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is asking farmers to respond within 28 days of receiving their updated maps. The agency appreciates this is a busy time of year and that farmers with a large number of land parcels may need more time to check their maps. In these circumstance farmers are asked to contact the RPA and agree an extended response date.
Map amendments received by RPA within the 28-day period will be reviewed and, once accepted, should be confirmed in a new set of maps sent to the farmer approximately six to eight weeks later. Any map amendments sent in after the 28-day period will take longer to be accepted and confirmed.
The mapping update is being done now as the application period for the 2009 single payment scheme (SPS) has passed and before the payment window opens. The updated maps should be used to pre-populate the 2010 SPS application forms.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the total monetary value of single farm payments withheld for (a) cattle passport infringements and (b) other infringements in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. [288500]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The monetary value withheld from single payment scheme (SPS) payments because of cattle passport and cattle identification infringements or other infringements is set out in the following table:
| £ | ||
| SPS Scheme Year | SPS money withheld for cattle passport and cattle identification infringements | SPS money withheld for other reasons |
The figures are for 2007 and 2008 SPS years and do not correlate to financial years.
Air Pollution: EU Law
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of requiring regional tiers of government to contribute to the payment of fines levied in respect of non-compliance with EU Directives on air quality; and if he will make a statement. [288719]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We have made no such assessment. It is for the European Court of Justice to decide whether any fine should be imposed as a result of a member state's non-compliance with EU legislation.
Climate Change: South East
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of climate change on the (a) ceremonial county of Hampshire and (b) South East in the next 10 years. [288402]
Dan Norris: On 18 June, the Government published the latest UK Climate Projections. These projections show the potential changes in climate for the UK for a range of probabilities, climate variables and emissions scenarios. The data are provided by region to a scale of 25km grid squares in 30-year overlapping time slices, starting from the 30-year average between 2010-39. These data are freely available to all to make their own assessments of the likely effects of climate change. The Government have set the framework to allow local authorities to undertake their own assessments of the risks and effects from climate change into the future by including a new performance indicator (National Indicator 188 Planning to Adapt to Climate Change) in the local government performance framework. Under the Climate Change Act 2008 the Government are required to undertake a risk assessment of the impacts of climate change on the UK. The results of this risk assessment will include an assessment by region and are expected to be published in 2012.
Compost
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated research into the proportion of households with access to private gardens to facilitate home composting. [288980]
Dan Norris: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has been funded by the Government to promote home composting as a sustainable means of reducing biodegradable waste going to landfill. WRAP estimates that around 80 per cent. of UK households have access to an open space in which they can undertake home composting (including wormeries/vermiculture). Such open spaces can include yards and balconies as well as gardens.
Dairy Farming: Finance
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the merits of using funding from (a) his Department's budget and (b) Rural Development Programme for England programmes to assist dairy farmers in meeting the cost of slurry stores arising from obligations under the Nitrates Directive. [288406]
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ensure the budget available to England under the Rural Development Programme achieves the best possible value for money, it was decided not to implement measures within the Rural Development Regulation that provide assistance to farmers to adapt to standards based on Community legislation. To provide assistance to farmers that would only implement obligations under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 would offer no additionality-an important consideration in spending any taxpayers' money.
No new central Government money will be made available for assisting farmers with the costs of meeting the manure storage capacity requirements established by the Nitrates Regulations. Capital grants could simply increase storage tank supply prices and merely postpone the impact of market forces. Providing grants would also contravene the 'polluter pays' principle.
However, there are ways in which farmers can minimise the need for extra storage, through simple actions such as diverting rainwater away from slurry stores and covering storage tanks. We are providing advice and guidance on these actions and have provided a three-year implementation period.
Slurry storage facilities may also be considered as plant and machinery and therefore eligible for plant and machinery allowances such as the new annual investment allowance, capped at £50,000 per year. Slurry pits also qualify for allowances in their own right under the Capital Allowances Act 2001.
Damian McBride
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date he last met Mr. Damian McBride in the course of his official duties. [287904]
Dan Norris: Since the date of Mr. McBride's resignation (11 April 2009), my right hon. Friend has had no meetings with Mr. McBride.
Departmental Accountancy
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish his Department's resource accounts for 2008-09. [287335]
Dan Norris: DEFRA intends to lay the Department's resource accounts for 2008-09 before Parliament by 21 July 2009, subject to clearance by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Publication will follow within one month of laying.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) photocopiers, (b) scanning devices and (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [286174]
Dan Norris: DEFRA currently holds contracts with a number of suppliers for provision of photocopiers, scanning devices and fax machines. No central record of the numbers provided via individual contracts is held and therefore to obtain the number of machines across the Department would incur disproportionate cost.
In the case of all three types of equipment, no ongoing record is kept of the number used so it is not possible to provide historical information for the last three years.
DEFRA is actively involved in accelerating progress with Green ICT and has significant activity in place to reduce the carbon footprint of its IT estate. A print study is currently under way which will address all facets of document production including photocopying and scanning.
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