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Marine Environment

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Whitty: The Government's forthcoming Marine Stewardship Report will set out our vision and strategy for the sustainable development and

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conservation of the marine environment. It will contain ideas and initiatives that we will want to develop in consultation with stakeholders. We are looking at possible initiatives for surveying the United Kingdom continental shelf and strengthening marine science and monitoring in this context.

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government

    What action they are taking to clarify the roles of statutory agencies with respect to the marine environment and to harmonise their monitoring and information dissemination systems and mechanisms(HL2404)

Lord Whitty: The Government keep the roles of statutory agencies under review. The forthcoming Marine Stewardship Report will set out our vision and strategy for the marine environment. It will contain new ideas and initiatives that we will want to develop in consultation with stakeholders. We are looking at possible initiatives for marine monitoring and information exchange in this context.

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What action they are taking to establish a unified marine planning system to manage the demands of existing and proposed activities which affect the marine environment.(HL2405)

Lord Whitty: The Government's forthcoming Marine Stewardship Report will set out our vision and strategy for the marine environment. It will contain new ideas and initiatives that we will want to develop in consultation with stakeholders. We are looking at possible initiatives for improved co-ordination and co-operation in this context.

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What action they are taking to ensure a strategic environmental assessment of all relevant plans, policies and programmes, including those for fisheries, which affect the marine environment, and ensure the application of the precautionary principle, including risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, in all integrated marine management.(HL2406)

Lord Whitty: The Government's forthcoming Marine Stewardship Report will set out our vision and strategy for the sustainable development and conservation of the marine environment. In this context, we are considering how strategic environmental assessment can help deliver our vision for the marine environment, We are already committed to the application of the precautionary principle.

Water Framework Directive and Devolved Coastal Management Strategies

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What action they are taking to ensure consistency in devolved coastal management strategies and the

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    implementation of the Water Framework Directive in consultation with the devolved administrations and the diverse sectors including fisheries and aquaculture. [HL2407]

Lord Whitty: It is the responsibility of the devolved administrations to ensure consistency between the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in their areas and the development of wider coastal policies, taking account of the interests of the diverse range of sectors involved. The Inter-Departmental Group on Coastal Policy, which is chaired by DEFRA and made up of officials from the key Whitehall departments and devolved administrations, meets to share information on policies and projects that affect the coast. Co-ordination of transposition and implementation work on the Water Framework Directive at UK level is achieved through regular meetings of steering groups involving the devolved administrations, DEFRA and other departments.

The Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group is working to co-ordinate between agencies in all administrations in the UK the monitoring of contaminants and their effects on biota and biodiversity in coastal waters, including the co-ordination of classification, typology and monitoring required under the Water Framework Directive.

Integration of policies in the marine environment will be a key theme throughout the forthcoming Marine Stewardship Report.

Abandoned Vehicles

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What rules apply to the removal from public highways of burned-out and other demonstrably abandoned vehicles; where responsibility lies, including that for the cost of removal; and what monitoring is done of local authority and police practices in arranging removal, especially in regard to the length of time taken to remove such vehicles. [HL2409]

Lord Whitty: The rules that apply to the removal from public highways of burned out and abandoned vehicles are set out in the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 1986.

Responsibility for removing abandoned vehicles rests primarily with the local authorities which may, under existing legislation, claim their costs of removal, storage and disposal back from the person abandoning the vehicle. In many cases local authorities are unable to trace the offender and their costs will then have to be met from the local authority's budget.

Under the 1986 regulations, the police have powers to remove an abandoned vehicle where it is dangerous or a hazard to traffic. Such vehicles will be removed by contractors acting for the police as quickly as possible. Such vehicles are normally removed to a pound or to

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a location where they no longer pose a hazard. The vehicle's insurers pay the contractors the statutory removal charge of £105 for insured burnouts. The contract with the contractors specifies that they should bear the cost of removing non-insured burnouts.

We do not monitor local authorities' performance on the length of time taken to remove these vehicles. Individual local authorities may keep their own records. No monitoring is carried out by the police on contractors' performance because the vehicles have to be removed as a matter of urgency.

Rural Payments Agency:Risk Management Plan

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will make public their comprehensive Payments Agency risk management plan, which is due to be completed by 31 March 2002.[HL2484]

Lord Whitty: Detailed procedures are now in place at the Rural Payments Agency to disseminate risk awareness to staff and to enable risk management to work effectively as part of the corporate governance requirements. The RPA plan will sit under the DEFRA risk management strategy that is intended to be published at the start of the next financial year.

Environment Agency:Revised Statutory Guidance

Lord Corbett asked Her Majesty's Government:

    When they will consult on revised statutory guidance to the Environment Agency.[HL2494]

Lord Whitty: On Friday 25 January 2002, we published for consultation draft revised statutory guidance to the Environment Agency under Section 4 of the Environment Act 1995. The guidance concerns the agency's activities in England. It states the statutory objectives which the agency should pursue over the next few years, identifies its roles in contributing to the achievement of sustainable development, and sets out the principles it should follow in deciding its priorities. The document has been developed following the first financial management and policy review of the agency, which the department carried out last year. Copies of the consultation draft have been placed in the House Library. We would welcome responses from interested organisations and individuals, by 18 April 2002. Following public consultation we will lay proposed statutory guidance before Parliament.

Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food: Publication of Report

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting asked Her Majesty's Government:

    When do the government expect the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food to publish its report.[HL2531]

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Lord Whitty: The policy commission will publish its report to government on 29 January. Copies of the report will be available from the Libraries of the House and from the Printed Paper Office at 10.00 am that day. It will also be available in electronic form from the policy commission website, www.cabinet-office/gov.uk/farming.

Parades Commission for Northern Ireland: Report

Lord Eames asked Her Majesty's Government:

    When they expect to publish the results of the review of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and in what form.[HL2207]

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): It is envisaged that a report will be completed by September 2002. Its publication and the form it will take will be a matter for Sir George Quigley.

Drumcree

Lord Eames asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What their current plans are to reach an agreed solution to the continuing issue of Drumcree; and whether they consider there is sufficient urgency in reaching agreement in light of the consequences of failure for the peace process in Northern Ireland.[HL2208]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Parading in Northern Ireland is an important issue, particularly so in areas of contention, and none is more contentious than Drumcree. The Government have over the last number of years instigated and supported a number of efforts to find a solution, both at ministerial and official level. This we will continue to do where we belive we have a positive role to play in facilitating a resolution.

On 4 January 2002 the Parades Commission, which is the legally constituted body set up by government to deal with the issue of parades in Northern Ireland, announced it was ready to play its fullest part in facilitating dialogue and debate and was looking to enlist support for core parading values or principles, that can be applied to any parading situation.

A resolution to Druncree can only be found through genuine dialogue. The Apprentice Boys of Derry main parades in Londonderry are an example of how a solution can be found to the satisfaction of all.

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