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7 Dec 2009 : Column 10W—continued
The days at sea figures shown do not take into consideration the time required for mobilisation and demobilisation of scientific equipment before and after each scientific campaign (approximately 40 days per annum). They also exclude the time associated with essential vessel maintenance (approximately 20 days per annum rising to 40 days per annum where scheduled dry docking is required).
Sea trips are increasingly planned to integrate a number of projects with objectives which can be achieved during the same campaign. This typically requires 24 hour operations, so maximising the scientific returns from a single day of sea time.
The annual cost of operating the CEFAS Endeavour include, vessel operations and management, technical support, capital charges, fuel and costs and allowances for CEFAS staff on board the vessel during scientific campaigns. The annual services agreement to operate and maintain the vessel was recently let via open competition with a six year contract signed in March 2009. The agreement is subject to terms of confidentiality, hence annual budgets are not included in this response.
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days the CEFAS vessel Endeavour was (a) made available by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and (b) used by other organisations during 2008-09; and what estimate has been made of the number of such days in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [302016]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The CEFAS Endeavour is available 365 days per annum for the scheduling of sea trips. Schedule planning must allow time for non-sea going activities such as mobilisation, demobilisation and planned maintenance. These non-sea going activities require between approximately 60 and 80 days per year.
The CEFAS Endeavour programme in 2008-09 was 100 per cent. dedicated to CEFAS managed projects and no chartering of the vessel to other organisations took place. The committed programme for 2009-10 is also 100 per cent. dedicated to CEFAS managed projects with no chartering of the vessel to other organisations planned. The forecast programme for 2010-11 is based upon the same premise.
CEFAS managed projects are undertaken on behalf of a range of customers such as DEFRA, the Marine Environmental Protection Fund (MEPF), Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Natural England. In addition, on a project basis, visiting scientists, observers and organisations collaborating with CEFAS (for project delivery) will also be present on the vessel.
Dairy Farming: Cooperatives
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives his Department provides for dairy farmers to establish supplier co-operatives. [303625]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
DEFRA has provided over £5 million in grant funding to English Farming and Food Partnerships since 2003 to promote collaboration throughout the food supply chain, including amongst dairy producers.
There is also funding available under the Rural Development Programme for England to support co-operation between farmers, including dairy farmers, and between farmers and food processors. So far, approximately £12 million has been committed to this measure. DEFRA has not spent any additional money on specific incentives for dairy farmers to establish supplier co-operatives.
Departmental Fixed Penalties
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many non-compliance penalties were imposed by his Department in each of the last five years; what the most common reason was for such penalties being imposed; what the (a) largest, (b) smallest, (c) median and (d) mean penalty was in each such year; and if he will make a statement. [300295]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In answering this question we have taken 'non-compliance penalties' to mean all cases where a reduction has been made to farmers' payments under the single payment scheme. The figures in the following table therefore include minor over-declarations of land area, which in a regulatory sense do not qualify as a 'penalty', as well as regulatory penalties for late claims and breaches of both eligibility and cross compliance rules.
| SPS scheme year | Number of penalties | Largest penalty imposed (£) | Smallest penalty imposed (£) | Median penalty imposed (£) | Mean penalty imposed (£) |
We do not yet have data for 2009 as processing checks and inspections have not been completed.
The most common reason for 'penalties' being imposed is through over-declared land areas.
Departmental Official Cars
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing official cars for the use of (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the last 12 months. [301180]
Dan Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Paul Clark) on 16 July 2009, Official Report, column 80WS.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department was in the last 12 months. [301391]
Dan Norris: No special advisers are provided with an allocated Government car and driver. As with all civil servants, special advisers may use an official car or taxi in certain circumstances. Information on such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date he last travelled by (a) bus and (b) taxi in the course of his official duties. [302726]
Dan Norris: The Secretary of State last travelled by taxi in the course of his official duties on 5 November 2009. He has made no journeys by bus in the course of his official duties.
Drinking Water: Crime
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate have resulted in (a) convictions and (b) custodial sentences in each year since 1995; and how many (i) prosecutions brought, (ii) cautions given and (iii) enforcement notices served the Inspectorate was responsible for in each region in each such year. [303291]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Drinking Water Inspectorate has brought 64 prosecutions (including cautions) against water companies in England and Wales since 1995 for offences relating to drinking water quality. All but one of these were successful. There have been no custodial sentences.
| Number | Regions | |
|
Central, Eastern (3), Northern (2), Southern (2), Western (2), | ||
The Drinking Water Inspectorate has initiated enforcement action 1,084 times since 1995. It has not been possible to divide these figures by region.
| Enforcements | |
Flood Control: Finance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expected expenditure on each (a) capital and (b) resource expenditure flood defence project (i) under way and (ii) completed in the last two years was at the date of scheme approval. [303297]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Environment Agency does not hold the information required to answer this question in a format that could be completed without incurring disproportionate costs.
The Environment Agency is on track to deliver a programme of flood and coastal risk management schemes that over three years is set to exceed the challenging target to provide increased protection to 145,000 households.
The Environment Agency continuously strives to improve its procurement and management of construction and engineering projects. Since 2007 it has completed 102 major flood defence schemes that have protected over 63,000 properties from flooding in England.
Through the Environment Agency's Streamlining project it has been able to reduce the cost of project development, meaning that a greater proportion of the money is actually spent on constructing defences than ever before.
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