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9 Dec 2009 : Column 376W—continued
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Capita
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions Capita Group plc tendered for contracts let by his Department in each of the last five years; how many such tenders were successful; how much his Department paid to Capita Group plc for the execution of contracts in each such year; how many contracts which terminate after 2010 Capita Group plc hold with his Department; and what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts between his Department and Capita Group plc. [303156]
Dan Norris: The core-Department does not hold centrally information on how many occasions Capita Group plc tendered for contracts let in each of the last five years and how many such tenders were successful. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From information held centrally the expenditure with the Capita Group since 2005-06 is as follows:
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 (April-October) | |
From information held centrally the core-Department has no contracts which terminate after 2010. It is not possible to calculate the monetary value of all outstanding contracts between the core-Department and Capita Group plc because the contracts may vary in terms, length, services, costs and in the demands made upon them.
Climate Change: Antarctic
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK of the findings of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research report on Antarctic climate change and the environment. [304584]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
The Government welcome this comprehensive and timely report from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) which has been circulated to all delegations ahead of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen for their consideration. Antarctica is an important barometer for global climate change and changes there will have far reaching impacts including on the UK. I congratulate all those involved in the SCAR report in particular those UK scientists, most notably from the British Antarctic Survey, who played a leading role. The Government are committed to the protection of the Antarctic environment and strongly support the Antarctic treaty and its environmental protocol. I recently launched for consultation the draft Antarctic Bill which will add to the protection we give to Antarctica. The report will be discussed in detail at the Antarctic treaty meeting of experts on climate change in April 2010 and also at the Antarctic treaty consultative meeting in Uruguay in May.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of maintaining his Department's website in the 2008-09 financial year; and what the forecast cost is of maintaining websites within his responsibility in the 2009-10 financial year. [302416]
Dan Norris:
Staff costs for the central team with responsibility for updating and maintaining DEFRA's websites are estimated to be around £340,000 in the
2008-09 financial year, and the same in 2009-10. This central team is also responsible for the DEFRA intranet, and the staff costs for the external DEFRA website alone cannot be readily disaggregated.
Additional costs in 2009-10 of £71,149 have been incurred for specialist web design, audience research and web accessibility auditing relating to the relaunch of the DEFRA website in September 2009. This relaunch was the first significant investment in the DEFRA website since the creation of the Department in 2001, and work on it spanned two financial years. There are no such expenses currently planned for 2010-11.
Website hosting services-as well as a range of IT applications-are provided as part of DEFRA's overall IT service provision and the costs of this aspect of website maintenance cannot be readily disaggregated.
Departmental Taxis
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years. [300832]
Dan Norris: The core-Department has no contracts with private hire taxi companies. Paragraph 8.2 of the civil service management code requires staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities.
On expenditure, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) of 21 October 2009, Official Report, columns 1455-56W.
Flood Control: Expenditure
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on flood protection measures in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the City of York Council area in each year since 2000-01. [304591]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table provides an analysis of Government funding to the Environment Agency for flood risk management between 2000-01 and 2008-09.
The figures are based upon the annual report and accounts of the Environment Agency.
Until 2004-05 the flood risk management function of the Environment Agency was funded primarily through a combination of grants from DEFRA for specific projects and levies on local authorities.
Both forms of funding were largely replaced by grant in aid from DEFRA from 2004-05 onwards.
| Total England (£ million) | |
The following table shows the total expenditure of the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee in total and specifically on the City of York.
| £000 | |||
| City of York | |||
| Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee( 1) | Capital | Revenue | |
| (1) Total spend for Yorkshire and north bank of Humber (including York) (2 )Estimates proportioned from Ouse revenue spend | |||
Marine Management Organisation
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether an equality impact assessment was published prior to the decision on the future headquarters of the Marine Management Organisation being made. [305170]
Huw Irranca-Davies: An initial equality impact assessment (EqIA) was published on the Marine and Fisheries Agency's (MFA's) intranet pages prior to the decision on the future headquarters of the Marine Management Organisation being made.
This was done in the form of an initial assessment on the relocation project generally taking into account all the shortlisted locations. The finalised 'full' version of the EqIA-which takes account of the more recently known building location in Newcastle-was published on 2 November 2009 (having first been discussed with the departmental trade union, including MFA representation).
Oils: Waste
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of waste oils was transhipped as waste for processing outside the UK in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [304638]
Dan Norris: The Environment Agency is responsible for recording the transfrontier shipment of waste oils for England and Wales. The following table sets out the quantities of waste oils exported from England and Wales from 2001 to 2008.
| Tonnes | |
These data are reported to the secretariat of the Basel convention.
Organic Farming
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of land in (a) England and (b) North Yorkshire and York organically farmed in each year since 1997. [304588]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We do not hold this information for years prior to 2002.
| Organic and In-conversion land in hectares England | |
| Hectares | |
We do not hold specific data for North Yorkshire and York, but we have data for Yorkshire and Humberside, as follows.
| Organic and In-conversion land, in hectares, Yorkshire and Humberside | |
| Hectares | |
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