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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 11 August 2011
Leader of the House
Departmental Air Travel
John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months. [67911]
Sir George Young: I have not flown on official business during the last 12 months.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Leader of the House on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Office directly and (b) his Office on behalf of a Minister in November 2010. [67587]
Sir George Young: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of the Leader of the House of Commons, the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath), and I did not refuse any meetings with hon. or right hon. Members during November 2010.
My hon. Friend and I are always happy to meet with hon. and right hon. Members from all sides of the House.
Treasury
Business: Loans
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to create a more competitive banking industry in order to improve the availability of loans for (a) consumers and (b) small businesses. [47955]
Mr Hoban: The Government are clear that competition drives efficiency and helps to ensure that consumers are able to access the wide range of financial products that they need.
The Independent Commission on Banking, under the Chairmanship of Sir John Vickers, has been asked to consider structural and non-structural reforms to the UK banking sector to promote competition and financial stability. The Commission will produce an interim report in April and its final report in September 2011.
On 9 February the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced a new lending commitment by the UK’s biggest high street banks. As part of this commitment the banks intend to lend £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, up from £179 billion in 2010. If
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demand exceeds this, the banks will lend more. £76 billion of this lending will be to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is a 15% increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
The Government are also taking forward their plans to ensure a healthier consumer credit market through the review of Consumer Credit and Personal Insolvency. The Government are also consulting on the merits of shifting responsibility for consumer credit regulation from the Office of Fair Trading to the new Financial Conduct Authority, as part of the Government’s wider plans to reform the financial services regulatory framework.
Nuclear Power: Finance
Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the (a) analysis and (b) calculations underlying his Department's estimate that the existing nuclear sector is likely to receive on average £50 million per annum to 2030 in higher wholesale electricity prices attributable to the carbon price support proposals in the Finance (No 3) Bill. [57982]
Justine Greening: The figure is based on public data and the Government's assessment of the industry, which was applied to the likely change in electricity generation capacity and changes in the wholesale price of electricity. The figure is a result of the modelled impact of the price floor on wholesale prices until the late 2020s.
Pensions
Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of people in employment contribute to (a) a public and (b) a private pension. [67493]
Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is as follows:
(a) In 2010, 84% of people in employment in the public sector were members of workplace pension schemes. This represents 6.2 million employee jobs.
(b) In 2010, 36% of people in employment in the private sector were members of workplace pension schemes. This represents 6.6 million employee jobs.
These estimates are from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Access to Work Programme
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many disabled employees of her Department are receiving support from the Access to Work programme; and what proportion of the workforce of her Department this figure represents. [64395]
Richard Benyon:
Support and adjustments for disabled staff in Core DEFRA and its executive agencies are mainly funded through departmental budgets with only
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a small proportion of staff receiving support from the Access to Work Programme, as set out in the following table.
| DEFRA/agency | Number of staff receiving support from access to work | Proportion of work force (%) |
|
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) |
||
Apprentices
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) her Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors. [66597]
Richard Benyon: The Department and its Executive agencies do not have a specific procurement policy that details the provision of apprenticeships or other training by its suppliers. These matters may be discussed with some suppliers in our contract meetings where these provisions may be relevant to the type of goods or services supplied but are not included in any contractual terms.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with her Department in each of the last three years. [66599]
Richard Benyon: The Department and its executive agencies do not keep central or local records on the apprenticeships created directly as a result of contracts awarded. To identify this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Bed Bugs
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many infestations of bed bugs were notified to her Department in each of the last 10 years. [65221]
Richard Benyon: The Department has not received any notifications of infestations of bed bugs.
Biodiversity
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to publish an analysis of progress against her Department's 2010 targets on biodiversity priority species and habitats in England as part of the England Biodiversity Strategy. [66727]
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Richard Benyon: There are 28 priority habitats with quantitative targets set for 2010 and we will provide a report on progress against these targets by the end of 2011. DEFRA understands that member organisations of Wildlife and Countryside Link are planning a report on progress against the targets of certain priority species, also in 2011.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effects of culling badgers on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle. [64365]
Mr Paice: The results of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) showed that badger culling, when done on a sufficient scale in a widespread, co-ordinated and efficient way, and over a sustained period of time, would reduce the incidence of bovine TB in cattle in high incidence areas.
The evidence base on the effects of culling badgers on TB incidence in cattle was recently assessed at a meeting between DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser, Chief Veterinary Officer and a panel of independent experts. The key conclusions from this meeting, which includes a description of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial results and most up to date results of the ongoing post-trial analysis, were recently published on the DEFRA website at:
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/documents/bovinetb-scientificexperts-110404.pdf
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010. [64487]
Mr Paice: The number of cattle slaughtered as skin and interferon gamma test TB reactors in England was as follows:
2009—24,500
2010—24,213.
All TB reactors are regarded as infected and European and national legislation require all such animals to be slaughtered. Those cattle are then subject to post mortem examination and a proportion of them will also be sampled for laboratory culture, but this is not to prove or disprove the disease status of the animal. The primary purpose of post mortem and bacteriological culture of TB test reactors is to assess the severity of infection and identify the strain of the causative bacterium—this is useful for epidemiological investigations and helps to support subsequent outbreak control efforts. TB is a chronic and insidious infectious disease with potentially long incubation periods. In the early stages of this disease it is often not possible to see lesions with the naked eye, and due to the fastidious nature of the TB bacterium (which may be present in low numbers in the affected organs) it is not always possible to culture it from tissue samples. It is therefore wrong to consider all TB reactors that fail to disclose evidence of infection in the slaughterhouse or in the laboratory as being “false positives” or “negative for the disease”.
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Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely savings to her Department in compensation which would not need to be paid to farmers in the next 10 years as a result of the implementation of a badger cull. [67865]
Mr Paice: Over 10 years we would expect to see savings on paying compensation to be as high as £1.6 million for a 350 sq km area.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what licences have been issued under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in the last five years; and for what purposes, including translocation and despatch and excluding the randomised badger cull trial. [67866]
Mr Paice: Statistics for licences issued by Natural England under the 1992 Act up to 30 June 2010 are on the website at:
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/licences/statistics.aspx
In the five years 2006 to 2010, a total of 4,044 licences were issued by Natural England, mostly for sett interference or disturbance, for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Number of licences issued |
| (1 )Data for development licences issued in 2006 not included as Natural England does not hold information for this. (2) Data for licences issued for Scientific, Education or Conservation purposes in 2006 and 2007 not included as Natural England does not hold information for this. | |
This table includes provisional statistics for the whole of 2010, and may be subject to change as records for 2010 are checked and updated.
Sky TV
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on subscriptions to Sky TV since May 2010. [67562]
Richard Benyon: The Department and its executive agencies have incurred no expenditure on subscriptions to Sky TV since May 2010.
Butterflies
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of changes in the population of butterflies in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [67014]
Richard Benyon:
We work closely with Butterfly Conservation and the Natural Environment Research Council's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology to compile
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and publish trends in butterfly numbers. Figures on butterfly abundance are used in both our UK and England biodiversity indicator sets.
In England, the most recent indicator assessment showed long-term declines for many species up to and including the year 2009. Recently published data from Butterfly Conservation suggest that 2010 was a better year, with marked recovery for some of the scarce species, such as the Wood White or Marsh Fritillary, which appear to be benefitting from targeted conservation action. We intend to build on the successes of such actions where Government and the voluntary sector work together to secure benefits for wildlife. The recently published Natural Environment White Paper reaffirms this commitment.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of potential effects of the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on the butterfly population; and if she will make a statement. [67015]
Richard Benyon: Under European legislation, pesticide active substances are first evaluated at Community level. A key part of the process is an assessment of risks to wildlife, including pollinators. If an active substance meets the EU safety requirements, then products authorising that active substance can be authorised at member state level, taking into account that country’s individual agronomic, climatic and dietary requirements.
In the UK, pesticides can only be sold or used after they have been authorised. As part of this process, the chemicals regulation directorate of the Health and Safety Executive (the Government body responsible for regulating pesticides) undertakes an assessment of the toxicity of each product and ways in which spray operators, the public or environment (including pollinators) may be exposed. The purpose being to ensure that the use of the product poses no unacceptable risks.
The assessment for neonicotinoid pesticides has concluded that provided they are used in accordance with their approved conditions of use, there is no unacceptable risk to pollinators, including butterfly and other non-target arthropod populations.
The Government would not hesitate to act should evidence emerge of an unacceptable risk. We continue to monitor research and developments in other EU member states and elsewhere to see if they are relevant to the UK and participate in initiatives such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) working group on pesticides-supported project on the pesticide effects on insect pollinators.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to protect the butterfly population in (a) urban and (b) rural areas; and if she will make a statement. [67016]
Richard Benyon: It is difficult to differentiate between butterfly conservation in urban and rural areas as there is significant overlap and inter-play between them. However, in general, rural areas contain a greater number of specialist species and urban areas more generalist species.
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Specialist species tend to be highly reliant on protection through existing designated sites. Natural England is currently reviewing all sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) to ensure that the specific management requirements of specialist butterflies (and other species) are included in the conservation objectives of these sites.
Natural England's recent research (“Managing for species: Integrating the needs of England's priority species into habitat management”) identified that many species of butterfly can have their conservation needs met by ensuring their requirements are integrated within urban and rural habitat management.
For butterflies on farmland, the Government are developing tools and protocols to ensure that land that is managed under the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agri-environment scheme has the appropriate management options in place to provide the correct habitat niches for butterflies.
In urban areas, the Government are developing tools for developers and planners to encourage the adoption of management of habitat niches for butterflies and other species in the planning of urban green infrastructure.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the conclusions of the United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme's report entitled, Final Project Report 2011; and if she will make a statement. [67064]
Richard Benyon: The collection and analysis of butterfly data through the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme is a partnership project involving the Natural Environment Research Council's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Butterfly Conservation, DEFRA and the conservation agencies across the UK. DEFRA recently published the final report from the latest phase of funding. The report concludes that while the numbers of most widespread butterfly species are comparatively stable, almost half of the more specialised butterflies (those species associated with more natural habitats) are declining. Despite this, agri-environment schemes are having a positive effect and there are some notable signs of recovery for some of these more specialist species, such as the Marsh Fritillary and the reintroduced Large Blue.
We will continue to build on these successful cases, drawing on their example of successful partnership working with Butterfly Conservation and others in the voluntary sector, to design or deliver targeted conservation action.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible effects of the reduction in the budget of Natural England on butterfly (a) monitoring schemes and (b) conservation projects; and if she will make a statement. [67065]
Richard Benyon: The monitoring of butterfly populations remains an important part of Natural England's work, with its partners, to develop a more integrated monitoring programme across a range of species. Natural England is contributing £15,000 this financial year towards a UK integrated monitoring project for butterflies and a further £40,000 to Butterfly Conservation for data management to support UK biodiversity commitments.
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Natural England will continue to deliver and support butterfly conservation work as it has done in the past, but the emphasis will shift to habitat management as opposed to projects aimed at single species. This approach is supported by Natural England research (Managing for species: Integrating the needs of England's priority species into habitat management), which found that the most efficient and effective way to deliver butterfly conservation was usually by appropriate incorporation into habitat-based work.
Natural England will place increased emphasis on ensuring that Higher Level Stewardship agri-environment agreements with landowners and farmers contain the appropriate management options for butterflies. Natural England will also be working closely with the owners and occupiers of sites of special scientific interest, National Nature Reserves and with existing and new landscape-scale partnerships, to ensure that the conservation needs of species are incorporated into the conservation objectives and habitat management for these areas.
Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from her Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011. [66757]
Richard Benyon: It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010, DEFRA non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 11,034 tonnes carbon dioxide.
DEFRA is still collating and validating its emission data for June 2011.
Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011, DEFRA delivered a reduction of 11.6% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government Commitments, it is now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in green house gases by 2014-15.
Carbon Emissions: Landfill
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to reduce emissions of methane from landfill. [66434]
Richard Benyon: The Review of Waste Policy in England, published in June, sets out a number of actions targeting all levels of the waste hierarchy to reduce the amount of biodegradable material going to landfill. This can be done by preventing the waste arising in the first place, or diverting waste away from landfill into recycling or recovery operations. Measures include continued increases in landfill tax, and a commitment to consult on the restriction of wood waste going to landfill. The Government will also give further consideration to other landfill restrictions.
Additionally, we plan a number of steps to increase the capture of methane emitted from landfill sites. This work is being carried out together with the Environment Agency and industry. It includes building the evidence base for how much and where methane generation is occurring in landfill, continuing to promote best landfill gas management practice by operators to meet obligations
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under the EU landfill directive, and seeking opportunities to promote new technologies that could capture even smaller quantities of methane than is currently possible.
Carbon Emissions: Waste
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to reduce emissions from the incineration of wastes without energy recovery. [66433]
Richard Benyon: All incineration plants are obliged to meet the stringent emission requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC). DEFRA has no plans to impose additional restrictions beyond those already required by the directive and, for those with an incineration capacity exceeding three tonnes per hour, the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (2008/1/EC).
Cattle: Transport
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) origin and (b) destination was of each consignment of calves shipped from Ramsgate on 16 June 2011; how many consignments had journeys exceeding 18 hours; and in respect of how many of the consignments with journeys exceeding 18 hours the animals were unloaded and rested in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. [62132]
Mr Paice: On 16 June, three consignments of calves were exported from Ramsgate to destinations in France. These consignments originated from Wales, the north, and south-west of England.
Each consignment was accompanied by a journey log approved by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). To be approved, each journey, as described, would need to meet the rules on journey times and rest periods laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005.
There is an obligation under this legislation for transporters to return the completed journey log following completion of the journey so that the actual journey details can be checked against those same details in the original approved journey log. The AHVLA will investigate further if there are deviations, suggesting a possible infringement of the legislation. If subsequent investigations confirm that this is the case, the AHVLA will take the necessary proportionate enforcement action against the transporter.
Transporters must return journey logs to the AHVLA Welfare in Transport team within one month of the completion of each journey. In this particular case, as the deadline has now passed and the journey logs have yet to be returned, the AHVLA is pursuing this matter with the transporter.
Coastal Areas: Environment Protection
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with (a) the Crown Estate and (b) Welsh Ministers on the protection of sand beaches from erosion attributable to sand dredging. [67125]
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Richard Benyon: DEFRA officials are in regular contact with the Crown Estate and officials of the Welsh Assembly Government about the operation of marine licensing, including the licensing of the extraction of marine sand and gravel, the most recent being March and this month respectively.
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department issues on measures to protect sand beaches from excessive erosion attributable to sand dredging. [67126]
Richard Benyon: The UK Marine Policy Statement, adopted in March, provides the policy objectives and framework for the development of marine plans, and sets out the issues for consideration in all decisions capable of affecting the marine area. In relation to aggregates, marine plan authorities should contribute to the overarching Government objective of securing an adequate and continuing supply to the UK market and should base their decisions on sustainability criteria. A marine licence or other regulatory approval to dredge should only be issued if the decision maker is content that the proposed dredging is environmentally acceptable.
Physical impacts from marine aggregate dredging are tightly regulated to ensure that only localised impacts occur, and are primarily limited to changes in local bathymetry and water depth within dredged areas. Although concerns are often expressed that aggregate extraction leads to coastal erosion, the licensing process excludes dredging activities from areas where this could occur. All evidence submitted for consideration as part of the licensing process is technically scrutinised on behalf of the decision maker.
There is an extensive evidence base on the effects of marine aggregates dredging developed under the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund.
Community Composting
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on community composting; and what plans she has to expand its takeup. [66428]
Richard Benyon: Our recent review of waste policy reaffirmed our commitment to encouraging community composting; we think it can be good for the local environment, local communities and the economy. The Government's role is not to make the decisions about what are the best waste management options in particular circumstances: that is for local communities, but we provide a range of support to help inform those decisions. To that end, we support WRAP's work in developing markets for compost and recognise the role of the British Standard BSI PAS 100 in giving confidence that the compost produced is safe, reliable and high quality.
We support community composting by providing exemptions from the need for an environmental permit for smaller-scale composting operations that pose little risk to human health and the environment. We have also commissioned research into the health risks from bio-aerosols generated during composting. This will help reduce uncertainties about the level of risk posed by bio-aerosols and odours at composting sites and
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ensure regulatory controls are applied proportionately. We have also established a framework for excepting certain small-scale and community composting projects from the need to comply with the requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulations where there is clearly no risk to public or animal health.
Countryside
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support her Department plans to provide to national countryside week in each of the next four financial years. [66363]
Richard Benyon: National countryside week was launched by the Prince’s Countryside Fund on 11 July. The fund is intended to improve the sustainability of British farming and rural communities; reconnect consumers with countryside issues; and support farming and rural crisis charities. The fund works by participating companies making a donation and providing in-kind support; as the fund works with businesses rather than Government, DEFRA cannot provide direct support to the fund, although it supports its overall aims.
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Crops: Research
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy of her Department is on the retention of regional research hubs for groupings of crops. [64813]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not fund regional research hubs for groupings of crops. There are no plans to establish such hubs. Crop research is undertaken within research institutes and university departments across the UK.
Departmental Air Travel
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions she has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months. [67916]
Richard Benyon: During the last 12 months the Secretary of State has made the following journeys by budget airline or in economy class on official departmental business.
| Date | Journey | Airline | Purpose |
| (1)Budget airline | |||
Departmental Allowances
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenses were claimed by (a) paid and (b) unpaid special advisers working in her Department in the last 12 months. [62066]
Richard Benyon: Over the last 12 months, the Department's special advisers claimed £88.29 in expenses for reimbursement of mileage accumulated during departmental business. The Department has no unpaid special advisers.
Departmental Billing
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many invoices her Department received in respect of goods or services supplied by tier 1 suppliers between 1 May 2010 and 1 April 2011; and how many of those invoices were not paid within the period of time specified in the Government's Fair Payment guidance. [55868]
Richard Benyon: The Government’s Fair Payment guidance relates to payments to construction suppliers and DEFRA and its Executive agencies do not record centrally whether a supplier is a Tier 1 construction supplier.
To identify all payments for construction that fall within the Government’s Fair Payment guidance for the core Department and its Executive agencies would incur disproportionate cost.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many invoices received by her Department have been paid (a) on time and (b) late in each month since May 2010; and what the monetary value is of the invoices paid late. [62490]
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Richard Benyon: Invoices received from suppliers and paid on time and late in the period May 2010 to May 2011 for the Department and executive agencies are as laid out in the following tables.
| Core Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
| Note: Includes all invoices received including those received from the DEFRA network and OGDs. Paid late based on: when paid outside of supplier terms as recorded; or where payment did not meet prompt payment initiatives for immediate term suppliers—this was five days with effect from 1 October 2011 and 10 days prior to that date. | ||||
| Rural Payments Agency | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
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| Note: Based on all valid supplier invoices and the payment target is 80% within five days. | ||||
| Veterinary Medicines Directorate | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
| Note: Since 1 May 2010, the VMD have worked to the target of paying 80% of undisputed supplier invoices within five working days. All invoices in the “paid late” column were paid after five working days and include invoices that may have been disputed for some time before payment. | ||||
| CEFAS | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
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| Notes: 1. The figures provided exclude any payments made to staff. Includes all invoices received including those received from the DEFRA network and OGDs. 2. Paid late is defined as where payment did not meet prompt payment initiatives for immediate terms. This was five days with effect from 1 October 2010 and 10 days prior to that date. 3. In April 2010 CEFAS went live with a new finance system which impacted routine payment cycles. | ||||
| Animal Health | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
| Notes: 1. Based on the Government’s five day prompt payment performance guidance and includes all supplier invoices. Excludes all payments to staff and other bodies. Target is 80% paid on time. 2. System issues prevented the implementation of the five day policy until November 2010. However, in the period May 2010 to October 2010, payment performance was 99.8% or better, based on meeting contractual supplier terms. | ||||
| Veterinary Laboratories Agency | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
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| Note: VLA target was 10 days at the start of the year, but this was then changed to five days from October. System changes were suspended with the implementation of the move of financial systems to the DEFRA Network Shared Services. | ||||
| FERA | ||||
| Period | Invoices paid on time | Invoices paid late | Value paid late (£) | Percentage paid late |
| Note: FERA is unable to separate supplier invoices/payments from other invoices/payments. Paid late is defined where payment did not meet prompt payment initiatives for immediate terms. This was five days with effect from 1 October 2010 and 10 days prior to that date. | ||||
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has issued any guidance on the generation of low-carbon energy on estates owned by her Department. [65457]
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Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has not issued any guidance on the generation of low-carbon energy on estates owned by her Department.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 10W, on departmental carbon emissions, whether the sources of low-carbon energy generation on its estate were manufactured in the UK. [67931]
Richard Benyon: EU legislation dictates that all major public sector procurement requirements are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and tenders from all EU countries must be considered. This ruling limits DEFRA's ability to procure directly from the UK, but the Department can confirm that it has purchased low carbon generation technologies from the following UK companies: Proven Wind Turbines (Scotland); Quiet Revolution Wind Turbines (Wales); Solar Century Solar Voltaic Panels (England); Talbots Biomass Boilers (England).
Consultants
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on external consultants as part of the recent consultation on bovine tuberculosis. [65040]
Mr Paice: No money was spent on external consultants as part of the recent consultation on bovine tuberculosis.
Departmental Legal Opinion
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, column 63W, on departmental legal opinion, how many prosecutions were brought as a result of the work of her Department’s legal team in the last five years; and how many convictions arose from such prosecutions. [61187]
Richard Benyon: The number of prosecutions brought as a result of the work of the Department’s legal team in the last four years (2007-08 to 2010-11) is 151. The total number of convictions arising from these prosecutions is 93.
The answer is for the last four years rather than five because the information for 2006-07 is not readily available and the cost to obtain it would be disproportionate.
Departmental Lost Property
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was. [66569]
Richard Benyon:
Official items lost or stolen are all recorded as ‘losses’. The following table shows losses reported in DEFRA and reporting network bodies (Animal Health, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Commission for Rural Communities, Environment Agency,
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Marine Management Organisation, Natural England) during the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.
| Description | Quantity |
Individual replacement costs are not recorded centrally, but all the items listed above would each have had an estimated value of £100 or over at the time of loss.
All reported incidents are investigated and if theft is suspected the matter is reported to the police. Staff are advised to report losses of equipment while out of the office to the police directly as well as to their Security Team.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010. [67546]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 19 July 2011]: The departmental policy, including for executive agencies, is not to provide any hospitality for staff. This includes refreshments at staff meetings or staff working lunches. It is possible that refreshments may be provided exceptionally for meetings with external visitors, but to identify these would incur disproportionate cost.
All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Photographs
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on Ministerial (a) photoshoots and (b) videos since May 2010. [67545]
Richard Benyon: The information is as follows:
(a) Since May 2010 DEFRA has incurred one cost of £1,350 which arose from the need for new ministerial photographs following the general election.
(b) Since May 2010, in-house resources have been used to produce ministerial videos.
Departmental Procurement
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provisions in respect of behavioural standards have been included in procurement contracts issued by her Department since May 2010. [61677]
Richard Benyon:
The Department has followed Office for Government Commerce guidelines when drawing up new contracts since May 2010. Behavioural standards are included in clauses covering prevention of corruption, prevention of fraud, discrimination, environmental requirements, health and safety, data protection, confidentiality and security. In addition, Model Terms
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and Conditions for Contracts Services contain clauses covering conflict of interest and vetting procedures.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of procurement contracts offered by her Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website's inception. [67240]
Richard Benyon: The Department and its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies follow the Transparency guidance issued by HM Treasury and Cabinet Office on the publication of opportunities, tenders and contracts awarded over £10,000 in value on the Contract Finder website.
Departmental performance can be seen in the published document at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/transparency-procurement-contracting-departmental-progress.pdf
Regulation: Guidance
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what process her Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of her Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available. [67206]
Mr Paice: DEFRA is committed to following the Better Regulation Executive's Code of Practice on Guidance on Regulation.
Guidance is produced by policy teams across the Department, working with stakeholders and regulators. This forms an integral part of the normal processes for developing policy and is not a separate task. It is not possible therefore to identify how many officials are involved in its production.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many procurement contracts her Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010. [67239]
Richard Benyon: The central records of the Department and its Executive agencies do not yet hold accurate information of the SME status of all its suppliers. We plan to have this information by the end of the year and I will place it in the House of Commons Library at that stage.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings she has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010. [67167]
Richard Benyon: The information requested is not held by the Department.
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) she and (b)
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officials of her Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party. [67190]
Richard Benyon: We do not currently keep data on invitations to meetings that have been declined and do not plan to do so in the future.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings officials of her Department have had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Government’s employment law review since May 2011. [67345]
Richard Benyon: This Department is fully engaged in the review of employment-related law being co-ordinated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Department will also be looking at ideas that emerge from the Red Tape Challenge. Relevant Ministers and officials are in contact with BIS on a regular basis in taking forward the review, for example, in relation to the Agricultural Wages Board workstream.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in her Department directly and (b) her Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010. [67578]
Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 614W.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in her Department have been employed on contracts of (a) three to six months, (b) one to three months and (c) less than one month who have previously worked for the Department on a permanent contract in the last 12 months. [65357]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 11 July 2011]: The Department and its executive agencies have not employed any individual, in the last 12 months, on a contract of (a) three to six months, (b) one to three months or (c) less than one month, who has previously worked for the Department on a permanent contract.
Departmental Training
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose was of such training. [67544]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 19 July 2011]: The Department has not spent anything on ministerial training since May 2010.
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Dogs: Animal Welfare
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether her Department has any plans to bring forward proposals for the abolition of legislative exemptions on conditions for the breeding, keeping and euthanising of beagles; [66369]
(2) what plans her Department has to improve standards of animal welfare at beagle farms in the next four financial years; [66374]
(3) what her Department's policy is on standards of animal welfare at beagle farms; [66375]
(4) whether her Department has any plans to amend regulations on conditions of animal welfare among commercially-bred beagles. [66380]
Mr Paice: The standards that apply in establishments where animals are being bred for the purpose of scientific experimentation are the responsibility of the Home Office, not DEFRA. There are no plans for DEFRA to take responsibility for these establishments.
Section 58 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (AWA) lays down that breeding establishments for animals to be used in experimentation are specifically exempted from the AWA.
Eggs: Imports
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward proposals to protect egg producers from adverse effects arising from the import of (a) food products manufactured from shell eggs produced in systems in other EU member states which do not comply with EU directives and (b) egg products manufactured from eggs produced in conventional cage production systems outside the EU. [66199]
Mr Paice [holding answer 14 July 2011]: The Government are totally committed to the 2012 deadline to have phased out the keeping of laying hens in conventional cages in the UK. From 1 January 2012, it will therefore be illegal to keep laying hens in conventional cages and on that basis, marketing such eggs as Class A within the UK will be against the law.
We are not able unilaterally to prevent egg products produced from eggs in conventional cages being imported from third countries. World Trade Organisation rules do not allow members to ban imports on the grounds of the welfare standards applied in third countries.
We have, however, been at the forefront of efforts to convince the Commission that simply relying on infraction proceedings against non-compliant member states will not be enough to deal with the negative impact that non-compliance would cause and that additional measures would need to be put in place to prevent market disturbance and to protect compliant producers. We will continue to keep up the pressure on the Commission to act and act quickly.
We are also in the process of drawing up an enforcement strategy which we will be discussing with industry representatives and retailers and how we can best work together to take things forward.
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Environment Agency: Manpower
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff the Environment Agency employs in England and Wales. [64211]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency employs 11,654 staff in England and Wales, including employment agency personnel and contractors. This compares to 13,766 members of staff (including employment agency personnel and contractors) employed during the fourth quarter of 2009-10.
EU Grants and Loans
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had on the simplification of the application process for LEADER funding. [67280]
Mr Paice: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 July 2011, Official Report, column 1081W.
Flooding: Reading West
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment the Environment Agency has made of the risk of flooding in Reading West constituency arising from increased surface water. [66493]
Richard Benyon: Reading borough council is the lead local flood authority and is responsible for surface water flooding in the Reading West constituency. The Environment Agency continues to be responsible for managing river flooding from the main rivers.
In 2010 the Environment Agency published a national map that identifies areas at risk from Surface Water Flooding. The EA has also been working in partnership with Reading borough council on a surface water management plan. This plan will improve understanding of local sources of flooding (including surface water) across Reading and will investigate potential options to reduce existing and future risk. The work will be completed this year.
The EA has facilitated Reading borough council delivering a scheme to reduce surface water flooding by awarding £100,000 of funding on behalf of DEFRA. The scheme was completed in June of this year, reducing risk in the area around Kingsley Close.
Food: Oils
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage the reuse of cooking oil used in the food industry. [67658]
Richard Benyon: In line with our vision of a ‘zero waste economy’, we want to increase the amount of waste cooking oils that can be recycled into other useful products where this is safe, legal and appropriate.
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We sponsored development by the Environment Agency of a ‘Quality Protocol’ for production and use of biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil and rendered animal fat. Demonstrating compliance with this Protocol shows a supplier/processor has reprocessed waste oils/fats into a quality product. The EA provides information on recyclers that have demonstrated compliance with the protocol.
There is an exemption from the need for an environmental permit for the physical treatment of waste edible oil and fat to produce biodiesel.
As part of our better regulation agenda, and following further consultation, it is proposed to extend the scope of the exemption to also allow for the small-scale chemical treatment of up to 250 litres in addition to the 5,000 litre limit for physical treatment. This will be introduced at the next suitable opportunity to amend the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.
In the Waste Review, the Government announced the development of a responsibility deal with the hospitality and food service sector to tackle food and packaging waste. We will work with businesses and trade organisations to examine the scope for including the reuse of cooking oil as a part of this agreement.
Food: Procurement
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, columns 77-78WS, on Food and Catering Services (Government Buying Standards), what estimate her Department has made of the costs of implementing and maintaining its policy that fish will be procured from certifiably sustainable sources from September 2011. [62198]
Richard Benyon: Overfishing is the most widespread and significant human pressure on marine wildlife and habitats. Many fish stocks are overexploited globally, with the Food and Agricultural Organisation reporting in 2010 that 32% of stocks are overexploited, depleted or recovering. A further 53% of stocks are fully exploited, with the rest under or moderately exploited.
Within the North East Atlantic (in 2011), 63% of stocks are overexploited, and 37% are at or below their maximum sustainable yield.
It is therefore very important that we lead by example in procuring sustainable fish and I believe that a 100% target is fully achievable.
We have estimated that around 60% of fish procured by central Government is demonstrably sustainable. To increase this to 100%, based upon an assumed 5% price premium for sustainably-sourced fish, the cost of implementing and maintaining this criteria is estimated to be:
Approximately £227,000 per annum where the food procured is taxpayer-funded (prisons, MOD operational and so on);
Approximately £95,000 per annum where the food procured is customer-funded (central Government Department staff restaurants).
These are undiscounted costs. A discount rate of 3.5% per annum is usually used in the appraisal of Government policy, so as to allow an accurate comparison of costs and benefits which occur in different years;
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The latter figures do not take into account a possible demand response, though this is likely to be relatively small.
Glass: Recycling
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to maximise the rate of recycling into glass of glass collected directly from households. [67665]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 19 July 2011]: In the Review of Waste Policy in England, published in June, the Government stated their intention to consult on amending the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (as amended) to establish a sub-target for recycling glass back into glass.
Hill Farming
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the average annual income of hill farmers in England. [67855]
Mr Paice: The majority of hill farmers in England are classified as those grazing livestock in the Less Favoured Area (LFA). The most recent data from the Farm Business Survey were published in October 2010 and indicate that average Farm Business Income for this farm type was £22,000 for 2009-10. Initial forecasts for 2010-11, published in January 2011, suggest this figure is likely to have fallen to £14,500 due to higher input prices and a lower output from beef enterprises. Actual survey results for 2010-11 will be published on 27 October 2011.
Hill Farming: Finance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many former Hill Farm Allowance applicants are now participating in uplands entry level stewardship; and how many are in receipt of the uplands transitional payment. [62674]
Mr Paice: There were 7,009 eligible claims for the Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) in 2010. An initial analysis of uptake up to mid-January 2011 shows that of these claims 2,503 were receiving Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (Uplands ELS) and 2,099 were receiving Uplands Transitional Payment (UTP). The analysis will be published this week on DEFRA's website.
A further analysis will be undertaken once a full year's Uplands ELS uptake data are available in July. This will give a fuller picture of how former HFA claimants are participating in either UTP or Uplands ELS. It is expected that this will show a further increase in the proportion of HFA 2010 recipients with a live Uplands ELS agreement; between mid-January and mid-June the number of live Uplands ELS agreements increased by 29% to 4,590.
Houseboats
John Hemming:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy objectives in respect of boat dwellers are of the Government's proposed amendment to schedule 5 of
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the Public Bodies Bill in respect of British Waterways; and what powers British Waterways
(a)
has and
(b)
is proposed to have in respect of summary eviction. [66689]
Richard Benyon: There is no proposed amendment to Schedule 5 of the Public Bodies Bill. However, an amendment was tabled during the passage of the Bill in the House of Lords, and passed (forming Note 1 of Schedule 5 to the Bill). The purpose of that amendment was not to seek the enhancement of any of the British Waterways Board's existing powers but to enable the proposed New Waterways Charity to receive the British Waterways Board's existing important statutory and regulatory functions. If the amendment had not been made, other provisions in the Bill would unintentionally have prevented that from happening.
Under section 8 of the British Waterways Act 1983, sunk, stranded or abandoned vessels or vessels moored without lawful authority on the waterways may only be removed by the British Waterways Board after due process including giving any required notice and periods of grace. Wherever a vessel is identified as being someone's home, British Waterways does not exercise its powers under section 8 without having taken the matter to the County Court and obtained a declaration from the Court that the removal is lawful. These long-held powers operate in the interests of the waterways and their users. The Government does not intend to amend or expand them when they are transferred to the proposed New Waterways Charity.
Ivory
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking (a) through international organisations and (b) at EU level to implement the commitment in the coalition agreement to press for a ban on ivory sales. [67020]
Richard Benyon: The UK is working with EU partners, other countries and non-governmental organisations, to develop a robust and highly precautionary line to take in discussions on the development of that decision-making mechanism. This will be one of the key areas of discussion at the forthcoming convention on international trade in endangered species Standing Committee meeting, which takes place next month in Geneva.
The global ban on the international commercial sale of ivory, agreed by parties to CITES in 1989, remains in place.
Nevertheless, at the 14th CITES conference of the parties in 2007, it was agreed that a decision-making mechanism for any future sales would be developed by 2013.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding the UK provides (a) directly and (b) through the EU for elephant protection in (i) Africa and (ii) Asia. [67021]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA supports elephant protection by funding conservation projects in Africa and Asia directly, via the Darwin Initiative, and through trade controls applied under the Convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES).
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The Government have made tackling illegal trafficking in wildlife a priority and this year we are providing £30,000 towards a CITES programme which monitors the illegal killing of elephants (MIKE). We are also providing £35,000 towards the running of the international Union for Conservation of Nature's African Elephant Specialist Group which works closely with African states to protect elephant populations. We will also provide £90,000 to an Interpol project to help African states improve their enforcement capacity and elephant (and rhino) protection.
We are currently funding three Darwin Initiative projects contributing to elephant conservation totalling approximately £495,000 over three years, and another project worth £240,000, that will fund improvements to the elephant trade information system database which monitors all illegal seizures of ivory around the world. In addition, the UK has funded wider international projects that will protect the habitats of forest-dwelling elephants by combating deforestation and illegal logging (for example, in the Congo Basin and South East Asia).
The UK also contributes to the EU budget which in turn provides significant funding to CITES activities on elephant issues. This work includes a meeting in November 2010 that brought together African countries to discuss elephant conservation, and the MIKE programme in Africa (€10 million over the last five years), as well as several wider projects on forest conservation.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in protecting elephants. [67022]
Richard Benyon: In its role as the UK management authority for the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES), DEFRA works with other CITES parties, the CITES secretariat and non-governmental organisations, particularly through our position on the CITES Standing Committee, to review the convention's delivery of its purpose and resolutions and decisions agreed by the parties. There is a raft of strong resolutions and decisions calling for action on elephants, and delivery of these is reviewed at annual Standing Committee meetings as well as at triennial conferences of the parties. The UK takes a keen interest in this area and will continue to do so at the forthcoming Standing Committee in August.
Landfill
Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish on her Department's website a summary of responses to the consultation on the introduction of restrictions on the landfilling of certain wastes. [66890]
Richard Benyon: We published the “Summary of responses to the consultation on the introduction of restrictions on the landfilling of certain wastes (18 March - 10 June 2010)” on our website in September 2010.
However, consultations and their associated documents are only held on the DEFRA website for a year after the consultation document is first published. The consultation
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paper and related materials, including the associated summary of responses, remain on the National Archives website.
Materials
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she made of the resource risks to businesses from the security of supply of (a) lithium, (b) tin, (c) lead, (d) copper, (e) rare earth metals, (f) phosphorus, (g) cobalt metals and (h) indium. [66432]
Mr Paice: The eight resources identified were assessed as part of a DEFRA research report: ‘Review of the Future Resource Risks faced by UK Business and an Assessment of Future Viability’, published in December 2010, available on the DEFRA website.
DEFRA has committed to publish an action plan on resource security to assist businesses with strategic risk management and the recovery of critical resources. The research findings are feeding into the development of the action plan.
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to (a) review and (b) revise the list of species published under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. [66726]
Richard Benyon: There are 943 species of principal importance included on the section 41 list which was last updated in August 2010. We currently have no plans to review or revise the list.
Primates: Pets
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of primates kept as pets in England. [66277]
Mr Paice: Estimates of the numbers of primates kept by private ownership in England vary considerably. The working group that drafted the Code of Practice on the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-Human Primates estimated the number to be between 900 and 1,600, and used the mid-range figure of 1,200 in calculations (held by an estimated 300 private owners, i.e. not zoos or rescue centres).
During consultation on the code, several respondents provided alternative higher estimates based on some Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 licences issued and sales figures of primates. From the consultation's summary, most respondents estimated that there were between 1,500 and 7,500. We acknowledge that numbers of primates in private hands is difficult to estimate, but we have used the figure of 1,200 to 5,000 to demonstrate the sort of costs owners might be expected to meet, as a result of the code.
Procurement
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual value is of her Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held. [66598]
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Richard Benyon: The annual value of current contracts may vary from year to year. To collect this annual value data for the core department and its executive agencies for each current contract and to identify each master category to which the contract relates would incur disproportionate cost.
The Department and its executive agencies and non departmental public bodies follow the transparency guidance issued by HM Treasury and Cabinet Office on the publication of opportunities, tenders and contracts awarded over £10,000 in value on the Contract Finder website.
Recycling
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many recycling centres there have been in each of the last 10 years; and how many such centres have closed since May 2010. [65711]
Richard Benyon: The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of recycling centres in England since 2005-06. The information is drawn from data provided by local authorities to DEFRA’s WasteDataFlow system which does not hold earlier figures.
www.wastedataflow.org
The collation of WasteDataFlow data for the 2010-11 financial year has not yet been completed. Although there has been no formal research into site closures, decreases in the number of sites are likely to reflect increases in kerbside recycling collections reducing demand for sites, and also local priorities for resource allocation. Any specific reason would be a matter for individual authorities, and inquiries should be directed to them.
The Department does not hold information about the number of recycling centres that have closed since May 2010.
|
|
Recycling centres |
Reservoirs
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what applications for the construction of reservoirs in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland are pending where the proposed nation to which the water will be supplied is to be different from the source; and if she will make a statement. [67790]
Richard Benyon: I am not aware of any existing or proposed application for the construction of such a reservoir in England. Applications to Scottish or Welsh planning authorities are matters for those authorities or the Scottish or Welsh Governments where appropriate.
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Rights of Way
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effects on landowners of rights of way over their land. [66849]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State has not carried out any formal assessment of the potential effects on landowners of public rights of way over their land. However, an independent Farming Regulation Task Force, chaired by Richard Macdonald, published a report in May on reducing the regulatory burden on landowners and it included various recommendations to DEFRA in relation to public rights of way. The Government will consider the report's recommendations carefully, and will provide an initial public response and parliamentary statement this autumn.