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Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Who would have control of the naval base at Gibraltar in any agreement with Spain.[HL4168]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My right hounourable friend the Minister for Europe made clear in another place on 16 April that we will retain our full control over the military base (Official Report, col. 451).
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether any agreement with Spain on the future of Gibraltar would mean that the Spanish Government would give up its claim to full sovereignty over Gibraltar.[HL4169]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I refer my noble friend to the Answer I gave the noble Lord, Lord Brennan, on 24 April (Official Report, col. WA 34).
Livestock Industry
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the debate on the livestock industry on 17 April (HL Deb, cols 944-984), when they propose to debate and act upon the recommendations in the Report of the Better Regulation Task Force, chaired by Lord Haskins.[HL3899]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): I assume the Question refers to the Better Regulation Task Force on Environmental Regulation and Farmers, published in November 2001, in particular to the recommendations relating to simplification and codification of requirements and to compliance inspections. The government response to the report, issued in February 2001, set out a series of timetabled commitments to action in light of the report's recommendations. We have made significant progress in delivering these commitments, and many have already been implemented in full.
In particular, we are actively pursuing options for streamlining and integrating the department's relations and contracts with farmers. Initial work is being done on a number of ideas such as the single business identifier and e-enabled whole farm plans. We are also combining previously separate inspections for cattle identification and subsidy purposes into a single visit.
Rural Proofing Targets
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 25 April (WA 55), whether the phrase "in most Departments there is more to do" implies that any department has achieved its rural proofing targets; and, if so, which ones.[HL4138]
Lord Whitty: As I made clear in my earlier Answer to which the noble Baroness refers, the Countryside Agency's report on the first year of rural proofing revealed that departments had made varying progress in putting in place the mechanisms required to deliver effective rural proofing of their policies. However, there is no question of targets for rural proofing being finally achieved by any department, since the policy requires that policy developments are reviewed on a continuing basis to ensure that proper account is taken of their impact on people living in rural areas.
Livestock Shows: Biosecurity Rules
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, and if so on what scientific evidence, new biosecurity rules have been imposed on agricultural shows with regard to animal dung; whether they have the effect of forbidding people to
- touch bulls, sheep, dairy cows, pigs or llamas; and, if so, how these restrictions are proportionate compared with the contact with animals which members of the public have when walking in the countryside.[HL4141]
Lord Whitty: The Government's veterinary advice is that livestock shows pose a small but significant risk of the transmission of foot and mouth or other notifiable diseases. Faeces, saliva, bedding and unused feed of animals with sub-clinical infection pose a risk of the transmission of disease and the shows licence conditions, developed in full consultation with shows organisers, have been prepared to minimise that risk.
That is why the shows licence conditions require those who tend animals to wear protective clothing and ask shows organisers to take all reasonable steps to stop others from touching animals or things contaminated with animal products. Animals at shows will be in close proximity to the public. Animals in the countryside will pose a lesser risk; they will tend to move away from walkers. Members of the public walking in the countryside will normally avoid walking in animal faeces and if they do inadvertently become contaminated will take steps to remove it.
The need for biosecurity is keenly appreciated by the majority of show organisers. I am pleased that they are taking a responsible attitude to biosecurity to protect livestock farmers and the wider rural community from another devastating outbreak of animal disease.
Cumbria: Foot and Mouth Disease
The Earl of Caithness asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have read Cumbria's Story—Chronicle of a Crisis, published in March by The Cumberland News; and whether they think it is an accurate reflection of what happened.[HL4190]
Lord Whitty: This publication has been read by myself and Ministers. It gives an interesting and emotional account of what was a major crisis for Cumbria. There are lessons to be learned about the outbreak. That is why the Government have set up two inquiries. In particular, the lessons learned Inquiry chaired by Dr Ian Anderson will make recommendations for the way in which the Government should handle any future major animal disease outbreak. This will be in the light of the lessons identified from the handling of the outbreak.
Packaging Waste Recovery
Baroness Billingham asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What the United Kingdom's performance was in 2001 against the recovery and recycling targets in
- the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste. [HL4299]
Lord Whitty: The UK narrowly failed to meet the overall packaging waste recovery target in 2001 but
met the overall recycling target and the material-specific recycling targets for all materials.The recovery and recycling of packaging waste carried out in 2001 is as shown below.
Article 6(1) of the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC set the following targets:
Between 50 per cent and 65 per cent recovery
Between 25 per cent and 45 per cent recycling
15 per cent recycling of each material.
The UK performance against the targets is shown below.
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: I am pleased to announce that my right honourable friend the Minister for the Environment will be launching the Government's draft Strategy for Combined Heat and Power to 2010 for public consultation tomorrow, Wednesday 15 May. The consultation document will be available on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk and copies will be made available in the Libraries of the House.
The closing date for comments on the strategy will be Wednesday 7 August 2002.
UK re-processing Exported for Re-processing Re-processing for which no PRN/PERN issued PRN & PERN carried forward to 2002 Tonnes accepted for Recovery & Recycling UK
Paper 1,851,505 179,439 25,895 83,064 2,030,944
Glass 696,578 39,016 17,036 29,273 735,594
Aluminium 25,869 3,161 1 821 29,030
Steel 141,343 136,736 3,051 8,365 278,079
Plastic 203,149 66,813 6,077 10,506 269,962
Wood 573,951 4,985 23,742 573,951
Alt.evidence 30,741 30,741
Total recycling 3,523,136 425,165 57,045 155,771 3,948,301
Efw 513,939 913 24,986 513,939
Total 4,037,075 425,165 57,958 180,757 4,462,240
Material Target Performance
Paper 15% 53%
Glass 15% 33%
Aluminimum 15% 24% 'metals' 35%
Steel 15% 37% 'metals' 35%
Plastic 15% 16%
Wood 15% 57%
Total Recovery 50%–65% 47.9%
Total Recycling 25%–45% 42%
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) and parallel legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland implement these targets in the UK. The regulations place recovery and recycling obligations on producers to enable the UK to attain the directive recovery and recycling targets. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment Agency have reported that one compliance scheme and a number of individually registered businesses failed to meet their tonnage recovery obligations under the packaging regulations—a total shortfall of 263,832 tonnes against a combined total obligation of 823,003 tonnes.
When the Government's strategy for combined heat and power will be published.[HL4325]
15 May 2002 : Column WA56
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