Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single payments were made in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such payments were monitored; and in how many cases reductions were made. [318843]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 1 March 2010]: The number of farmers who received payments under the single payment scheme (SPS) in England in respect of each scheme year is set out in the following table:
| Farmers | |
| SPS Scheme year | Number |
Latest figures show that, as at 23 February 2010 over 98,000 farmers have received payment for the 2009 scheme year, the payment window for which closes on the 30 June.
There are a number of farmers who have not received a payment because their claim is still undergoing the necessary validation checks. Some of these claims may result in no payment being due to the claimant once eligibility checks have been carried out.
All claims undergo validation as part of the Rural Payment Agency's regular processes and in addition a minimum of 5 per cent. are inspected, physically or remotely, as required by the EU. For cross compliance purposes, each of the four competent control authorities inspect at least 1 per cent. of farmers receiving payments that are conditional on meeting the cross compliance requirements for which they have responsibility. RPA uses existing cattle and sheep inspection regimes to partly satisfy this obligation.
The number of SPS claims which have been reduced is set out in the following table:
| Reductions | |
| SPS Scheme year | Number |
This includes a very substantial number of minor over-declarations of areas as well as more significant breaches of the scheme rules where we have to apply sanctions.
Jim Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at which locations the Single Payment Scheme is administered;
how many people administer the scheme at each such location; and whether he has any proposals to reduce the number of (a) locations and (b) staff. [318845]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 1 March 2010]: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) currently operates from six main offices and there are no plans to reduce that number. RPA reviews, and will continue to review, its operations and resources regularly to ensure customer service is delivered effectively and efficiently. It is anticipated that RPA will reduce the number of staff employed at each office during the 2010-11 year.
Claims under the Single Payment Scheme are currently processed at RPA's offices in Exeter, Northallerton, Newcastle, Workington and Carlisle. Plans have recently been announced to transfer SPS processing from Newcastle to the Workington, Carlisle and Northallerton offices.
Staff at RPA's Reading office no longer process SPS claims but are involved in different aspects of administering the scheme.
At the end of January 2010 the number of full-time equivalent staff involved in administering the Single Payment Scheme is:
| Staff | |
| Location | Number |
| Note: These figures do not include Inspectorate or Finance staff. | |
RPA operates a flexible resourcing model and staff reductions are usually achieved through the reductions of temporary and fixed term appointments with regular consultation taking place with people and trade unions on any planned staff reductions.
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs have been seized under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last five years. [319984]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Figures for the number of dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are not collected centrally.
Departmental Paper
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) suppliers and (b) brands of (i) paper and (ii) paper products his Department uses; and what his Department's policy is on the procurement of those materials. [320039]
Dan Norris: From information held centrally the Department's contracted suppliers for (i) and (ii) are The Paper Company and Banner Business Supplies Ltd.
From information held centrally the only brands for (i) and (ii) that could be identified are 100 per cent. recycled (Post Consumer Waste) Evolve Office and Evolve Business A4 80gsm copier paper.
In the financial year 2008-9 Core DEFRA purchased a total of 45,124 reams of white A4 80gsm copier paper at an average purchase price of £2.09 excluding VAT.
DEFRA's procurement policy requires use of recycled paper and paper products that meet the Quick Wins targets set by the Government in October 2003. The only exceptions to these standards would be where recycled paper or recycled products are not available for a specific process e.g. security paper. DEFRA is giving active consideration to achieving the 100 per cent. target for all paper it buys except in cases of specific process need.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in England had (a) black sack and (b) wheeled containers for residual waste in each year since 2000. [319620]
Dan Norris: The following table shows the number of dwellings in England that received a black bag or wheeled bin collection for residual waste from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
| N umber of dwellings | ||
| Black sacks () | Wheeled bins | |
| Source: WasteDataFlow | ||
For the years 2000-01 to 2003-04 the only data available shows the percentage of dwellings in England that received black bag or wheeled bin collection. For each local authority, all of its households were classified using the method of containment that was provided to more than 50 per cent. of households in that authority, hence these figures are subject to some uncertainty. The dwelling stock data for England for those years is provided.
| P ercentage of dwellings | |||
| Black sacks | Wheeled bins | Dwelling stock (31 March of financial year) | |
| Sources: Municipal Waste Management Survey, Department for Communities and Local Government website (Table 109) | |||
Data for 2004-05 is not available due to the introduction that year of WasteDataFlow and there only being a 50 per cent. response rate from local authorities.
Local Government: Statistics
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what datasets not in the national indicator set (a) his Department
and (b) the Environment Agency regularly collects from local authorities. [319623]
Dan Norris: I refer the hon. Member for Peterborough to the answer given in response to the same question that he asked on 4 February 2010, Official Report, column 452W.
Members: Correspondence
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the letters of 20 November 2009 and 22 January 2010 from the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald. [319542]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 1 March 2010]: Unfortunately we can find no record of having received the right hon. Member's letter of 20 November 2009.
A reply to her letter of 22 January 2010 is being prepared, and will be sent shortly. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Rural Payments Agency: Location
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at which locations the Rural Payments Agency has had offices in each year since 2005; and how many staff the agency employed at each such office in each such year. [318846]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 1 March 2010]: The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent staff the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has directly employed in each of its locations since 2005. Numbers reported are as at 31 March in each financial year and are in line with the agency's 'Annual Civil Service Employment Survey' return to the Office for National Statistics which is published as part of the annual civil service statistics report.
| Location | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
These figures include part-time and full-time employees of the agency and do not include agency staff and contractors.
The outstations are generally shared premises with DEFRA and/or other Government Departments and are located across the United Kingdom. The number of outstations is currently 48 but has varied from 33 and 56 between 2005 and 2009 with the merger of the Horticultural Market Inspectorate into RPA in April 2006.
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