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7 Jul 2005 : Column WA113
 

Written Answers

Thursday, 7 July 2005.

Afghanistan: National Development Strategy

The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): DfID is currently advising the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (NDS) working group on the design and implementation of a process to prepare the NDS. This has included advice on the most appropriate way to gather and present data from across Afghanistan. DfID is currently examining further ways to assist the working group.

DfID intends to provide advice and support to gather and use existing data on the nature and causes of poverty, and develop a plan for gathering any additional data needed for the final NDS. Civil society and non-governmental organisations will be represented in an external advisory group and asked to provide regular inputs into the preparation of the strategy. DfID is currently examining how to ensure full consultation during the NDS process, including providing support on an Afghanistan-wide communications strategy for the NDS.

Animal Welfare: Export of Live Horses for Slaughter

Lord Higgins asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Bach): The Government welcome the new EU rules on the protection of animals during transport that were agreed at the end of 2004. These rules will come into affect in January 2007. They include specific welfare measures sought by this Government and equine welfare organisations that will significantly improve the welfare of horses. We are discussing the effect of these changes with equine organisations to see how they can best be operated in the UK and how they relate to national rules on minimum values.
 
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Avian Flu

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Bach: The Belgium Government made a presentation to the Standing Committee of Food Chain and Animal Health on 11 November 2004 to report on the incident of two mountain hawk eagles illegally imported into Belgium. They confirmed that the infected birds of prey were found by customs checking hand luggage at Brussels airport and that they never left the airport border inspection post. They confirmed that the birds had no opportunity to transmit the virus to either European birds or to humans.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met the President of the European Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on 8 June 2005. They discussed the handling of the sugar reform dossier during the UK's presidency, among other subjects.

The Secretary of State also met members of the European Parliament during the College of Presidents visit to London on 10 June 2005, but CAP reform was not discussed.

The Secretary of State will address the European Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on 12 July 2005, and take questions from the committee following her address.

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Bach: Estimates of budgetary expenditure for 2006 show that if common agricultural policy direct payments were to be made available at the full rate to producers in the 10 member states which acceded in 2004, then direct payments to the "EU15" member states would have to be reduced by around 12 to 13 per cent in order to constrain expenditure to the same level.
 
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Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Bach: We have called for a fundamental review of the whole EU budget, reporting in time for us to be able—midway through the next financial perspective—to alter its structure and equip the EU to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.

We need a debate on what citizens of the EU want from the money they put into the CAP, and how much they are prepared to pay it. That debate needs to be inclusive and co-operative, taking account of all the interests involved.

Crossrail Bill

Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Davies of Oldham: As I stated in my Written Answer of 15 June (WA 129), the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) of the Crossrail Bill considered the need for primary legislation to implement the project, and the impacts that this legislative process would have. An alternative approach to obtaining approval for the project would have been for a third party to seek an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992. Both options were therefore considered in the Crossrail Bill RIA.

The Crossrail Bill RIA concludes that the benefits that would be derived from seeking primary powers for the implementation of the Crossrail project via a Hybrid Bill justify the costs of doing so. An assessment of the costs and benefits of the Crossrail project was made in the Review of the Crossrail Business Case (July 2004).
 
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Economic Growth and Road Traffic

Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Davies of Oldham: This information can be found in the following reports commissioned by DfT.

Review of Income and Price Elasticities in the Demand for Road Traffic by Mark Hanly, Joyce Dargay and Phil Goodwin, UCL, March 2002.

Development of an Aggregated Transport Forecasting Model (ATFM) by Joyce Dargay, Phil Goodwin and Mark Hanly, UCL, September 2002.

Review of Income and Price Elasticities of Demand for Road Traffic by Daniel Graham and Stephen Glaister, Imperial College, July 2002.

Copies of the reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.


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