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Syria
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government are providing to Syrian women and children in refugee camps. [161486]
Justine Greening: The UK has provided £173 million to date, and at the G8 the Prime Minister announced a further £175 million has been committed, more than doubling our assistance to support those affected by the crisis in Syria and the region. Our support is targeted at some of the most vulnerable groups affected by the crisis, including women and children. For example, our support to UNICEF in Syria and the region is providing support to 15,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian children and their carers, such as specialist counselling and activities within child-friendly spaces, to help them be better prepared to cope with the situation they face as refugees. We are also providing education for 1,000 refugee children. UK support is also providing cash assistance for women refugees to help them pay rent. Pregnant women are particularly at risk and the UK is providing reproductive health services for nearly 6,000 refugee women. We will continue to ensure our new funding addresses the needs of vulnerable groups including women and children as we make new allocations over the coming weeks and months.
Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i) her Department and (ii) the public body for which she is responsible left their employment in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [160910]
Mr Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett), on 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 90W.
There are no instances of employee departures under compromise agreements, or where confidentiality clauses have been used, in the public bodies for which DFID is responsible, during the periods covered by the question.
There are no occasions where DFID, or the public bodies for which it is responsible, have used judicial mediation when an employee has left employment.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Welfare: Dover Port
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of vehicles carrying live animals for export were inspected at the Port of Dover by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency in the latest period for which figures are available; what the average period of time taken is in such an inspection; and how such inspections are carried out. [160723]
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Mr Heath [holding answer 19 June 2013]: There is likely to be a high number of live animal species exported through Dover. Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) does not hold comprehensive information on all vehicles carrying live animals that leave Dover port.
In relation to exports of live animals destined for slaughter for human consumption, AHVLA has undertaken supervised loading inspections for all consignments that have been exported through Dover port since exports resumed there on 2 May this year. Supervised loadings are inspections undertaken by AHVLA at the beginning of the journey and are intended to ensure that animals are fit to travel, the vehicle is suitable for the intended journey, and the animals are transported in conditions that are compliant with Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. There are no inspections conducted at the port. However, currently AHVLA does undertake precautionary checks at the port. These checks include a careful visual inspection of the animals for overt welfare problems and observations of the behaviour and demeanour of the animals for indications whether there is any evidence that the animals have become unfit for the intended journey between inspection at the supervised loading and their arrival at the port. There is no set period of time in which these checks need to be completed.
Antibiotics
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the UK did not provide data to the European Food Safety Authority for its European Union Summary Report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in 2011, published on 16 May 2013 for (a) E. coli, (b) campylobacter and (c) MRSA. [161151]
Mr Heath: The UK submits a national report on the trends and sources of zoonoses and zoonotic agents in the UK, including data on antimicrobial resistance in some zoonotic agents and commensal bacteria, to the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) each year. This data are included in the EU Summary Report on Antimicrobial Resistance.
In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility testing of organisms, including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, from clinical diagnostic material submitted to AHVLA regional laboratories provides ongoing national monitoring of resistance in veterinary pathogens.
Regarding E. coli and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) the monitoring and reporting of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data from these organisms by member states is not an official requirement and is currently performed on a voluntary basis. The UK did provide data to EFSA for E. coli isolated from clinical diagnostic cases in 2011, which can be found in the national zoonoses country report for the UK and is indicated in the European Union Summary Report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in 2011. Both reports are available from the EFSA website.
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No specific surveys for antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter from animals were undertaken in 2011 and therefore no data were provided to EFSA for this period. Previously, however, the antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter isolates obtained from the intestinal contents of pigs and cattle after slaughter were monitored via abattoir surveys in 2003 and the results announced at a public meeting held at Stoneleigh. This followed a similar survey performed in 1999-2000. During 2008-09 a survey was conducted in broiler chickens to monitor resistance in Campylobacter and in E. coli, the results of which have been published in scientific journals and by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The requirement for member states to monitor zoonoses and zoonotic agents is set out in Council Directive (2003/99/EC), and EFSA recommendations indicate that if resources are limited sampling of each study population does not have to be applied each year. Representative sampling is resource intensive and historically specific surveys for AMR in Campylobacter have not been undertaken on an annual basis. However, the Government recognise the importance of monitoring AMR in bacteria that can affect human and animal health and will be adjusting its active monitoring programme for AMR in line with the revisions currently being made to the EU statutory requirements on harmonised monitoring under Commission Decision 2007/407/EC.
Bees
Dan Jarvis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate
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the bee population of
(a)
Barnsley Central constituency,
(b)
South Yorkshire and
(c)
England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and what steps he is taking to preserve the bee population in Yorkshire. [160784]
Mr Heath [holding answer 20 June 2013]: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 405W.
Steps to support wild and managed bees across England include:
Reviewing the health and value of bees and other pollinators and what we can do to benefit them.
Implementing the Healthy Bees Plan and inspection and advice programme. In 2012, there were 29,873 colony inspections in England of which 2,706 were in Yorkshire.
Supporting research through the Insect Pollinators Initiative and habitat management through our agri-environment schemes and our biodiversity strategy, “Biodiversity 2020”.
It is not possible to estimate the size of the wild bee population at national or individual county level. In Great Britain, we do know that there has been an overall decline in the diversity of wild bees in recent decades(1) with some parts of the country showing an increase in diversity, but a significantly greater part showing a decline.
There are no published data on the number of honey bees in Barnsley, South Yorkshire or England for the dates requested. However, the National Bee Unit has a voluntary database of beekeepers which has the following information recorded:
(1) As measured by number of species per unit area.
| Barnsley | South Yorkshire | England | ||||
| Beekeepers | Colonies | Beekeepers | Colonies | Beekeepers | Colonies | |
|
(1) Current figure, also includes 2013 registrations to date. | ||||||
Bees: Pesticides
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department carried out an assessment of the potential effects on the UK bee and honey industry of the Government's opposition to an EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. [159074]
Mr Heath: DEFRA has consistently approached this issue on the basis of the totality of the evidence. Our current assessment of the evidence suggests that while we cannot exclude rare effects of neonicotinoids on bees in the field, effects on bees do not occur under normal circumstances. Consequently, it supports the view that the risk to bee populations from neonicotinoids, as they are currently used, is low.
We accept that the scientific evidence is not complete, particularly in respect of effects in the field. We have some research projects under way which should add to our knowledge in this area. We are currently considering what further work is needed to help produce a fuller evidence base.
DEFRA agrees that it is appropriate to consider effects on honey production and pollination in considering the pros and cons of different options. In this case, we do not expect harm to bees to occur as a result of neonicotinoid use. The benefits of restrictions on neonicotinoids are therefore not significant.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the financial effects of tuberculosis in cattle to the farming industry. [155286]
Mr Heath [holding answer 15 May 2013]:The average cost of a TB breakdown on a farm is £34,000, of which around £12,000 falls to the farmer. This combined with the comprehensive testing programme and movement restrictions on TB affected herds can result in significant financial and emotional impacts on farmers.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the research conducted by the University of Warwick in developing a urine test for TB in badgers and cattle. [159584]
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Mr Heath: Warwick university has carried out DEFRA funded research to develop a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based test to detect the bacterium that causes bovine TB in soil samples and faecal samples collected from badger latrines. While the test performs well at identifying spiked samples in the laboratory and is reproducible, so far it has been less sensitive at detecting known infected social groups from faecal samples collected in the field. Warwick is currently leading on DEFRA funded research to optimise the sampling regime to improve the performance of the test in the field, which the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs discussed with the group on a visit to Warwick in January. This work is due to report later this year.
DEFRA is funding a number of other research projects to develop alternative methods for the improved diagnosis of bovine TB in badgers, which were considered at an AHVLA hosted expert workshop in April. All of the methods currently under development have scientific merit but practicality and costs of the tests may ultimately determine how many tests are taken forward.
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to test for tuberculosis in badgers that have been culled. [160677]
Mr Heath: There are no plans to test badgers culled for infection with M. bovis. This was one of the elements investigated during the randomised badger culling trial, giving us evidence on the typical prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high TB incidence, and will not be repeated during the pilots.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when he will receive the results of the evaluation of the pilot badger cull; [161360]
(2) if he will report to Parliament after the pilot badger cull is complete and an evaluation of its effectiveness has been carried out. [161361]
Mr Heath: After culling in the pilot areas has finished in 2013, the results will be evaluated and a decision taken on wider roll-out. This decision is expected to be made in early 2014 and will be reported to Parliament.
Capita
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158465]
Richard Benyon: This table sets out spend by core DEFRA with Capita in each financial year from 2008-09 up to 31 May 2013 in the current year:
| £ | |
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Common Fisheries Policy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much each EU member has contributed to the Common Fisheries Policy in each of the last five years; and how much each contributing member has received through this policy in that time. [160082]
Richard Benyon: Member states contribute to the overall EU budget (the Multi-Annual Financial Framework) rather than to individual budget lines or programmes, such as the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) or common fisheries policy (CFP).
Details of how much each member state has received from the EFF (the financial instrument of the CFP) over the last five years can be found on the Europa website:
http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/cfp_factsheets/european_fisheries_fund_en.pdf
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the revised Common Fisheries Policy is to be financed; and what the scale of contribution from each EU member state will be. [160092]
Richard Benyon: Much of the cost of the practical operation of the common fisheries policy (CFP) will continue to be borne by individual member states within their respective jurisdictions. In the case of the UK, many elements of fisheries management are devolved and therefore funded by devolved Administrations.
Some parts of the CFP are funded by the EU budget, such as the EU contribution to the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Fisheries Partnership Agreements with developing countries. Member states contribute to the EU budget as a whole and not to individual parts of it.
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the purchase of fishing rights from third party nations is permitted under the new common fisheries policy settlement. [160163]
Richard Benyon: Under the common fisheries policy the European Union may enter into fisheries partnership agreements with third party countries to provide access for EU vessels to fisheries resources in their waters.
As part of the reforms we have secured to the common fisheries policy, fishing agreements with third party countries must deliver increased value for money for the taxpayer and be based on sound science and monitoring, with clauses on respect for human rights.
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Dangerous Dogs
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to allow the prosecution of owners of dogs that attack other animals. [158751]
Mr Heath: There is already legislation in place relating to dogs that attack other animals. For example, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence to cause an animal unnecessary suffering. The maximum penalty for this offence is a fine of £20,000 or six months imprisonment, or both. It would be for the courts to decide whether an owner is culpable if their dog attacks another animal, based on the individual merits of the case.
Dogs: Injuries
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people required admission to hospital as a result of injuries caused by dogs in 2012-13. [159509]
Mr Heath: Figures for April 2012-March 2013 will not be available until August 2013. However provisional figures for the 11 month period April 2012 to February 2013 are available now and show 5,793 hospital admissions as a result of injuries caused by dogs. This compares with 6,053 for the same period in 2011-12 and 6,580 for the full year 2011-12.
Fisheries Regional Advisory Councils
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the running costs of each of the regional advisory councils covering UK waters will be met. [160692]
Richard Benyon: Article 32 of EU regulation 2371/2002 sets out the procedure for the establishment of Regional Advisory Councils (RACs). The EU contributes to the operating costs of each RAC as bodies pursuing an aim of general European interest. The annual EU grants are allocated according to the arrangements set out in Council Decision 2004/585/EC. The EU grant does not exceed 90% of the operating budget of a RAC, and complete funding for each RAC is therefore met by a combination of the EU grant and annual fees from members of each RAC and relevant member states.
The UK directly contributes its share in the form of annual fees paid to the North Sea RAC, North Western Waters RAC, Long Distance RAC and the Pelagic RAC.
Fishing Catches
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total value of catch taken by (a) UK-registered vessels and (b) non-UK-registered vessels in UK territorial waters as defined in the Fishery Limits Act 1976 was in each of the last 10 years. [160691]
Richard Benyon:
Information on the value of the fish caught in UK territorial waters is not readily available. UK vessels are not required to report their activity on
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this basis, and as such it could only be estimated with associated scope for inaccuracy.
Similar information for non-UK vessels could only be obtained by contacting the individual member states that fish within the UK's fisheries limit. Information is only readily available on the totals for the sea areas involved, and only for quantities of fish involved rather than value.
Floods: Housing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in which parliamentary constituencies over 50 households have been flooded in each of the last 10 years. [160072]
Richard Benyon: This information is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
Food: Exports
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 789W on exports: EU countries, what the (a) value and (b) proportions of UK food exports to (i) the EU and (ii) EU free trade areas was in each of the last three years. [159401]
Mr Heath: The value and proportions of UK exports of food, feed and drink to the EU and the countries with which the EU had a free trade agreement (FTA), economic partnership agreement, association agreement or customs union which was in force by March 2013 are shown in the following table:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 (provisional) | ||
| Notes: 1. 2012 data are subject to amendments. 2. EU data are based on EU 27. 3. The 28 EU trade agreements that were in force by March 2013 were with the following countries: Peru, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Chile, Andorra, San Marino, Turkey, Faroe Islands, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Southern Mediterranean agreement (with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority and Tunisia), Cariforum EPA (with Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago), Pacific EPA (Papua New Guinea) and Eastern and Southern Africa EPA (with Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe). 4. The figures do not include UK exports to those countries with which negotiations have been finished but where a trade agreement was not yet in force by March 2013 (such as Singapore, Colombia, the Central American nations (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), Ukraine and the five EPAs that have yet to enter into force). Nor does it include those countries where trade negotiations are currently underway or where the EU is seeking a negotiating mandate (such as Mercosur, GCC, India, Japan, various members of ASEAN, Canada and the USA). Source: HM Revenue and Customs. | |||||
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Genetically Modified Organisms
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the GM industry on his policy on granting approval for the planting of genetically modified crops; [160305]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with (a) Monsanto, (b) Bayer and (c) BASF on his policy on granting approval for the planting of genetically modified crops; [160306]
(3) what recent discussions he has had with (a) Rothamsted Research, (b) the John Innes Centre and (c) the Institute of Food Research on his policy on granting approval for the planting of genetically modified crops; [160307]
(4) what recent discussions he has had with scientists sceptical about the planting of genetically modified crops. [160401]
Mr Heath: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has not had any recent discussions with the GM industry, including Monsanto, Bayer and BASF. DEFRA Ministers and officials do however periodically discuss this important issue with a wide range of interested parties. The Government have a science-led policy which recognises that the responsible use of GM crops could provide economic, environmental and other benefits. They will support the planting of GM crops if they pass a robust case-by-case safety assessment.
Guide Dogs
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to collect information on the number of incidents of guide dogs being attacked by other dogs; and if he will make a statement. [160213]
Mr Heath: Such details are already recorded by the Guide Dogs charity and so I see no need for central Government to record details of dog attacks on assistance dogs.
Horses: Exports
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horses have been certified for export from the UK since 1 January 2012; and how many such horses were exported for slaughter. [158004]
Mr Heath: Between 1 January 2012 and 31 May 2013, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency issued health certification for 13,754 horses that were exported from Great Britain. This figure will include some cases where horses travel to a third country via an EU member state and require two certificates.
Any horses being legally exported for slaughter in the EU (including France as the Tripartite Agreement does not cover slaughter animals) must be in possession of a valid Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC). The ITAHC specifies that the animal is being exported for slaughter.
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Since 1 January 2012 we have issued no ITAHCs for the slaughter of horses.
Hydrofluorocarbons
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the provisions and structures that would be required to be in place in order for the Government to support a ban on hydrofluorocarbons with a global warming potential rating above 150 in new refrigeration equipment in (a) large supermarket systems and (b) large industrial systems. [158330]
Richard Benyon: Bans on the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) should be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis. Support for any specific ban would depend on the date it took effect, taking into account the availability and technical feasibility of alternatives, together with the financial and environmental costs, and the benefits of replacing HFC refrigerants across the range of systems concerned.
Bans should not be technically prescriptive and should promote the development and uptake of alternatives. Bans are feasible in principle, either where suitable alternatives are available across the range of applications in the sectors affected or where sufficient time is allowed for the development, commercial availability and maturity of alternatives to replace HFCs in new equipment. Bans should also result in lower overall greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account factors such as indirect emissions from energy use.
Imports: Turtles
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assurances his Department sought from Merlin Entertainments Group as to the purpose of the Chelonioidea sea turtles bought from Cayman Turtle Farm in 2006. [159472]
Richard Benyon: There are no restrictions on the purpose of importation of captive-bred specimens of species listed on Annex A of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, such as green turtles (Chelonia mydas). As such, when an import application is being considered under the Convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES), it is not necessary to seek an assurance about purpose from the applicant beyond that stated in the application.
Where the specimen subject to an import application has been captive-bred, the UK CITES management authority responsible for issuing CITES documentation (the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency) must be satisfied that the specimen complies with chapter XIII of European Commission Regulation (EC) No. 865/2006. This determination is informed by advice from the UK's Scientific Authority for fauna, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
The provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 prevent the disclosure of information in relation to specific import applications.
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Landfill: Medway
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much waste originating in Medway was sent to landfill in each of the last five years; [159774]
(2) what proportion of waste from Medway ended up in landfill in each of the last five years. [159775]
Richard Benyon: The amount of waste originating in Medway sent to landfill in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
| Thousand tonnes | |
The proportion of waste from Medway that was sent to landfill in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
| Percentage | |
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought; [158617]
(2) how much his Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158639]
(3) how much his Department spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158657]
(4) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department since 7 May 2010 was. [158674]
Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA's spend on external legal advice is as follows. It is not possible to provide more detail without incurring disproportionate costs.
Payments to the Treasury Solicitors Department (TSol), parliamentary counsel and agency lawyers are not included. In compliance with the Government's Transparency Agenda, DEFRA publishes information on all payments over £25,000 at
www.data.gov.uk/dataset/financial-transactions-data-defra
TSol publishes the standard hourly rates and details for external counsel on its website at
www.tsol.gov.uk/attorney_generals_panel_of_counsel.htm
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| External legal advice(1) | ||
| £000 | ||
| Between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 | Since 4 September 2012 to 31 March 2013 | |
| (1) The figures include representation in court for example as well as 'advice'. (2) Some payments relating to DEFRA arm’s length bodies may be included. (3) This is all payments where finance systems identify the payee as a QC. This is not always specified so the information may not be complete. This data range extends back to 1 April 2010. | ||
Livestock
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government will take to ensure that purchasers are not penalised when livestock they bought with the necessary food chain declarations later tests positive for residue. [157986]
Mr Heath [holding answer 5 June 2013]: EU legislation requires that animals and animal products entering the food chain do not contain unauthorised substances and that residues of authorised veterinary medicinal products are within permitted limits. Domestic legislation places responsibility for ensuring that residues are within permitted limits upon the person that sells or supplies the animal for slaughter for human consumption (Regulation 9 of Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 1729). This has been put in place to enforce the EU regulation and protect consumers.
European legislation covering the payment of common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies requires farmers claiming payments to comply with a range of public, animal and plant health, environment and welfare requirements collectively known as ‘cross compliance’. Residues legislation comes within the scope of cross compliance through Statutory Management Requirement 11 (food and feed law). Where a farmer is considered liable for a breach of the residues rules, cross compliance rules require a percentage reduction to be applied to the payments claimed.
Purchasers should ensure they have the appropriate assurances from their suppliers that animals they are sending to slaughter for human consumption are within the required maximum residue levels for authorised veterinary medicines and do not contain unauthorised substances.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) who the members were of the (a) Committee on Agricultural Valuation, (b) Consumer Council for Water, (c) Environment Agency, (d) Food from Britain, (e) Gangmasters Licensing Authority, (f) Independent Agricultural Appeals Panel, (g) Inland Waterways Advisory Council, (h) Joint Nature Conservation Committee and (i) Marine Management Organisation on 1 January 2013; and what the (i) term of office and (ii) remuneration is of each such member; [159947]
(2) who the members were of the (a) Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances, (b) Advisory Committee on Pesticides, (c) Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, (d) Agricultural Dwelling
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House Advisory Committees,
(e)
Agriculture Wages Board for England and Wales,
(f)
Agricultural Wages Committees,
(g)
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board,
(h)
Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and
(i)
Commission for Rural Communities were on 1 January 2013; and what the (i) term of office and (ii) remuneration is of each such member. [159948]
Richard Benyon: The information requested has been placed in the Library, except for the following:
(a) Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances was abolished on 22 July 2012,
(b) Committee on Agricultural Valuation no longer operates,
(c) Food from Britain was closed on 31 March 2009,
(d) Inland Waterways Advisory Council was abolished on 2 July 2012.
Pigmeat
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what reports he has received of pig products entering the UK from other European nations which have not been produced in accordance with the EU law on pig and animal welfare; [161443]
(2) whether his Department works with the Home Office to allocate resources to prevent pig products produced to animal welfare standards which do not comply with European law from entering the UK. [161468]
Mr Heath: We have not received any reports of pig products being imported from other member states which have been produced in systems that are not compliant with EU animal welfare rules.
Enforcement of imported pigmeat is challenging. There are no marketing rules to prevent imports of pork and pork products from non-compliant production systems. Member states cannot impose unilateral trade restrictions for welfare reasons. We have to rely heavily on the competent authority in each member state to take responsibility for ensuring that their producers comply with the EU pig welfare directive. We have and continue to use every opportunity to press for rapid compliance in other member states, as the priority must be to protect those pig producers across the EU who have invested heavily in converting to more welfare-friendly group housing systems from illegal production. The European Commission is taking action against member states which are not delivering on their animal welfare obligations.
I have also met twice with representatives of the whole pig supply chain to ensure that they have stringent traceability tests in place to ensure that they only source pigmeat from compliant production systems. They have assured me that they will use their best endeavours as there is clearly a significant reputation issue for their companies or trade associations.
The National Pig Association is currently carrying out an exercise to check whether pork from non-compliant farms in other member states is entering the British food chain, by asking companies to carry out a full traceability test to confirm that their products are from legal production systems.
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Pigs
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European Commissioners on welfare and husbandry conditions for pigs in other EU member states. [161437]
Mr Heath: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I met with Tonio Borg, Commissioner for Health and Consumer policy on 17 January 2013 and raised our concerns about the large scale non-compliance across the EU with the partial sow stall ban, which came into force on 1 January 2013. This issue was also discussed at the January Agriculture Council of Ministers. The Secretary of State, following up correspondence earlier in the year, wrote to Commissioner Borg in May, seeking a progress report on infringement proceedings against non-compliant member states and urging swift and full compliance as quickly as possible.
We are using every opportunity to press the Commission to take a firm stand as the priority must be to protect those producers across the whole of the EU who have invested heavily in converting to more welfare-friendly group housing systems from illegal production.
Polyisobutene
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the International Maritime Organisation on reviewing the Marpol Convention with regard to discharge of polyisobutene from ships in early 2013. [161135]
Stephen Hammond: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Transport.
Officials have had initial, informal discussions with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretariat on the classification of Polyisobutylene (PIB) following the recent incidents on the South Coast. Investigations are ongoing and once the reasons for the incidents are established, we will if appropriate formally approach the IMO to review the carriage requirements for Polyisobutylene.
Reservoirs
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he received the draft reservoir safety guidance from the Institution of Civil Engineers. [160836]
Richard Benyon: The Institution of Civil Engineers is undertaking a revision of the Guidance and we expect that it will be published shortly after the secondary legislation comes into force in the summer.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of public consultation Natural England undertakes when proposing changes to the appearance of a site of special scientific interest. [160588]
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Richard Benyon [holding answer 19 June 2013]: There is no statutory requirement on Natural England to undertake public consultation over the appearance of a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The appearance of a site is mainly determined by its management plan, which is primarily a matter for Natural England to agree with those who manage the land within an SSSI. However, consultation may take place if:
management proposals require permissions from other agencies, for example local authority planning permission; or
the SSSI manager is a public body which has a policy of public consultation over how its land is managed. This includes Natural England with respect to national nature reserves it manages, where public consultation is part of the management planning process for each site.
Slaughterhouses: France
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he takes to ascertain whether animals exported to France for slaughter are stunned before slaughter as required by the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1099/2009, except where the meat is destined for one of the religious communities; and if he will make a statement. [160722]
Mr Heath: There are no requirements under EU or national welfare legislation to ascertain whether animals exported to other EU member states are stunned before slaughter.
EU Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing came into effect on 1 January 2013 in all member states. Under that regulation animals shall only be killed after stunning except for animals who are subject to religious slaughter. The Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) section of the EU Commission regularly audits official controls in slaughterhouses in each member state. Where non-compliance is discovered, they will recommend the necessary changes and will follow-up these recommendations to ensure that the necessary action is taken to improve standards.
Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his 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. [157546]
Richard Benyon: Information on ministerial overseas travel can be found at the following webpage, which is updated quarterly in accordance with the civil service's commitment to transparency:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/
Information on ministerial domestic travel is not held in a format easily retrievable and therefore would incur disproportionate costs to investigate and differentiate from the rest of the Department.
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Turtles: Cayman Islands
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice his Department has received on the ability of the UK to accept products from the Cayman Turtle Farm whilst complying with CITES regulations. [160658]
Richard Benyon: Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the relevant rules that implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lies with the UK CITES Management Authority, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). This involves following a set of procedures laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006.
As part of these procedures AHVLA seeks advice from the UK's Scientific Authority for fauna and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) on applications to import specimens of CITES-listed species, such as turtles. The advice given by JNCC on import permit applications includes whether the import would have a harmful effect on the conservation status of the species in the wild and whether there are any other factors that would militate against the issuance of a permit. Further details can be found in Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97. The advice given is case-specific and disclosure is prohibited by the Data Protection Act 1998.
Any imports from the Cayman Turtle Farm would need to comply with CITES regulations.
Tyres: Waste Disposal
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many waste tyres were recycled in the UK in the last five years; [160583]
(2) how many waste tyres were exported from the UK for disposal and recycling in the last five years. [160584]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 19 June 2013]: Information on the treatment of waste tyres, including recycling and exports, is collated by the Used Tyre Working Group. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) provides the Secretariat for this group and has provided the following data:
| Tonnes | |||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| (1 )2007 and 2008 reuse figures are not directly comparable with 2009 to 2011. (2) Assumptions (use in silage clamps, docksides, etc). | |||||
Data for 2012 are not yet available.
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Water Bill (Draft): Wales
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations his Department has received from the Welsh Government on the draft Water Bill. [159685]
Richard Benyon: Since the publication of the draft Water Bill in July 2012, we have continued to work closely with the Welsh Government in order to develop the Water Bill. We are continuing to finalise the Bill and have regular contact at both ministerial and official level as part of the governance arrangements in place.
Wildlife: Smuggling
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what actions to combat the trade in illegal wildlife were decided upon at the governmental meeting hosted by HRH the Prince of Wales on 21 May 2013. [161014]
Richard Benyon: At the meeting co-hosted by HRH the Prince of Wales and the Government on 21 May 2013, it was agreed that there is an urgent need to demonstrate global leadership and strengthen international co-ordination to bring about a step change in the effort and resources applied to combat illegal wildlife trade.
Participants recognised the need for the highest level of political leadership on this issue and the need for co-ordinated action on: law enforcement and criminal justice issues; demand reduction; and supporting the development of alternative livelihoods in affected communities. As such, the problem of illegal wildlife trafficking needs to be recognised by governments at the highest levels, not just as an environmental issue but as an essential part of ensuring national and international security and stability. The Government will host a high level meeting in late autumn to secure Government-wide and international commitment at the highest level to combat illegal wildlife trade.
Treasury
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee. [160117]
Sajid Javid: No HM Treasury officials are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.
Air Passenger Duty
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of increases in the level of air passenger duty on the number of airline routes operating from the UK; [161103]
(2) what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of air passenger duty on businesses in the UK; [161104]
(3) if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of limiting the standard rate of air passenger duty to business or first-class tickets only. [161105]
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Sajid Javid: The Treasury keeps all taxes under review and considers their effects in the round. The Government have limited the rise in air passenger duty (APD) to inflation over the period 2010-11 to 2012-13. Budget 2013 set out rates from April 2014, which will also only rise in line with inflation, ensuring that level of APD will again remain constant in real terms.
Changes to the class of travel definition in APD were considered as part of the consultation launched at Budget 2011. The Government's response, published on 6 December 2011, outlined that no changes to the class of travel distinction would be made.
Child Benefit
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent in total on child benefit for families with (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more children in the last year for which figures are available. [161373]
Sajid Javid: Estimates of the amount of child benefit paid in respect of one child, two child and three or more child families are shown in the following table for each of the last three fiscal years.
The exact amount spent on these families will not be strictly equal to this, as this calculation assumes all families have exactly the same circumstances throughout the year, which in reality will not be the case for all. For this reason estimates have been rounded to the nearest £100 million.
| One child | Two children | Three or more children | Total | |
| Note: Numbers presented are in billions and may not sum due to rounding. | ||||
These estimates are derived by taking the proportion of one, two and three+ child families from the August publication in each year and applying these proportions to the final expenditure figure for that fiscal year.
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160777]
Sajid Javid: HM Treasury, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies do not employ any staff on zero-hour contracts.
Corporation Tax
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of corporation tax (a) News International, (b) Google, (c) Amazon, (d) Starbucks, (e) Microsoft and (f) Apple would pay if they paid tax on all their earnings in the UK. [160687]
Mr Gauke: The Government have made no such estimate.
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HMRC ensures that all companies pay the tax that is due under the law.
Corporation Tax: Energy
John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on the level of corporation tax paid by energy companies that (a) receive and (b) do not receive subsidies from the public purse; [160743]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the level of corporation tax paid by energy companies that (a) receive and (b) do not receive subsidies from the public purse. [160744]
Mr Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, both meeting and receiving correspondence from stakeholders, as well as their ministerial colleagues, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Inheritance Tax
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of any Barnett consequentials which will accrue to each of the devolved Administrations due to planned changes in inheritance tax. [160656]
Danny Alexander: As set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, the Barnett formula is only applied to changes in the level of departmental spending. Any changes to the level of taxation do not automatically generate Barnett consequentials.
Insolvency
Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax revenue has been lost to HM Revenue and Customs as a result of businesses going into administration or liquidation in each of the last five years. [160701]
Mr Gauke: Total HMRC write offs (covering businesses and individuals) are set out in the following table.
Debt owed to HMRC can be written off for a variety of reasons, including insolvency. The table shows the amount of debt that HMRC wrote off over the last five years although, due to changes in the reporting, comparing more recent years to data before April 10 may not be accurate.
Recent analysis of our sample data has shown consistently that at least 90% of all write offs relate to insolvency:
| HMRC write offs | |
| £ | |
| (1) Will include a small element of tax credits. (2) Excludes tax credits. | |
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Multinational Companies
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reach an agreement on beneficial ownership of multinational corporations with (a) developing countries and (b) members of the G8. [159922]
Mr Gauke: International standards on the disclosure of company ownership already exist and are set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The Government are committed to full implementation of the FATF standards and on 18 June published a UK action plan to prevent misuse of companies and legal arrangements. New rules will be introduced requiring companies to obtain and hold information on who owns and controls them and for that information to be held in a central registry held by Companies House, where it will be accessible to law enforcement agencies and tax authorities. The Government will conduct a consultation on whether that information should be publicly accessible. The UK action plan can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-action-plan-to-prevent-misuse-of-companies-and-legal-arrangements/uk-action-plan-to-prevent-misuse-of-companies-and-legal-arrangements
G8 partners on 18 June also endorsed a set of common principles to tackle the misuse of companies and legal arrangements, and have committed to producing national action plans which set out the concrete steps they will take to do this. The principles can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/g8-action-plan-principles-to-prevent-the-misuse-of-companies-and-legal-arrangements/g8-action-plan-principles-to-prevent-the-misuse-of-companies-and-legal-arrangements
Public Expenditure: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding in financial transactions was allocated to the Scottish Government in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; and how much he plans to allocate in 2014-15. [161017]
Danny Alexander: The information requested is set out in the following table:
| £ million | |
Public Sector Debt
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the US Department of the Treasury webpage that enables US citizens to donate online to reduce the US national debt; and if he will consider introducing a similar page on gov.uk; [161047]
(2) by what means members of the public can make gifts for the reduction of the national debt; [161048]
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(3) how many gifts from members of the public were made for the purposes of reducing the national debt in each of the last 10 years; what the (a) nature and (b) value of each gift was; and if he will list the non-monetary gifts. [161049]
Sajid Javid: Gifts to the Crown for the reduction of the national debt are processed by the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt (CRND) at the Debt Management Office (DMO). CRND has a statutory function to manage any donations and payments given with respect to gifts for the reduction of the national debt. Information on the CRND is available on the DMO's website.
Members of the public wishing to make donations for the purpose of reducing the national debt can contact the DMO by phone, e-mail or in writing. Payments can be made by cheque to the CRND, or directly to the CRND's donations and bequests bank account Bank of England.
The Government currently assess these arrangements to be appropriate but continue to keep them under review.
Information on the nature and value of gifts donated by the public for the purpose of reducing the national debt since 2004-05 is set out in the following table. The DMO does not hold data on individual donations prior to this date. The CRND accepts cash and securities only, so other gifts from the public (eg. property and other chattels) must be liquidated before the cash proceeds can be processed.
| Details of CRND individual cash and security receipts since 2004-05 | ||
| Instrument | Trade date | Value (£) |
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Revenue and Customs
Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, columns 455-56W, on Revenue and Customs, how many of the additional staff are (a) directly employed civil servants, (b) directly employed temporary staff and (c) externally employed staff through an employment agency; and what the terms and conditions are of all the newly-hired additional staff. [161480]
Mr Gauke: HMRC increased its Contact Centre capacity by 917.56 full-time equivalents. Of these staff:
(a) All were directly employed civil servants.
(b) 847 FTE were employed by HMRC on temporary contracts.
(c) None of the above were employed through an employment agency.
All additional staff were recruited on standard civil service fixed-term contracts.
Revenue and Customs: Equal Pay
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received in relation to equal pay and HM Revenue and Customs staff; and what recent assessment he has made of this issue. [160715]
Mr Gauke: I have not received any equal pay representations in relation to HMRC; however, I am aware that HMRC has recently received five equal pay representations:
1. 2012: Four equal pay questionnaires;
2. 2013: One equal pay questionnaire.
I understand that HMRC responded to the questionnaires received in July 2012 and agreed with the recognised departmental trade union that the claims would be investigated internally. The questionnaire received in 2013 will be completed and returned to the complainant's representative as required.
Sign Language
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) tax, VAT and other officials and (b) the agencies and public bodies that support his Department. [161045]
Sajid Javid:
HM Revenue and Customs offers a range of contact channels for deaf people. Those whose first language is British Sign can ask HM Revenue and Customs officials to provide a sign language interpreter
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to help deal with their tax and benefits issues. An interpreter can also make a telephone call to HM Revenue and Customs help lines on their behalf when they are in the presence of the interpreter. Text-based communication is also possible, through written letters and textphone services including text relay. Deaf people can also appoint an agent to act on their behalf.
The UK Debt Management Office, an executive agency of HM Treasury, provides post and e-mail contact details on the ‘contact us’ page of its website, and would consider on a case-by-case basis any request for information to be provided in an alternative format in order to ensure equality of access.
Other non-departmental public bodies for which HMT is responsible will consider access requests as required.
Starbucks: Taxation
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions have been held between Starbucks and HM Revenue and Customs about that company's transfer pricing charges; if he plans to reimpose advance corporation tax; and if he will make a statement. [160688]
Mr Gauke: I am not privy to the details of the tax affairs of this company and more generally HMRC is prevented by the rules governing taxpayer confidentiality from disclosing such information.
There are currently no plans to reintroduce advance corporation tax.
Tax Allowances: Pensions
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of people in each parliamentary constituency in receipt of the maximum permissible relief on pension contributions under the pensions lifetime allowance. [160745]
Sajid Javid: Estimates are not available.
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the Exchequer of the introduction of transitional protection consequent on changes to the pensions lifetime allowance in each of the next two fiscal years. [160746]
Sajid Javid: Transitional protection has been an intrinsic part of the introduction of the lifetime allowance and at each point when the lifetime allowance has been reduced. It ensures that retrospective tax charges do not arise for individuals whose pension savings had already grown above the level of the reduced lifetime allowance before the lower limit took effect. As transitional protection is an intrinsic part of the lifetime allowance reduction, an estimate of the exchequer effect of excluding this element for each of the next two fiscal years is not available.
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate (a) the likely cost to the Exchequer of maintaining tax relief under the pensions lifetime allowance at a maximum level of £1.25 million in each of the next two fiscal years and (b) the likely additional costs if the maximum level were £1 million in each of the next two fiscal years. [160747]
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Sajid Javid: In autumn 2012 the Chancellor announced restrictions to pensions tax relief including a reduction in the pensions lifetime allowance to £1.25 million. This package has no Exchequer cost—it is expected to raise revenue in 2014-15 in 2015-16 through reduced pension tax relief.
Reducing the lifetime allowance to £1 million would raise further revenue.
Tax Avoidance
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people HM Revenue and Customs employed on combating large-scale tax avoidance on the most recent date for which figures are available. [160718]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is not currently available in this form. HM Revenue and Customs' compliance activity covers all aspects of compliance behaviour from error through to avoidance, evasion and organised criminal attack. HMRC takes a risk-based approach to compliance activity and so a breakdown of the number of officers specifically working on tax avoidance is available only at a disproportionate cost.
The Government have invested almost £1 billion in HMRC over the spending review period, including £77 million in the last autumn statement, to increase the number of specialists working on compliance.
Taxation: Motor Vehicles
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the total amount of taxation paid by motorists annually. [161157]
Sajid Javid: Table B.3 on page 103 of the Budget 2013 report sets out the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts of receipts from fuel duty and vehicle excise duty (VED) for the financial years 2012-13 to 2017-18.
In relation to receipts from VAT on car fuel I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), gave to the hon. Member for South Antrim (Dr McCrea), on 18 June 2013, Official Report, column 642W.
Information on fuel supply volumes is available at:
www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx
VAT: Social Services
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing zero-rate VAT for small and medium-sized enterprise care service providers purchasing specialist care equipment; [161253]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing zero-rate VAT for care service providers purchasing specialist care equipment. [161257]
Mr Gauke: No estimates have been made. EU VAT legislation prevents the UK from introducing new zero-rates.