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16 Oct 2009 : Column 1155W—continued
With regards to livestock disposal costs, no such estimate has been made. For most cattle compulsorily slaughtered on TB control grounds, DEFRA has received a net payment from abattoirs rather than incurred a cost.
MHS officials inspect carcasses of such cattle when slaughtered in licensed abattoirs, a small proportion of TB affected cattle are condemned as unfit for human consumption e.g. if TB lesions are identified in more than one part of the carcase. In such cases DEFRA does makes a payment to the abattoir to cover its disposal costs. It is not possible to provide details of slaughter costs in the form requested: typically an abattoir will receive batches of cattle being slaughtered on disease control grounds rather than single animals-if one (or more) of these animals is condemned, the cost to DEFRA will be offset by the total salvage value received from those passed as fit for human consumption.
Departmental Buildings
Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on (i)
electricity, (ii) heat, (iii) water and sewerage services and (iv) disposal of waste on the latest date for which figures are available; what proportion of such (A) electricity and (B) heat was from renewable sources; what the weight was of such waste; what proportion of such waste was recycled; at what cost such waste was recycled; and what area of office floor space (1) his Department and (2) its agencies own or lease. [290456]
Dan Norris: The following amounts were spent on energy and water in 2007-08.
| Cost (£) | ||||
| Organisation | Electricity | Gas | Oil | Water |
Data for 2008-09 have not yet been verified by OGC therefore cannot be released.
DEFRA is unable to identify the cost for waste disposal and recycling as this activity is part of a composite facilities management contract specifically engineered to offer value for money, accordingly the individual costs for waste disposal and recycling are not identified. Similarly, the costs of recycling and recovered waste set out below are not individually identifiable.
In 2007-08, 55.9 per cent. of electricity purchased was from renewable sources. DEFRA did not purchase any gas/heat from renewable sources.
The DEFRA estate generated 4,816 tonnes of waste, 29 per cent. of the waste was recycled (recycled, composted, re-used externally).
It should be noted that DEFRA incinerates approximately 30 per cent. of its waste, from which significant quantity of heat and energy is recovered. Current Sustainable Development Commission reporting does not acknowledge energy recovery from waste incineration as recycling or waste recovery under current Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) guidelines. It is expected that energy recovered from incineration will be included in future SOGE targets. DEFRA recovers 60 per cent. of the waste generated (recycled, composted, reused externally, incinerated with energy recovery).
DEFRA and its core Executive agencies own and lease 230,000 square metres of office space.
Departmental Energy
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificate and (b) advisory report for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) the Forestry Commission and (ii) the Office of Water Services. [289928]
Dan Norris: There are no Display Energy Certificates in Forestry Commission buildings in England as they have all been assessed as outside the requirement for a certificate. In almost all cases this is due to the buildings having a useful floor area of less than 1,000 square metres.
Ofwat are in the process of obtaining a display energy certificate and advisory report. These will be published by the Office of Government Commerce when available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Dogs: Quarantine
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will relax the quarantine rules in respect of rescue dogs returning to the UK from service overseas; and what representations he has received in respect of the quarantine of the rescue dog Darcy of the urban search and rescue section of the Essex fire and rescue service. [293847]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government recognises the excellent work carried out by search and rescue dogs in responding to overseas disasters, such as the recent earthquake in Indonesia, and their rapid and valuable response to such emergencies.
We also appreciate the difficulty the current quarantine requirements cause for owners of these rescue dogs, particularly the rule requiring that dogs coming into the UK from certain countries, including Indonesia, are placed in quarantine on their arrival. This long standing rule is in place to protect the UK from the incursion of serious diseases such as rabies.
DEFRA has not received any formal representation in respect of the rescue dog Darcy. However, we are happy to consider ways to support rescue dogs, consistent with the law and the overriding need to protect the UK population from disease.
Farmers: Income
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average annual income of (a) farmers and (b) hill farmers in (i) England and (ii) Cumbria was in each year since 1997. [291917]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following tables show Farm Business Income(1) (FBI) for England and Cumbria for all farm types and for grazing livestock farms in the less favoured areas (LFA). Farm Business Income is the most robust measure of income but is not available prior to 2003-04. Equivalent data are also shown for Net Farm Income(2) (NFI).
(1) Farm Business Income represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and directors and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings.
(2) Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse alone for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business. An imputed rent is deducted for owner-occupied farms as is a charge for other unpaid labour.
| All farm types | ||||
| (£ per farm) | ||||
| England | Cumbria | |||
| March/February | Net farm income | Farm business income | Net farm income | Farm business income |
| Source: Business Survey, England | ||||
| LFA grazing livestock | ||||
| (£ per farm) | ||||
| England | Cumbria | |||
| March/February | Net farm income | Farm business income | Net farm income | Farm business income |
| Source: Farm Business Survey, England | ||||
Note:
The Farm Business Survey sample covers businesses with a Standard Labour Requirement (SLR) of at least 0.5, i.e. a size considered sufficient to occupy a farmer for at least half their time.
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