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21 Jun 2010 : Column 29W—continued
Departmental Postal Services
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on postage in 2009. [3343]
Richard Benyon: From information held centrally for core DEFRA, £255,441.91 was spent in the fiscal year 2009-10 on postage.
To provide the information for all DEFRA executive agencies and executive and advisory NDPBs would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Water Charges
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of (a) service charge, (b) sewerage charge, (c) water usage charge, (d) fire-fighting provision charge and (e) any other relevant charge for water and sewerage provision was to Site 5 Almondbank, Perthshire in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008, (v) 2009 and (vi) 2010; and to which companies these payments were made. [2553]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 15 June 2010]: In respect of the retained part of Site 5 Almondbank, the departmental records show that for the years in question (a) no costs were incurred in respect of service charges; (b) no sewage charges have been raised; (c) the annual water charges paid are listed in the table below; (d) no cost has been incurred in respect of fire fighting provision; and (e) no other water and sewage related charges other than those listed in the following table have been levied against the property.
We are currently unable to identify the specific spend incurred in respect of Site 5 Almondbank during 2005 from the financial data available.
| Supplier | Cost discharged (£) | |
Fisheries: Quotas
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to support fishermen in Thanet experiencing restrictions in fishing activity arising from allocations of quota. [3056]
Richard Benyon: I recognise the difficulties currently facing the inshore fleet. The shortage of fishing opportunities in the Thanet area is, in part, the result of international quota swaps that are usually secured to supplement the inshore fleets' allocations not being forthcoming this year. The Marine Management Organisation is continuing to pursue swaps in order to secure additional quota.
However, there are more fundamental issues to resolve in order to deliver reform of the inshore fleet that is clearly needed. I plan to meet representatives from across industry to drive forward work to find long-term solutions, as a matter of priority.
National Parks: Public Consultation
Mr Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for public consultation on democratic accountability in national parks. [2782]
Richard Benyon: As set out in the Government's coalition document, we will be reviewing the governance arrangements of national parks, and I will shortly be writing to the chairs of the national park authorities on this issue. No timetable has yet been set, but we will ensure the DEFRA website is updated on progress.
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when a ban on (a) battery cages for hens and (b) beak-trimming for hens will come into effect. [3128]
Mr Paice: The welfare of laying hens is protected in England by the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 and by similar legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The legislation implements EU Directive 99/74/EC, which among other welfare advances bans the use of conventional cages for laying hens from 2012.
The Government remain entirely committed to the conventional cage ban coming into force on 1 January 2012 and to supporting industry during this transitional stage. We want to ensure that those UK producers who have already made significant investment to comply with the legislation, by converting out of conventional cages, are not disadvantaged if other countries do not meet the 2012 deadline.
The Government have accepted the advice of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, an independent advisory body, that a complete ban on beak trimming of laying hens should not be introduced from 1 January 2011 (as is currently in legislation), but should be deferred until it can be demonstrated reliably under commercial conditions that laying hens can be managed without routine beak trimming.
The Government's consultation on the proposed amendments to the Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007, to remove the total ban on beak trimming allowing for the routine beak trimming of day old chicks intended for laying to be carried out using the infra-red technique only, closed on the 14 April. Consultation responses are currently being considered.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department plans to implement the ban on conventional battery cages for egg-laying hens. [3621]
Mr Paice: The welfare of laying hens is protected in England by the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 and by similar legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The legislation implements EU directive 99/74/EC, which among other welfare advances, bans the use of conventional cages for laying hens from 2012.
The Government remain entirely committed to the conventional cage ban coming into force on 1 January 2012 and to supporting industry during this transitional stage. We want to ensure that those UK producers who have already made significant investment to comply with the legislation, by converting out of conventional cages, are not disadvantaged if other countries do not meet the 2012 deadline.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department plans to implement the ban on beak-trimming of egg-laying hens. [3622]
Mr Paice: The Government have accepted the advice of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, an independent advisory body, that a complete ban on beak trimming of laying hens should not be introduced from 1 January 2011 (as is currently in legislation), but should be deferred until it can be demonstrated reliably under commercial conditions that laying hens can be managed without routine beak trimming.
The Government's consultation on the proposed amendments to the Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007, to remove the total ban on beak trimming allowing for the routine beak trimming of day old chicks intended for laying to be carried out using the infra-red technique only, closed on the 14 April. Consultation responses are currently being considered.
Water
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the factors (a) affecting current and (b) likely to affect future levels of sustainability of national freshwater resources, with particular reference to abstraction levels from rivers. [3290]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has assessed factors affecting the current sustainability of national freshwater resources through the Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy process. A full assessment was completed for England and Wales in March 2008 and will be updated by 2011.
In 2009 the Environment Agency published its Water Resources Strategy for England and Wales. This strategy examines the factors which may affect the future availability of water resources up to the 2050s.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the future sustainability of national freshwater resources. [3294]
Richard Benyon: In 2009 the Environment Agency published its Water Resources Strategy for England and Wales. In the strategy the Environment Agency assessed the sustainability of future water resources to the 2050s. The strategy includes a series of actions needed to deliver a secure water supply and safeguard the environment.
A copy of the strategy can be found on the Environment Agency's website.
Water Charges
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consult on the recommendation of the Walker Review of charging for household water and sewerage services on the introduction of a nationwide levy on water customers for nationally significant infrastructure projects. [3292]
Richard Benyon: Ministers will consider the recommendations made in the Walker Review ahead of taking decisions about next steps.
Water Companies: Regulation
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to (a) publish the proposed White Paper on the water industry and (b) bring forward legislative proposals on the regulation of the water industry. [3296]
Richard Benyon: We are currently considering options for the scope and timing of a water White Paper. Any new legislative proposals will follow the publication of this White Paper.
Water: EU Law
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the country meets its targets for good environmental status under the EU Water Framework Directive. [3295]
Richard Benyon: Production of the statutory River Basin Management Plans provides the planning mechanism for ensuring that the country meets its obligations under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The Plans provide an assessment of the current status of water bodies in each river basin district and a summary of agreed measures for achieving the environmental objectives of the WFD. Plans are updated on a six yearly cycle, starting from 2009-15.
The first River Basin Management Plans were developed in consultation with relevant organisations and individuals and were published by the WFD deadline of 22 December 2009. River basin district liaison panels, which included
representatives of the key water interests in the river basin district, assisted the Environment Agency in producing draft plans before a formal six month written consultation was carried out.
Mechanisms to achieve the environmental objectives set under the WFD include: compliance with existing regulations, codes of practice and controls on the use of certain substances; Catchment Sensitive Farming activities and agri-environment schemes; and water efficiency measures.
The actions summarised in Annex C of the plans will improve more than 8,300 miles of rivers in England. More than 8,500 investigations that are in progress or planned will provide the evidence base required for further action to protect and improve our water resources within the first and subsequent planning cycles. The plans are available on the Environment Agency's website:
Whales: Conservation
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will oppose any new forms of commercial whaling at the forthcoming International Whaling Committee meeting in Agadir, Morocco; and if she will make a statement. [3122]
Richard Benyon: I plan to attend the 62nd annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission where I will call on all countries to oppose any weakening of the current ban. We are taking every opportunity to build strong support for the continuation of the moratorium, including raising this matter with Ministers in Europe and in other countries.
International Development
Central America: Storms
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian aid his Department has provided to support areas affected by tropical storm Agatha in (a) Guatemala, (b) Honduras and (c) El Salvador. [3418]
Mr Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Secretary of State for International Development on 14 June 2010, Official Report, column 310W, on Central America: Storms.
Departmental Reviews
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2010, Official Report, column 137W, on Government Departments: reviews, what reviews his Department is undertaking; and what the (a) purpose and (b) timescale of each is. [2581]
Mr Duncan: Over the coming months the Department for International Development (DFID) will review all major spending areas. The Secretary of State for International Development has commissioned a review of DFID's bilateral and multilateral aid programmes.
The purpose of the bilateral aid review is to ensure that we target UK aid where it is needed most and will make the most significant impact on poverty reduction. The review will consider which countries should receive British aid, how much they should receive and which countries should stop receiving British aid. It will also consider which aid instruments are most effective at delivering poverty reduction in different contexts.
The multilateral aid review will examine our funding of international agencies against the UK's objectives on poverty reduction and each agency's ability to deliver results on the ground.
We expect these reviews to be completed later this year.
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