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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 3 June 2013
Leader of the House
Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Leader of the House (1) what his Office's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16; [157531]
(2) how much his Office spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament. [157552]
Mr Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Our answer will be included in the response by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, shortly.
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Attorney-General
Alternatives to Prosecution
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has advised the police not to charge but to issue a caution or other out-of-court disposal instead in cases of (a) rape, (b) sexual offences other than rape, (c) domestic violence, (d) grievous bodily harm and (e) street robbery in each of the last seven years. [156288]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records the number of cases referred to for pre-charge advice and where the final decision was to either, issue a simple caution, conditional caution, reprimand or final warning, or take the offence into consideration.
The figures in the tables show the decisions made at the pre-charge stage where the case was one flagged as containing a Rape or Domestic Violence allegation. The data do not capture whether the decision to issue a caution or other out-of-court disposal was related to the rape or domestic violence allegation or other criminality evident on the file following a decision that there should be no further action in respect of the substantive offence. The case would remain flagged even after such a decision.
The CPS Case Management System is unable to extract pre-charge data for specific offence categories, including sexual offences (with the exception of rape), grievous bodily harm and street robbery.
| Pre-charge decisions—domestic violence flagged | |||||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| Pre-charge decisions—rape flagged | |||||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
Copyright: Prosecutions
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Attorney-General how many successful prosecutions have been brought against individuals who have stripped copyright metadata and other information which identifies a copyright holder of a piece of work in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years. [156596]
The Attorney-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of cases or defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences and it is not possible to disaggregate figures to show separately the volume and outcome of proceedings for each individual offence prosecuted. Copyright offences are also prosecuted by local authorities and by private prosecutors and the CPS does not hold any data in relation to those prosecutions.
The stripping of copyright metadata, referred to as removing or altering electronic rights management information, in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 will be subject to criminal prosecution where the activity is associated with making, dealing, importing or possessing infringing articles contrary to section 107
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of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Removing or altering electronic rights management information may give rise to civil liability against a copyright owner.
The following table shows, in each of the last five years, the number of offences prosecuted by the CPS for offences of copyright infringement contrary to section 107 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
| Number | ||
To establish if any of these offences related to prosecutions where the stripping of copyright metadata or other information identifying a copyright holder was a feature, and those in which a conviction was obtained, would incur disproportionate cost.
In addition, prosecutions can be brought under section 296ZB of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for offences of providing, importing or manufacturing devices or services designed to circumvent technological copyright protection measures. The number of these offences charged in the last five years is as follows:
| Number | ||
Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were classed by the Crown Prosecution Service as late returns in each of the last seven years. [157619]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not routinely maintain a central record of the number or proportion of instructions to advocates which are subject to a late return. To capture this information in relation to all Crown court instructions over each of the last seven years would require each file to be examined and would incur disproportionate cost.
However, the CPS has undertaken three snapshot surveys of late returned briefs in trial cases over the last seven years in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
In 2007, 454 trials were subject to survey, of which 117 or 26% had instructions returned within seven days of the trial date.
In 2009, 605 trials were subject to survey, of which 190 or 31% had instructions returned within seven days of the trial date.
In 2010, 813 trials were subject to survey, of which 228 or 28% had instructions returned within seven days of the trial date.
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Fixed Penalties
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has recommended a penalty for disorder notice instead of a criminal charge or caution in respect of (a) criminal damage, (b) actual bodily harm, (c) grievous bodily harm, (d) inciting or threatening violence and (e) drugs-related offences in each of the last seven years. [156291]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the occasions in which it recommended the issue of a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND). Penalty Notices for Disorder allow operational police officers a quick and effective alternative disposal option for dealing with low-level, antisocial and nuisance offending where they have reason to believe that a person aged 18 years of age or over has committed a penalty offence and they are suitable to receive a PND.
Human Trafficking and Forced Labour
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Attorney-General what steps the Director of Public Prosecutions is taking to raise awareness amongst prosecutors on how to recognise cases of forced labour and human trafficking; and what assessment he has made of whether the current legislation is being used to prosecute such cases effectively. [156586]
The Solicitor-General: Legal and policy guidance is issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which is updated and provides advice on the relevant legislation and evidential requirements to support the prosecution of the criminal offences of human trafficking, slavery and forced labour. In addition, the CPS published an e-learning programme for prosecutors in March 2013 on all criminal conduct associated with human trafficking and slavery, forced labour and domestic servitude.
The CPS was also consulted about amendments to human trafficking offences following a review of the legislation led by the Home Office in 2012. The amended offences which came into force on 6 April 2013 under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 extend territorial jurisdiction to enable prosecutors to prosecute cases of trafficking where the victims have been trafficked anywhere in the world.
ICT
Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from the Law Officers' Departments in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [156419]
The Attorney-General: The information requested is contained in the following tables.
| 2010-11 | ||||
| Computers | Mobile telephones | BlackBerry | Other IT equipment | |
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| 2011-12 | ||||
| Computers | Mobile telephones | BlackBerry | Other IT equipment | |
| 2012-13 | ||||
| Computers | Mobile telephones | BlackBerry | Other IT equipment | |
The HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has not recorded any thefts or losses of IT or communications technology during the past three years.
Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in each category of offences the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to charge on grounds that the case did not meet the evidential test of the Crown Prosecutors' Code in each of the last three years. [156922]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) record prosecution cases according to their principal offence category (POC). The POC indicates the most serious offence with which the defendant is charged at the time of finalisation of proceedings. As the POC category is not applied until the finalisation of the prosecution case, pre-charge decisions (PCDs) are not categorised. It is not possible to identify the offence categories of PCD without a manual exercise to review individual files, which would attract a disproportionate cost.
The number of PCDs where the CPS decided not to charge on grounds that the case did not meet the evidential test of the Code for Crown Prosecutors are as follows:
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
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Shoplifting: Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of shoplifting were prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last six years; and how many of those cases related to shoplifting of items worth £200 or less. [156921]
The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants or cases prosecuted. The following table, therefore, shows in each of the last six years the number of offences of shoplifting charged under section 1 of the Theft Act 1968.
| Theft Act 1968 (1(1) and 7): Theft from a shop | |
There is no indication of the final prosecution outcome, nor as to whether the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is also often the case that an individual defendant can be charged with more than one offence in the same case. The CPS does not record the value of the items stolen therefore it is not possible to identify those offences where the value of the items stolen was less than £200. The capture of such data would require a manual exercise to review individual files, which would attract a disproportionate cost.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will make an assessment of the likely effect on the volume of shoplifting cases that will still be handled by the Crown Prosecution Service of the Government's decision to allow the police to prosecute shoplifting cases of less than £200. [157621]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will continue to prosecute all contested cases of shoplifting of goods valued at £200 or less, and will also prosecute all cases of shoplifting, both contested and uncontested, where the value is over £200. The Home Office estimates that this will account for approximately 37% of all shoplifting cases, or around 30,000 cases a year.
Stalking: Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what training lawyers in the Crown Prosecution Service have recently received on charging and prosecuting the offence of stalking. [157622]
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The Attorney-General: As well as providing detailed guidance to prosecutors on the new stalking offences created by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has an online e-Learning course accessible to all prosecutors. The course was launched in September 2012 and includes training on the relevant offences and their identification, as well as covering other issues which may arise in the prosecution of stalking cases. The course is being refreshed for June 2013, when it will become mandatory learning for all prosecutors.
Witnesses
Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General what special measures the Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors offer to vulnerable witnesses to support them in giving evidence. [157118]
The Solicitor-General: A range of special measures are available and offered to vulnerable witnesses, for example giving evidence through live link, recorded evidence in chief and the use of screens in court. The Crown Prosecution Service works closely with the police and voluntary sector agencies who provide tailored support to vulnerable witnesses early on and at all stages of a criminal trial.
Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General how many children under (a) 12 years old, (b) 15 years old and (c) 17 years old appeared as witnesses in Crown court trials in the last three years. [157454]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data showing the number of children who appeared as witnesses in Crown court trials. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the files prosecuted by the CPS in the Crown court, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General how many children under (a) 12-years-old, (b) 15-years-old and (c) 17-years-old have appeared as witnesses in trials relating to sexual violence and abuse in the last three years. [157455]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data showing the number of children who appeared as witnesses in trials relating to sexual violence and abuse. This information could be obtained only by examining all of the sexual offences files prosecuted by the CPS, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Wales
Out of Area Treatment
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients registered with GPs in Wales are normally resident in (a) Herefordshire and (b) England. [156485]
Mr David Jones:
The information requested is the responsibility of the Welsh Government. They have advised that there are currently 3,555 patients registered
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with a GP in Wales who are resident in Herefordshire. In total, there are 20,627 patients registered with a Welsh GP who are England residents.
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what negotiations he has had with the Welsh Government regarding the 2013 Protocol for Cross-Border Healthcare Services. [156532]
Stephen Crabb: The current Protocol for Cross-Border Healthcare Services was agreed jointly between NHS England and the Welsh Government in April 2013. Discussions will continue with the Welsh Government to ensure smooth implementation of this protocol and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, my noble Friend Baroness Randerson, recently met the Welsh Government Minister for Health and Social Care, Mark Drakeford AM, to discuss such matters.
Personnel Management
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of his Department’s human resources functions was. [156678]
Stephen Crabb: The following table sets out how many officials in the Wales Office were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of the Wales Office’s human resources functions was.
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
In 2013-14, the number of officials in HR will reduce to one grade 7.
Scotland
ICT
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [156434]
David Mundell: In the period 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, there were no computers, mobile phones, or other items of IT equipment reported as lost or stolen from the Scotland Office.
In the period 2011-12, four BlackBerrys were reported as lost or stolen and in the period 2012-13, one BlackBerry was reported lost or stolen from the Scotland Office.
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Insolvency
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many businesses in Scotland have entered bankruptcy in each of the last three years. [157571]
David Mundell: The following table details the number of businesses that have become insolvent in the year 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
| Financial year | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
These figures do not include the number of individual bankruptcies that took place in each year. The total number of individual awards of bankruptcy would contain any sole traders and self-employed people who become insolvent in the period. These are not recorded separately from other personal bankruptcies and so cannot be identified separately.
Training
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether (a) he or (b) Ministers in his Department have undertaken media training since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of any such training. [156771]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I have not undertaken any media training since May 2010 that incurred a cost to the public purse.
Northern Ireland
Airports
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations her Department has made to the European Commission about the ring fencing of airport slots for regional destinations. [156481]
Mrs Villiers:
In the context of the European Commission's ‘Better Airport Package’, which includes proposals to recast the EU Slot Regulation, the UK has highlighted the issue of regional connectivity and has sought the inclusion of measures to help to secure the ongoing provision of regional air services to congested
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London airports. However, it has proved challenging to devise a mechanism to protect commercially viable air services without seriously impairing and distorting the aviation market and competition across Europe,
G8: County Fermanagh
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of planned security arrangements for the forthcoming G8 summit in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. [157400]
Mrs Villiers: I have regular meetings to discuss G8 summit security arrangements with PSNI colleagues, including the Chief Constable. Arrangements are well developed and PSNI have a robust plan in place to deal with the security challenges which come with hosting the G8 summit. Northern Ireland Office officials will continue to work closely with all partners on G8 security issues in the lead-up to the summit.
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with police forces in Great Britain about security for the G8 Summit in Fermanagh in June 2013. [156488]
Mrs Villiers: I have met a range of organisations to discuss the G8 Summit, including officials from the Association of Chief Police Officers, who represent police forces in Great Britain. Northern Ireland Office officials will continue to work closely with all partners on G8 security issues in the lead-up to the summit.
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the costs of hosting the G8 Summit in Fermanagh in June 2013. [156489]
Mrs Villiers: I have discussed the G8 Summit with Ministers from across government, including those in the Northern Ireland Executive. Officials in the Northern Ireland Office have been working closely with colleagues in the NI Executive on a range of issues including the costs relating to the Summit.
Personnel Management
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in her Department were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of her Department's human resources functions was. [156675]
Mrs Villiers: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office, my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Information for the period post 2010 is as follows:
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| Number and Grade of officials | Total cost (£) | |
| (1) Based on staff employed for all or part of the year. (2) Based on year to date information as at 30 April 2013. | ||
Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what her Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16. [157532]
Mrs Villiers: My Department does not set an annual budget for ministerial travel. Travel is budgeted for when required in line with the business needs of the Department and is provided in the most cost-effective way available. On coming to office, this Government ended the practice of previous Administrations, including the last Labour Government, of chartering private aircraft for routine ministerial travel between London and Belfast. This has resulted in significant savings for the taxpayer.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament. [157553]
Mrs Villiers: My Department has a contract with the Government Car Service for the supply of a departmental car for use across the organisation. Records of ministerial use of the car are not kept.
Nil spend
| Taxi services | |
| Total cost (£) | |
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| Rail costs | |
| Total cost (£) | |
| Aviation costs | |
| Total cost (£) | |
| (1) Costs for 2013-14 are from 1 April 2013 to date. | |
On coming to office, this Government ended the practice of previous Administrations, including the last Labour Government, of chartering private aircraft for routine ministerial travel between London and Belfast. This has resulted in significant savings of taxpayers' money.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Employment
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the promotion of jobs and growth in the agricultural sector; and if he will take steps to ensure that this is reflected in the next round of EU budget negotiations. [156853]
Mr Heath: We want the rural economy to grow and for farmers to be less reliant on subsidies in future. We are promoting jobs and growth in agriculture by supporting exports, investing in infrastructure, and removing regulatory burdens and other barriers.
Agriculture: Finance
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish details of expenditure under the Support and develop British farming programme identified in his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 for each of the last three years; and what the projected spend for each of the next three years by (a) scheme and (b) individual project is. [156333]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 20 May 2013]: The following table sets out the breakdown, by project, of net expenditure under support and develop British farming for 2009-10 to 2011-12. This table reconciles to the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) table on page 54 of the 2011-12 Annual Report and Accounts.
Figures for 2012-13 are still subject to audit and may potentially change. Therefore this breakdown is currently unavailable.
Projected spend for future years is still being negotiated with HM Treasury, so again it is not possible to provide this detail.
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| Support and develop British farming | |||
| DEL (£000) | |||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on UK farmers of the EU's decision to transfer agriculture payments from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2; and if he will make a statement. [156551]
Mr Heath [holding answer 21 May 2013]: The UK supports the position agreed by the European Council earlier this year, to allow the transfer of 15% of funds from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2 in the next EU financial perspective. Negotiations to agree the next CAP regulations for 2014-20 are in their final stages, and should conclude later this year.
Transferring common agricultural policy (CAP) funds from Pillar 1 (direct subsidy) to Pillar 2 (environment and rural economy) supports UK farmers to compete and innovate, while providing the best use of taxpayers' money. Transfer from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2 also helps empower our farmers to protect and enhance our natural environment.
Air Pollution
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what specific steps the Government is taking to reduce air pollution in areas with high-pollution readings. [156656]
Richard Benyon: The UK is compliant with most EU air quality standards. However, meeting the limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is challenging, especially in towns and cities. The Government has submitted air quality plans to the European Commission setting out the action being taken at national and local levels to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution.
Specific steps to reduce air pollution include: targeted action to accelerate the introduction of cleaner vehicles, including reduced pollution certificates for heavy duty vehicles; a Green Bus fund of nearly £100 million; and investment of over £1 billion in measures to support local sustainable transport and incentives for ultra-low emission electric and hybrid vehicles. Local authorities have responsibility for local air quality management; this now includes responsibility for public health in their areas. The Government have provided funding of over £8 million to support local measures to improve air quality since 2010. In London, the Mayor is responsible for working towards national air quality objectives and DEFRA works with him and London boroughs to improve air quality.
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of emissions of particulates from (a) biomass combustion and (b) road traffic to air quality in (i) Edmonton constituency, (ii) the London borough of Enfield, (iii) Greater London and (iv) England and Wales in each of the next five years. [156810]
Richard Benyon: Assessments of the potential effect of particulate emissions on air quality have been made for 2015 as follows:
(a) The contribution of biomass combustion to concentrations of coarse particles (PM10, i.e. particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers) following the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme has been estimated as 0.044 micrograms of PM10 per cubic metre of air (microgrammes/m(3)) for Greater London and 0.036microgrammes/m(3) for England and Wales.
(b) The total population-weighted mean concentration of coarse particles in the London borough of Enfield in 2015 has been estimated as being 17.4 microgrammes/m(3). This compares with estimates of population-weighted mean concentrations of 18.5 microgrammes/m(3) for Greater London and 15.2 microgrammes/m(3) for England and Wales for 2015. This includes the contribution from all sources, including road transport and biomass combustion, as the contribution of road transport has not been assessed separately.
No other relevant assessments have been made for the requested areas for other years between 2014 and 2018.
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Animal Welfare: EU Countries
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the animal welfare standards in other EU member states in connection with the rearing of (a) poultry, (b) beef, (c) pig and (d) sheep; and if he will make a statement. [156904]
Mr Heath: Over recent years, we have had regular contact with the EU Commission and member states, both at an official level and ministerial level, regarding compliance with implementation and interpretation of, EU welfare standards for laying hens, meat, chickens and pigs. These discussions are ongoing.
Assessment of animal welfare standards across the EU is a matter for the European Commission. The Commission enforces EU law and is fully empowered to take action against member states which fail to deliver on their animal welfare obligations.
There is no specific EU welfare legislation for beef cattle and for sheep beyond the general provisions for all farmed animal species contained in Council Directive 98/58/EC.
Bees
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of the indigenous bee population. [154000]
Mr Heath [holding answer 13 May 2013]: Monitoring to detect changes in the abundance of insect pollinators accurately is not, and has never been, carried out systematically in the UK or in Europe. Our current knowledge is derived from limited abundance surveys for some species groups or from analysis of occurrence records to identify changes in range or diversity.
The quality of data from which population trends can be derived varies, but it is possible to make an assessment. In Great Britain there have been changes in the diversity of wild bees in recent decades, with some geographical areas showing an increase in diversity but a significantly greater area showing a decline. Declines are likely to be driven, at least in part, by contractions in the geographical ranges of specialist species that are associated with natural or semi-natural habitat or have narrow forage requirements. There is no single threat that seems to be driving the changes; intensification of land-use, habitat loss, pests, diseases, invasive species, inappropriate use of agrochemicals over the last century and, increasingly, climate change, are all thought to be playing a part.
Bees: Pesticides
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional work he has recently commissioned into the effects of the neonicotinoids pesticides (a) clothianidin, (b) imidacloprid and (c) thiametoxam on honeybees. [154860]
Mr Heath: We have the following projects under way in this area:
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PS2370 Interpretation of pesticide residues in honeybees
This aims to assess the pesticide residue levels in apparently healthy UK honeybee colonies in urban and rural environments to determine if there is any clear correlation between the presence of pesticides and the disease status in those colonies.
PS2376 Evaluation of procedures to improve estimates of exposure of pollinators to neonicotinoid insecticides
This aims to access the feasibility of determining the exposure of pollinators by measuring the levels of neonicotinoids in various media. This includes pollen and nectar from oilseed rape, pollen and nectar fed to their young by pollinators such as honey, bumble and solitary bees and measuring levels in other pollinators like hoverflies.
Further information about these and previous projects in this area can be found online at:
http://randd.defra.gov.uk/
The Insect Pollinators Initiative, which is part-funded by government, is also undertaking a project to look at neonicotinoids: ‘An investigation into the synergistic impact of sub-lethal exposure to industrial chemicals on the learning capacity and performance of bees’. This work is examining whether chronic exposure to chemicals used to control mites, combined with exposure to agricultural pesticides, could affect foraging, navigation and communication in bees.
We are currently considering what further work is needed in this area, and any changes needed to existing work in the light of impending EU restrictions.
Biofuels
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on the European Commission's proposal to cap the amount of biofuels produced from food crops to 5%; and if he will make a statement. [156587]
Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Transport, and refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Lothian (Fiona O'Donnell) today, Monday 3 June (UIN 157576).
Bovine Tuberculosis
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how he plans to monitor (a) uptake of and (b) compliance with proposals for the voluntary risk-based trading scheme. [156608]
Mr Heath: We are considering recommendations for voluntary risk-based trading measures made by the industry-led Risk-Based Trading Group (RBTG) in England and will work with the livestock industry on the next steps. Once new measures are in place it will be important to monitor their uptake and effectiveness.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the capacity of feral cats to act as a reservoir for bovine tuberculosis. [156624]
Mr Heath
[holding answer 21 May 2013]: All mammals are susceptible (to different degrees) to the bacterium that causes bovine TB (Mycobacterium bovis). A very small number of cases of M. bovis infection are recorded
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in domestic cats every year in GB. The clinical presentation and the epidemiology of those cases strongly suggests that cats (including feral ones) are spillover hosts of infection in wildlife or contaminated environment and they are not considered to have a significant role in transmitting TB to cattle or other species.
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, in each of the last three financial years. [154248]
Richard Benyon: The total running costs, as defined by the Cabinet Office, for the buildings used, owned or rented in central London by core DEFRA, its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three reported financial years is shown in the following table.
| Total running cost for central London buildings (£) | |
Since March 2010, DEFRA has vacated two central London buildings and will vacate five further buildings over the next year, bringing forecast running costs down significantly.
Conditions of Employment
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in his Department are employed on zero-hours contracts. [157132]
Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not employ any staff on zero-hours contracts.
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many Countryside Stewardship Scheme agreements providing permissive public access have been put in place since the scheme's inception; and how many hectares of land were included in each such agreement; [156682]
(2) what the total level of funding has been for agreements under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme providing permissive public access since the scheme's inception. [156685]
Richard Benyon: The Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) started in 1991 and closed to new applications in 2004. Agreements lasted for 10 years and the last of these are due to expire in September 2014. Data are not held centrally for agreements that have expired, so it is not possible to provide the total amount of permissive access since 1991. The closest data available are for agreements providing permissive access in 2005.
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In 2005, there were 710 CSS agreements with permissive access. The total annual permissive access payments under these agreements is estimated at £11,165,230 over the 10-year-period of the agreements(1). 241 of these agreements are still running in 2013. This figure does not include one-off capital payments such as gates, stiles and benches.
| CSS access option | Number of live agreements with access option | Total hectares/length |
Individual agreements can have more than one permissive access option. The total number of live agreements with access options will therefore add up to more than 710.
(1) Estimate may not take account of changes resulting from later payment reviews, which cannot easily be calculated from historical data.
Enfield
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years. [154514]
Richard Benyon: A full explanation of how DEFRA funds local authorities can be found at Section 4 of the Department's Accountability Systems Statement at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69587/pb13805a-accountability-systems-201209.pdf
Specific payments outside these arrangements were made to the London borough of Enfield in each of the last five financial years (2008-09 to 2012-13) as follows:
| £ | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
Details of the funding given to each local authority under the yearly Local Government Finance Settlement is available online at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/
Environmental Stewardship Scheme
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much funding for agreements providing permissive public access has been provided under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme since the scheme's inception; [156683]
(2) how many Environmental Stewardship Scheme agreements which provided public access have been put in place since the start of the scheme; and how many hectares of land have been included in each such agreement. [156684]
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Richard Benyon: Environmental Stewardship started in 2005. From 2006, the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) element of the scheme offered annual payments for permissive access. These were withdrawn for new HLS agreements from 1 December 2010, as part of spending review 2010 decisions, although payments continue for agreements set up before this date until their expiry. At present there are 1,292 HLS permissive access agreements.
The total cost of annual payments under these agreements is estimated at £22,561,632, over the 10- year period of the agreements(1). This does not include payments for one-off capital items such as gates, stiles and benches.
Only the “open access” option is measured and paid in hectares; all others are linear and paid in metres.
| HLS access option | Number of live agreements with access option | Total hectares/length |
Individual HLS agreements can have more than one permissive access option. The total number of live agreements with access options will therefore add up to more than 1,292.
(1 )Estimate will change over time as agreements are amended, terminated early etc.
Exports: EU Countries
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of all UK exports went to the EU or a country with which the EU has a free trade deal in each of the last three years. [156607]
Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The UK exports of goods and services to the EU and the countries with which the EU had a free trade agreement, economic partnership agreement, association agreement or Customs Union in force by March 2013 were as follows:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
Farmers: Bureaucracy
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce paperwork and bureaucracy for farmers. [156518]
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Mr Heath [holding answer 21 May 2013]:As part of our response to the Farming Regulation Task Force report, we are taking steps to reduce unnecessary paperwork burdens and bureaucracy on farmers. These steps include: making environmental guidance shorter, clearer and easier to find and follow; reviewing what environmental and farming information is required from businesses; and piloting a simplified approach to how businesses submit that information as part of the Smarter Guidance and Data reforms launched on 16 May 2013.
We have also taken steps to reduce the burden of on-farm inspections for those farmers who consistently demonstrate high standards by driving forward implementation of earned recognition. Earned recognition was introduced into Dairy Hygiene inspections in 2011 reducing them by over 8,000 per year. We will publish a plan in summer 2013 setting out further opportunities for implementing earned recognition.
We are also supporting the National Farmers Union (NFU) and local authorities in the roll out of Regional Inspection Forums. These forums are enabling farm inspectors to share more information with each other before visiting a farm helping to eliminate unnecessary duplicated inspections.
Flood Control
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1036-40W, on flood control, if he will publish by scheme a breakdown of relevant funding from (a) public sources including his Department and local authorities and (b) private sources. [157333]
Richard Benyon: The table provided in my answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1036-40W, details flood and coastal risk management schemes that are moving into construction in 2013-14. Of the total external contribution spend across these projects, the public contributions amount to approximately £53 million. Private contributions amount to approximately £13 million.
Unless specific permission is obtained from the organisations in question, the Government do not release the names of organisations or the details of specific contributions to individual flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. In some cases, the Government would be in breach of confidentiality clauses if such information was disclosed.
Prior to partnership funding, income for schemes was not aggregated and therefore a breakdown of schemes is not held centrally.
Flood Control: North Yorkshire
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 606W, on flood control, if he will publish details of the contributions to the £9.7 million scheme at Skipton, North Yorkshire by public sector bodies. [157095]
Richard Benyon:
The Skipton Flood Alleviation Scheme will be funded by both the public and private sectors. Around £6 million will be funded from Flood Defence
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grant in aid, with a further £1.7 million from the additional flood alleviation funding announced as part of the 2012 autumn statement.
The Environment Agency is at an advanced stage in its negotiations with other parties for additional funds.
Unless specific permission is obtained from the organisations in question, the Government do not release the names of organisations that contribute to flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. In some cases the Government would be in breach of confidentiality clauses if such information was disclosed.
Floods: Insurance
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that areas of the country do not become uninsurable because of persistent flooding both in terms of flood prevention and insurance company policies. [157136]
Richard Benyon: The Government’s primary role is flood risk management. Action taken by communities, individuals, Government and businesses to reduce flood risk will continue to be the best way of keeping insurance terms affordable into the future. We are now on course to spend £2.3 billion on reducing the risk from flooding and coastal erosion in England over the four-year period to 2015. We expect to better protect 165,000 households by 2015, exceeding our current goal by 20,000. Around 64,000 homes will be better protected by the 93 new flood defence schemes starting construction this year.
Members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) will continue to abide by the Statement of Principles for a further month until 31 July to allow more time to reach agreement and to act in good faith towards their customers when setting the terms of policies. We have made significant progress in discussions with the ABI on how its Flood Re proposal could be made to work. This is a complex issue and no deal has been reached, but we aim to conclude negotiations as soon as possible.
While flood risk management is a devolved issue, financial services and fiscal policy are reserved matters for the UK Government. No final decisions have been taken but discussions about flood insurance continue with the devolved Administrations.
Food
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department comprise the team conducting the strategic review into the food chain being co-ordinated by his Department and the Department of Health. [156410]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 20 May 2013]: The independent review of the horsemeat fraud will be supported by a small secretariat of officials from DEFRA and Department of Health. The secretariat will be headed by a member of the senior civil service (PB-1) and will be supported by a team leader (grade 7), policy adviser (higher executive officer) and have administrative support (0.5 executive officer). Other officials may contribute to the secretariat, for example to provide specialist expertise, over the course of the review if required. The review will report to the Secretaries of State for Health and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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Food: Festivals and Special Occasions
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent supporting food festivals in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland for each of the last three years. [156605]
Mr Heath: DEFRA has supported 25 food festival projects during the last three years, in England only, of which 15 projects were delivered by Local Action Groups (LAGs) using local knowledge to promote community-led delivery of Rural Development Programme for England funding. The amount spent is as follows:
| £ | |
Money spent supporting food festivals in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
Food: Origin Marking
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on helping UK food producers obtain EU protected food status for each of the last three years. [156606]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA officials provide information, advice and guidance to UK producer groups applying, or considering applying, for recognition of their products under the EU protected food names scheme. No specific funding is made available to producer groups in connection with the application and registration process, nor does DEFRA charge them any fee for the work it carries out.
Food: Production
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK's food requirement was produced within the UK in the years (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [R] [155833]
Mr Heath: The UK food production to supply ratio was 61% for all food and 75% for indigenous food in 2010, and 63% and 78% respectively in 2011. The proportion for 2012 will shortly be published in the Department's ‘Agriculture in the UK’ publication
Food production to supply ratio is calculated as the farm-gate value of raw food production divided by the value of raw food for human consumption. The production to supply ratio therefore only provides a very broad indicator of the ability of United Kingdom agriculture to meet consumer demand. The ratio is not an appropriate measure of “food security” since it fails to account for many dimensions of this complex issue. A detailed analysis of this issue is presented in the DEFRA publication ‘UK Food Security Assessment’.
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Forests
Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has made to implement the commitment to increase the amount of woodland cover made in his recent statement on forestry policy. [155660]
Mr Heath: The Government and forestry sector will need to work together over the years to deliver the increase in woodland cover we want to see. We are already taking steps to implement the commitment in the Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement, for example through supporting the sector-led ‘Grown in Britain’ initiative, which aims to make it more economically attractive for landowners to plant trees. Through the Big Tree Plant campaign we are continuing to support people and communities to plant one million new trees in England's cities, towns and neighbourhoods by 2015, especially in the areas of greatest deprivation or where there is little greenery.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Wheat
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the GM constructs encoding farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase in wheat covered by the release consent issued by his Department to Rothamsted Research, reference 11/R8/01 in 2011, is subject to patents; in which countries these were granted; and who holds each patent. [156262]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave on 17 April 2013, Official Report, column 490W.
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the GM construct encoding (E)-ß - farnesene synthase in GM wheat covered by the release consent issued by his Department to Rothamsted Research, reference 11/R8/01, in 2011 is subject to patents; in which countries these were granted; and who holds each patent. [156264]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave on 17 April 2013, Official Report, column 489W.
Horsemeat
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information the Food Standards Agency has received from food safety authorities in France and elsewhere in Europe in respect of samples of meat seized from the company Spanghero de Castelnaudray on 19 February 2013; and what investigations the Food Standards Agency has undertaken in respect of the mechanically removed meat in the shipment. [157008]
Anna Soubry: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was first alerted on 22 February 2013 to the French authorities' initial findings, which suggested that a United Kingdom establishment had sent consignments of a lamb product to the French company, Spanghero de Castelnaudray, in breach of European Union food law. The FSA immediately instigated an investigation, which is ongoing. The matter was formally notified to the UK by France via the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) on 27 February 2013. The FSA issued formal UK responses to the RASFF notification on 15 March 2013 and 24 April 2013. The FSA has received no information from other EU member states in this regard.
Horse Passports
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to improve the horse passport system and bring it into line with the cattle passport system. [157139]
Mr Heath: The Government remain committed to exploring ways to improve the horse passport system within the existing framework of European legislation, and we support the European Commission proposals for each member state to have a single passport issuing organisation and central equine database. We continue to work with the equine sector and existing passport issuing organisations on improvements that can be made to the quality of passports before the new arrangements are in place. The test and hold system for horses at abattoirs ensures that horsemeat that contains bute cannot enter the food chain.
ICT
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [156426]
Richard Benyon: Property lost or stolen is recorded as 'losses' for core DEFRA. The following table shows recorded unrecovered losses of items for the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
| Number | |||
| Description | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
Meat
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new measures the Government are going to take to ensure that the transfer of information between vets and the ability to trace the origin of meat across borders will improve. [157135]
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Mr Heath: All consignments of products of animal origin from third countries must enter the EU through a Border Inspection Post (BIP) where checks are carried out to ensure that import conditions have been met. The arrival of consignments must be notified to the BIP using the TRAde Control and Expert System (TRACES). This provides on-line information on import consignments of products of animal origin. It facilitates the exchange of information between competent authorities of animal and public health inspections and allows veterinary authorities to react rapidly to possible health emergencies.
Meat and other products of animal origin are traded freely within the EU and the responsibility for animal and public health and food hygiene lies with the exporting member state. There are no border controls for trade between member states and EU rules permit non-discriminatory checks for compliance purposes only by the official veterinarian or local authority responsible for the establishment receiving the products.
Moths
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the reduction in the number of moths in the environment and the potential harm this may cause to the biophysical environment that relies on pollinators; [156304]
(2) what assessment he has made of possible causes of the decline in the number of moths in the UK. [156305]
Richard Benyon: Data from the “Rothamsted light traps” show that there has been a change in the abundance of moths in Great Britain over the last 40 years. A greater number of species show significant declines than show significant increases.
We do not fully understand the reasons for this change but we do know that semi-natural habitat loss and degradation is a threat to many species. We have supported research to understand how to manage habitats for moths better, for example in key woodland habitats. In addition, Natural England has initiated a review of the status of groups of invertebrates in England, including moths, to identify those at greatest threat. It is expected that this work will take three years to complete.
Phenylbutazone
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 897-8W, on phenylbutazone, what the outcome was of the 12 investigations into the validity of horse passports from horse carcasses which tested positive for phenylbutazone. [156733]
Mr Heath: The investigations have shown that all horse passports submitted with these animals for slaughter were issued by authorised passport issuing organisations, and there was no evidence to question the validity of the information contained within the passports.
Summaries of the outcomes of follow-up inspections into non-compliant results under the UK's statutory residues surveillance programme, operated under Council
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Directive 96/23/EC, are published in papers considered by the independent Veterinary Residues Committee (VRC). These can be seen at:
http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/vrc/reports/surveillance.html
These are available in the Library of the House, as mentioned in the answer I gave on 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 530W.
Summaries of the results of follow-up inspections of non-compliant results from the Food Standards Agency's 100% testing programme, introduced from 30 January 2013, will also be considered by the VRC and published. Information from these inspections, as well as previous ones, will provide more evidence on the most common reasons for these horses being presented for human consumption. This will help to target information campaigns to owners and their veterinarians.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act. [154532]
Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA revised its core procurement instructions in January to reflect the Public Services (Social Value) Act. These instructions apply to all procurements made by DEFRA's central procurement team.
Core DEFRA ensured that procurement colleagues in its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies were made aware of the Cabinet Office guidance on the Act, and arranged for our legal advisers to make a presentation to them on the Act.
Reservoirs: West Yorkshire
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether his Department has any plans to review Yorkshire Water's proposals for the Butterley Reservoir Spillway, Marsden; [156680]
(2) whether the Control of Sensitive Water Company Information—Advice Note 11 empowers Yorkshire Water to withhold from the public its panel engineer's report on the Butterley Reservoir Spillway, Marsden. [156760]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has no plans to review Yorkshire Water's proposals for the Butterley Reservoir Spillway, Marsden, and has no powers under the Reservoirs Act 1975 to do so. We would expect any proposals for the Butterley Reservoir Spillway, Marsden, to be subject to consideration through the planning process, where required.
The Reservoirs Act 1975 provides the mechanism for the regulation of reservoirs in the interest of safety. The Secretary of State has no powers under the Act to intervene in the way reservoir undertakers ensure that their reservoirs are kept safe. Likewise, the Secretary of State has no powers under the Act to control the access undertakers allow to the reports of inspections of their
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reservoirs. Compliance with national security arrangements or procedures in respect of this reservoir and its spillway lies with Yorkshire Water.
Rural Areas: Economic Growth
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage growth in the rural economy. [156531]
Richard Benyon: Stimulating economic growth is the top priority for Government. We want to see rural areas contributing to and benefitting from that growth. We are working to improve superfast broadband and mobile infrastructure in rural communities, piloting Rural Growth Networks to test different ways of helping businesses stimulate economic growth in rural areas, while boosting key sectors such as tourism. We are also increasing export potential and unblocking barriers to growth by removing red tape.
In Northumberland, for example, we are investing £7.03 million to improve superfast broadband. We have also provided £3.2 million to enable the establishment of the North East Rural Growth Network.
Schmallenberg Virus
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of the Schmallenberg vaccine to UK farmers. [157312]
Mr Heath: The decision to vaccinate will be a commercial one for individual farmers to make in consultation with their vet and considering their normal management and animal breeding practices, and the likely immunity of their livestock from previous infection. This view is supported by the British Veterinary Association and the National Sheep Association.
The vaccine manufacturer has not yet released the proposed price of the vaccine, but has said it will be in line with other vaccines that farmers choose to use in their livestock.
School Milk
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 685W, on school milk, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the falling amounts of EU school milk aid claimed in 2010-11 and 2011-12. [156243]
Mr Heath: This scheme is driven entirely by consumption rates at schools. The amount of aid claimed and paid out by DEFRA may go up or down depending on whether education authorities, schools or parents decide to take part in the scheme.
Slaughterhouses
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the case for changes in the laws regulating slaughterhouses and abattoirs in light of recent widespread failures to observe those laws and regulations. [154868]
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Mr Heath: I have no plans for a specific assessment of the case for changes in the laws regulating slaughterhouses and abattoirs. However, the Food Standards Agency has commissioned an independent review into its response to the recent incidents of adulteration of processed beef products with horse and pig meat and DNA. This will make recommendations to the Food Standards Agency Board on the relevant capacity and capabilities of the Agency and any actions that should be taken to maintain or build them. This review is being led by Professor Pat Troop, with findings to be presented to the Food Standard Agency's Open Board meeting on 4 June 2013. Findings from this review will feed into the strategic review of the incident and its implications for the food chain. These reviews will help the Government establish if there are weaknesses or gaps within the current regulatory framework, and how these should be addressed to maintain consumer confidence and ensure the integrity of the meat processing supply chain.
Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16. [157525]
Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not allocate budgets at this level of detail and therefore cannot provide figures.
Scotland
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the legislation his Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998. [156228]
David Mundell: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Scotland Office.
Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012, which enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
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Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
Financial and economic matters
Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
The regulation of air weapons.
Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.
Prime Minister
Lord Feldman of Elstree
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether Lord Feldman of Elstree is classified as a Government special adviser; and whether he has been subjected to (a) all forms of personnel security control, (b) a counter terrorism check, (c) a security check and (d) developed vetting; [156919]
(2) whether Lord Feldman of Elstree is allocated an office in No. 10 Downing street; whether he has a Government email address; and to which Government buildings he has a security pass. [156920]
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The Prime Minister: Lord Feldman is not employed by the Government. He does not have an office in No. 10 Downing street or a Government email address. Following the practice followed by the previous administration, the Government does not give a running commentary on security matters.
Deputy Prime Minister
Lobbying
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1057W, on lobbying, whether he has any plans to meet with interested parties before publishing his revised proposals. [156735]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists.
Given the complexity of the issue, we have been taking time to give the matter sufficiently detailed consideration in order to ensure that our revised proposals for a register increase transparency without placing a disproportionate burden on those affected.
As part of the Cabinet Office's transparency programme, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/ministers-transparency-publications
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the regulatory impact of a statutory register of lobbyists on (a) multi-client agencies and (b) other businesses. [156755]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government published an impact assessment alongside their consultation on a statutory register of lobbyists. This can be found at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2012/40/pdfs/ukia_20120040.pdf