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2 Jun 2010 : Column 7W—continued
Tyne and Wear Metro
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding he plans to allocate to Nexus for the purposes of the Tyne and Wear Metro reinvigoration programme. [331]
Norman Baker: On 17 May 2010 the Chancellor and Chief Secretary asked all Departments to re-examine spending approvals by the previous Government since 1 January this year. This includes the funding of £350 million for Tyne and Wear Metro Reinvigoration that was approved in February 2010. This work will be carried out as quickly as possible.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on badger culling; and if she will make a statement. [572]
Mr Paice: The Government have committed that as part of a package of measures, we will introduce a carefully-managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of bovine TB.
We need to consider all the issues carefully, including the scientific evidence, to work out the detail of the package to ensure we get it right. We will be looking at vaccine and culling options as part of that package.
Coastal Erosion
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review the effectiveness of the Government's policies in preventing coastal erosion; if she will visit the Suffolk Coastal area to examine the likely impact of current policy proposals; and if she will make a statement. [58]
Richard Benyon: We are currently working through the detail of the policies set out in the coalition agreement and other issues in the DEFRA portfolio, which include flooding and coastal erosion risk management. We will keep the DEFRA website updated as work progresses.
Planning of ministerial visits is under way and an early visit to the coast, including Suffolk, is being considered as part of this. I am keen to use such a visit to learn more about existing approaches to managing coastal erosion risk and to hear ideas about innovative community-led approaches.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when and in what form she plans to publish a list of all items of expenditure by her Department over £25,000. [273]
Richard Benyon: It is planned that this information will be published quarterly on the following dates on the DEFRA website.
| Period | Date of expected publication |
|
Data being extracted now and to be included in the mid July publication. | |
Farmers: Suicide
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the reasons for changes in the rate of farmer suicide in the last 12 years; how many such suicides there were in each month in each such year; and if she will make a statement. [143]
Mr Paice: We have made no assessment of the reasons for changes in the rate of farmer suicide, or of the specific monthly figures. However, the Office of National Statistics provides us with proportional mortality ratio (PMR). These data are presented as one of the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy indicators. PMRs should be interpreted with care because the proportion of deaths from the cause of interest is affected by the relative frequency of other causes of death.
The following data compare the rate of suicides for farmers and farm workers aged between 20 and 74 years with that for the rest of the working population in England and Wales. The results are expressed as a proportional mortality ratio where the suicide rate for all workers is expressed as 100. Slight classification changes mean that data from 2001 cannot be directly compared with previous years.
| Farmers | Farm workers | All workers = 100 | |
| Source: ONS | |||
The proportional mortality ratio (PMR) for farmers varied between 153 and 254 and for farm workers between 81 and 156.
The figures show that the proportion of deaths from suicide relative to other causes of death since 1996 for both farmers and farm workers is generally slightly higher than for all workers.
The figures vary from year to year with no overall trend.
Land Drainage
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which pumping stations primarily fulfil land drainage functions; and how many acres of farmland are served by such pumping stations. [85]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold comprehensive information on individual pumping stations.
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department makes available for the replacement of pumping stations which primarily fulfil land drainage functions. [86]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA provides capital grant in aid to the Environment Agency for flood and coastal risk management and land drainage schemes.
Capital grant paid in 2009-10 for land drainage pumping stations was £4 million.
Supermarkets: Competition
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will discuss with the National Farmers' Union her plans for an ombudsman to enforce the Grocery Supply Chain Code of Practice; and if she will make a statement. [332]
Mr Paice: The coalition programme for Government, published on 18 May, makes a commitment to introduce an Ombudsman, in the Office of Fair Trading, to enforce the Grocery Supply Code of Practice and curb abuses of power which undermine our farmers and act against the long-term interest of consumers.
I have discussed this with the National Farmers' Union and with other interested bodies.
Home Department
Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps (a) she has taken since her appointment and (b) plans to take in the next six months to protect the Jewish community from anti-Semitic attacks; and if she will make a statement. [195]
James Brokenshire: The Government abhor all forms of hate crime. I look forward to meeting with representatives of all faith groups, including representatives of the Jewish community such as the Community Security Trust, in order that we can begin a dialogue on the issue.
Asylum
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum (a) were received in 2009 and (b) have been received in 2010 to date; and from which countries. [39]
Damian Green: A breakdown of asylum applications by nationality for 2009 can be found in Table C of the supplementary excel tables of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary United Kingdom Fourth Quarter 2009.
A similar breakdown for the first quarter of 2010 can be found in Table 2a of the supplementary excel tables of the First Quarter 2010 edition of the same statistical summary.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly in the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary United Kingdom which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
Detection Rates: Essex
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate for Essex police force was in each of the last two years for which figures are available; whether she plans to meet the Chief Constable of that police force to discuss detection rates; and if she will make a statement. [190]
James Brokenshire: From 1 April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very limited set of circumstances. For this reason the preferred method of presenting detections data is to use sanction detections. The sanction detection rate for all offences detected in Essex was 32% in 2007-08 and 35% in 2008-09.
Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected.
The Home Secretary will be undertaking a series of visits across the United Kingdom in the coming months where she will meet police and other partners to learn more about how crime is being tackled in their areas.
Independent Police Complaints Commission: Pay
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in each civil service pay band in the Independent Police Complaints Commission were eligible for (a) performance and (b) special bonuses in each of the last three years; how many people received each type of bonus; what the average payment was for each type of bonus; what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus; whether she plans to bring forward proposals to regulate such bonuses; and if she will make a statement. [188]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information. The issue of remuneration for staff of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is a matter for that organisation, in line with HM Treasury guidance. The IPCC will write to the hon. Member about the information sought.
Knives: Crime
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet the founder of www.KnifeCrimes.org.uk to discuss knife crime. [341]
Nick Herbert: We are committed to tackling knife crime and serious youth violence. I look forward to meeting and engaging key stakeholders over the coming months including Ann Oakes-Odger.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the It Doesn't Have to Happen.Co.UK programme on knife crime was removed from her Department's website; and if she will make a statement. [343]
James Brokenshire: In line with Cabinet Office guidance all previous content was removed from Home Office corporate websites following the change of administration. All removed content was transferred to the National Archive website.
While content on the Home Office website is being rebuilt the website refers users to the National Archive version of the Home Office site for content and guidance as it stood immediately pre-election. The It Doesn't Have to Happen anti-knife crime campaign website can therefore still be accessed via:
Mephedrone
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce the supply of mephedrone following the introduction of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2010. [148]
James Brokenshire: Following the control of mephedrone and other cathinone derivatives under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on 16 April 2010, the Association of Chief Police Officers has issued detailed advice and guidance to all forces regarding the changes to the law. Police officers are visiting 'head shops' to ensure substances which may now be controlled are not being offered for sale. Police action on seizures includes prosecution where there is evidence of possession with intent to supply.
Border force officials are enforcing import controls, and have so far seized and destroyed consignments of mephedrone detected at the border to reduce the supply of the drug entering the UK. The Serious Organised Crime Agency is also actively developing approaches to identify websites offering mephedrone for sale, both at home and abroad, so they can take action at an international level to close these down.
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