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26 Nov 2009 : Column 254W—continued
Electoral Commission Committee
Preferential Voting: Referendum
2. Martin Linton: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission has been requested to advise Ministers on the contents of a paving Bill for a referendum on preferential voting. [301666]
Mr. Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has received no such request.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Common Land
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to facilitate access to manorial documents held by (a) local record offices and (b) other organisations for the purpose of supporting public interest applications for the re-registration of land as common under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006. [301457]
Huw Irranca-Davies: It is the responsibility of an applicant under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006 to obtain and provide evidence supporting his or her application. Where relevant manorial documents are held by local record offices, they will generally be available to the public for inspection. Where they are held by private individuals, arrangements for inspection should be made with the custodian.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider the merits of (a) publishing in electronic format and (b) permitting free access to (i) phase I habitat maps, (ii) the land cover map 2007 and (iii) other resources used by people applying to re-register common land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006. [301458]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Public access is already generally available to similar documents where they are held by public bodies, under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Under regulation 6 of the 2004 regulations, a person may request information to be made available in electronic form, and a public authority must comply unless the exceptions in regulation 6(1) apply. DEFRA has arranged for electronic copies of the decisions of the Commons Commissioners in England and Wales to be placed on the website of the Association of Commons Registration Officers at
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons applicants for the re-registration of land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006 are required to provide large-scale ordnance survey maps describing the application area in circumstances in which existing register maps describing that area are available. [301460]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The use of large-scale maps is required for the purposes of an application under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006, in order to ensure accuracy in determining the boundary line of the land specified in the application. However, we accept that, where the application relates to the whole of a cancelled register unit, the representation of the cancelled unit on the register map could otherwise be suitable for the purpose of identification.
We are reviewing the pilot implementation of part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, and will consider what changes might be made to the regulations relating to applications under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Act when Part 1 is implemented nationally at a later date.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether assistance from his Department is available to individuals or organisations applying to re-register common land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006 to (a) identify and (b) serve notice on the owners of that land, with particular reference to circumstances in which such land is not registered with the Land Registry. [301463]
Huw Irranca-Davies: No assistance is available from DEFRA for the purposes of making an application to register waste land of a manor under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006, regardless of whether the ownership is registered with the Land Registry.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the costs expected to be incurred by an individual or organisation applying to re-register common land under Schedule 2(4) of the Commons Act 2006. [301464]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The impact assessment for the pilot implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 concluded that the completion of an application form by applicants would impose a very small administrative burden on applicants. In addition, the costs of giving notice of an application to prescribed persons would also generally be low. The impact assessment noted that DEFRA intended to gather further information about the burden on applicants, but to date no applications have been submitted under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to enable this to be done.
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what efficiency savings projects (a) his Department and (b) its agencies put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [300924]
Dan Norris: DEFRA and its delivery network are contributing to the Government's target of £35 billion VFM savings in CSR07. Overall progress towards the target will be reported in departmental autumn performance reports. Current savings include those arising under DEFRA's Workplace Support Initiative which will bring much of the DEFRA estate (which currently covers over 234 sites across the Department and its agencies) into a single facilities management contract. DEFRA will save £6 million per year in 2010-11 compared to the preceding year through economies of scale and increasing the flexibility of its facilities. Savings will rise to £11 million per year by 2013-14.
The Department's plans for delivering OEP savings over the next spending review are being developed to contribute to the Government's £9 billion target of OEP savings across the public sector.
Departmental Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables and (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [300179]
Dan Norris: A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report and the first one covering the previous year can be found at:
The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat, fruit and vegetable categories purchased.
Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The proportion of domestically produced food procured by DEFRA has gone up from 79.5 per cent. in 2006-07 to 85 per cent. in 2007-08. We expect to publish a third report at the end of 2009.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter of 3 August 2009 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, transferred from the Treasury, PO Ref: 1/74240/2009, on surface water charges. [301743]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 17 August and have arranged for a copy of the response to be sent to him.
Origin Marking: Israel
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 16 July 2009, Official Report, column 568W, on origin marking: Israel, for what reasons the proposals on labelling of goods originating from Israeli settlements have not yet been published for public consultation; and when he expects the proposals to be published. [300306]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 23 November 2009]: We fully appreciate the strong opinions that people have about this issue. It is because of the sensitive and complex nature of this case that the Government are still carefully considering possible next steps.
Solicitor-General
Bribery Bill
Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent discussions she has had with the Attorney-General on the implications of the proposed Bribery Bill for the role of the Attorney-General. [301684]
The Solicitor-General: The Bribery Bill will no longer require the consent of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General before a prosecution for an offence under the Bill can be started, and instead will require the consent of the Director of the relevant prosecuting authority. The Bill does not alter the role of the Attorney-General in any other way.
Eddie Gilfoyle
Chris Huhne: To ask the Solicitor-General on what dates the Crown Prosecution Service received (a) the report of the review, (b) the draft report and (c) the notes of interviews with police officers between the end of Mr. Eddie Gilfoyle's trial and the time they were disclosed to the defence for Mr. Gilfoyle's appeal in 1995. [301569]
The Solicitor-General: The Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) received the report of the review conducted by Merseyside police on 17 July 1995.
The relevant part of the report, together with the supporting material including the notes with the various officers, was served on the defence by way of a covering letter on 7 August 1995.
The appeal was heard on 11, 12 and 14 September 1995 and the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on 20 October 1995.
Euthanasia: Prosecutions
Anne Moffat: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent representations the Director of Public Prosecutions has received on his interim policy for prosecutors on assisted suicide. [301677]
The Solicitor-General: The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) published the interim policy for prosecutors in respect of cases of assisted suicide on 23 September 2009. At the same time the CPS launched a 12-week public consultation on it. Up to 20 November 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had received approximately 700 pieces of correspondence in response.
Leader of the House
Parliamentary Questions: Written Answers
28. Mr. Burns: To ask the Leader of the House what recent representations she has received on the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions for written answer. [301693]
Barbara Keeley: My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House has today responded to the Procedure Committee report on written parliamentary questions which sets out how the Government plan to improve the quality and timeliness of written parliamentary questions.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Leader of the House when she plans to reply to the letter of 21 September 2009 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. [301742]
Barbara Keeley: The hon. Member's letter of 21 September 2009 was transferred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; which is part of the Ministry of Justice, for answer, on 5 October 2009.
I apologise for any confusion and delay caused.
Westminster Hall Sittings
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Leader of the House if she will make arrangements for a full weekly programme of Westminster Hall debates to be held in future in the first full week of a new parliamentary Session. [301892]
Barbara Keeley: There are practical obstacles to holding sittings in Westminster Hall in the first week of a new Parliament. A few days are needed to hold ballots for adjournment debates, for the necessary consultations over the business to be taken at Thursday afternoon sittings, and for the appointment of the Chairmen's Panel.
I do not therefore believe that it would be feasible for sittings to take place in the first full week of the next Session.
Transport
A3: Hindhead
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to date was of the Hindhead Tunnel project on the latest date figures are available; and what his most recent estimate is of the total cost of that project. [300744]
Chris Mole: Expenditure to date at the end of October 2009 for the Hindhead Tunnel was £258.6 million.
The most recent estimate of the total cost for the project is £365.7 million.
Aircraft: Air Conditioning
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent reports he has received of (a) incidents involving the contamination of aircraft cabin air supply by fumes from engine lubricants and (b) the commercial aircraft types which have experienced a contamination of the cabin air supply from the fumes of engine lubricants. [301292]
Paul Clark: Incidents of contaminated air events are reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under the mandatory occurrences reporting scheme (MORS). The latest figures, by commercial aircraft type in the UK, for the first six months of this year are shown in the table.
Between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2009, there were 38 reported contaminated air events. These figures are out of 553,266 airline flights-passenger and cargo operations-for the corresponding period:
| Aircraft type | Reportable occurrences involving contaminated air (January-June 2009) |
For ease of reference the figures for the last full year (2008) are also included. In 2008 there were 97 reported contaminated air events. These figures are out of 1.2 million airline flights-passenger and cargo operations-for the calendar year 2008.
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