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15 Dec 2009 : Column 976W—continued
Incinerators
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the licensing conditions relating to incinerator operators for the purposes of imposing requirements for more detailed reporting, with particular reference to (a) quarterly reports for incinerator bottom ash and (b) test results for H14 ecotoxicity. [306738]
Dan Norris: There is no legal requirement for more detailed reporting under current UK or EU legislation. There is also no requirement to provide information on H14 testing (or any hazardous waste assessment) under Hazardous Waste Regulations or Environmental Permitting Regulations.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on the sampling of incinerator bottom ash for the purposes of classifying batches as hazardous or non-hazardous. [306739]
Dan Norris: The Environmental Services Association is currently finalising a sampling protocol that can be used to help the assessment of incinerator bottom ash.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) national and (b) international standards there are in respect of the sampling of industrial waste or other materials to ensure that they are correctly classified as hazardous or non-hazardous. [306740]
Dan Norris: Due to the large variation in the composition of waste, there is no single national or international standard that could be applied for sampling wastes.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will direct the Environment Agency to make available on its website the quarterly reports produced by incinerator operators on (a) discharges and (b) tests on incinerator bottom ash from their licensed facilities. [306741]
Dan Norris: The Environment Agency makes these reports available on its public registers. These can be viewed at the regional offices relevant to each facility. They are not stored electronically.
Origin Marking: Israel
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals he has to identify products from the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza on labels; and if he will make a statement. [305985]
Dan Norris: On 10 December the Secretary of State tabled a written ministerial statement concerning technical advice on the labelling of produce from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. That advice has been issued in response to consumer and retailer concern about a lack of clarity on whether such produce comes from Israeli settlements or Palestinian producers. Some aspects of the advice are relevant to produce from Gaza as well as from the west bank. However, we understand that since 2006 there have been no Israeli settlements in Gaza, therefore the issue of clarity of origin between Palestinian producers and Israeli settlement producers is not applicable.
Recycling
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas trees which were recycled in each of the last three years; and whether his Department provides assistance to local authorities for the recycling of Christmas trees. [307648]
Dan Norris: No such estimate has been made by DEFRA. The Government believe local authorities are better placed to make decisions on the best waste management strategy for their local area, so it does not direct or interfere in the decisions they make. This includes the facilities local authorities make available for recycling Christmas trees. It does, however, encourage local authorities to consult extensively with residents, to ensure their opinions and preferences are taken into consideration.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas cards which were recycled in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [307649]
Dan Norris: No such estimate has been made by DEFRA. The Government believe local authorities are better placed to make decisions on the best waste management strategy for their local area, so it does not direct or interfere in the decisions they make. This includes the facilities local authorities make available for recycling Christmas cards. It does, however, encourage local authorities to consult extensively with residents, to ensure their opinions and preferences are taken into consideration.
Whales: Conservation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are plans to revise EU Council Decision 7146/09 of 3 March 2009 in advance of the 62nd International Whaling Commission meeting in June 2010. [307192]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Council Decision 7146/09 was adopted on 3 March 2009 and established the position to be taken by the European Community at the subsequent three annual and related intersessional meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The Council's intention was, therefore, that the Decision should remain in force until the end of the 63rd IWC annual meeting in 2011. Neither the European Commission nor member states have suggested so far that there is any need to amend the Decision.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the International Whaling Commission's Small Working Group on the future of the IWC (a) last met and (b) plans to meet prior to the 62nd International Whaling Commission meeting in June 2010. [307297]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Small Working Group (SWG) last met in March 2009 and was due to meet in December 2009 to discuss the output of the Support Group. The Support Group, set up to assist the chair and the SWG in reaching a decision on a number of issues relating to the future of the IWC, was unable to reach a conclusion at its September 2009 meeting and so will continue discussions. The SWG is, therefore, scheduled to meet again in March 2010 ahead of the 62nd IWC meeting in June.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the International Whaling Commission's Support Group of the Small Working Group on the future of the IWC (a) last met and (b) plans to meet prior to the 62nd International Whaling Commission meeting in June 2010. [307298]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Support Group last met from 4 to 6 December 2009. The group plans to meet again in January 2010 and the product of that meeting will be discussed in the larger meeting of the Small Working Group (SWG) in March. This will allow the SWG to review and discuss the matter prior to the next annual meeting of the IWC in Morocco in June 2010.
International Development
Departmental Art Works
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on art works in the last 12 months. [306440]
Mr. Michael Foster: Works of art displayed in the Department for International Development (DFID) are from the Government Art Collection (GAC), which publishes an annual list of acquisitions. The most recent details of acquisitions made by the GAC were published on 5 October 2009 and are available on the GAC website:
International Assistance
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Governments contributed to the delivery of aid supplies provided by his Department in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009, and what steps the Government took in consequence in each case. [306802]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) works with other Governments to deliver its aid in two ways:
Financial aid to partner Governments
Through delegated co-operation or co-financing arrangements where one donor leads in the relationship with the partner Government.
We only give financial aid to partner Governments when there is a shared commitment to poverty reduction, human rights and strengthening public financial management. We protect our funds in three ways:
We assess the risks carefully and have our assessment checked by external experts.
We ensure that Governments have a credible reform programme to improve their systems; and provide technical support to help them.
We use safeguards to prevent mis-use of funds and ensure the adequacy of these is checked by independent experts; e.g. additional audits of particular sectors or tracking money from the Ministry of Finance to make sure it gets to the right places.
Details of where UK aid is delivered are publicly available through the DFID annual reports which are available through the DFID website:
Leader of the House
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Baron: To ask the Leader of the House which conferences held overseas have been attended by civil servants based in her office in the last three years; and what the cost to the public purse was of such attendance at each conference. [305861]
Barbara Keeley: Since June 2007, no civil servants based in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons have attended conferences held overseas. The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in June 2007 and information from before this time can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Hands: To ask the Leader of the House how many plasma screen televisions her office has purchased since 2001; and what the cost has been of purchasing and installing such screens in each such year. [306084]
Barbara Keeley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Cabinet Office on 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 839W. This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in June 2007 and information from before this time can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Mr. Baron: To ask the Leader of the House how many overseas training courses were attended by her Office's civil servants in the latest period for which figures are available; how many civil servants attended each course; and what the total cost to the public purse was of each course. [305893]
Barbara Keeley: Since June 2007, no civil servants based in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons have attended overseas training courses. The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in June 2007 and information from before this time can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Harper: To ask the Leader of the House how many and what percentage of Parliamentary Questions tabled for written answer by her on a named day in session 2008-09 received a substantive answer on that day. [307552]
Barbara Keeley: Fifty-two parliamentary questions for named day were tabled to my right hon. and learned Friend during the 2008-09 Session. 100 per cent. of these questions were answered on the named day and substantively.
Central guidance on answering parliamentary questions is now available in the 'Guide to Parliamentary Work', at:
In the response to the Procedure Committee report on written parliamentary questions, the Government accepted the Committee's recommendation that Departments be required to provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions, accompanied by an explanatory memorandum setting out any factors affecting their performance. This will be taken forward as soon as possible.
Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House how much her Office spent on hotel accommodation for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in each of the last five years. [305658]
Barbara Keeley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Cabinet Office on 14 December 2009, Official R eport, column 840W. The information requested for the Cabinet Office is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in June 2007 and information from before this time can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Wales
Departmental Pay
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in 2009. [306535]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office is subject to Ministry of Justice performance guidance, from which my Department has paid £15,200, in end of year appraisal bonuses. The amounts are set by the Ministry of Justice and are in recognition of outstanding performance; seven Ministry of Justice staff received the reward.
A further sum of £700 was awarded as a special bonus under the Ministry of Justice reward and recognition scheme, for additional work performed.
All payments were non pensionable lump sums.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days sickness absence were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of such absence. [305549]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office does not collect this information in this way, and obtaining this information could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many overseas training courses were attended by his Department's civil servants in the latest period for which figures are available; how many civil servants attended each course; and what the total cost to the public purse was of each course. [305888]
Communities and Local Government
Caravan Sites: Travelling People
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the written ministerial statement of 24 November 2009, Official Report, column 44WS, on Gypsy and Traveller caravan count 2009, how many unauthorised Travellers there were on (a) tolerated and (b) not-tolerated sites on land (i) owned and (ii) not owned by Travellers, in each year since 2000. [307065]
Mr. Malik: The Bi-annual count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans collects data on the number of caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites in England. It does not provide data on the number of persons who are Gypsies and Travellers. The following table derived from the counts covering the period from 19 January to 16 July 2009 shows the number of caravans on unauthorised sites.
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