Lords Hansard text for 8 Feb 200708 Feb 2007 (pt 0001)

8 Feb 2007 : Column WA147

Written Answers

Thursday 8 February 2007

Afghanistan: Opium

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the reply by the Lord President (Baroness Amos) on 29 January (Official Report, col. 10), on what basis they estimate that the costs of producing morphine in Afghanistan would be eight times higher than comparable costs in Australia. [HL1749]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The production costs for the equivalent of 1 kilogram of morphine in 1999 in Australia was $56, compared to $450 in Afghanistan. Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is extremely labour-intensive; in Australia, cultivation is a largely mechanised process. The production costs for Afghanistan include fertiliser (estimated at 250 kilograms of urea and 250 kilograms of diammonium phosphate per hectare at a cost of $200), oxen, at a rate of 10 days per hectare at a cost of $2 per day; and 350 labour days, including 200 days for harvesting, at an estimated wage rate of $6 per day); and 150 days for land preparation, sowing, weeding, field clearance and seed collection, at an estimated rate of $2.5 per day). It assumes opium production of around 40 kilograms per hectare and that 10 kilograms of opium are required to produce 1 kilogram of morphine equivalent. These figures are drawn from a variety of sources, including the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and consultancy work commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The 1999 figures are the most up to date published by the INCB due to the commercially sensitive nature of the data.

Armed Forces: Body Armour

Lord Tyler asked Her Majesty’s Government:

When the shortage of enhanced body armour was first identified in the preparations for the invasion of Iraq in 2002; and when the Secretary of State for Defence was first advised of the need to supplement the available stock. [HL1060]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): On 13 September 2002, the then Secretary of State for Defence was asked to approve a request to approach industry so that timelines and cost of a potential order for additional enhanced combat body armour (ECBA) could be identified. This was part of an extensive package of equipment request put to the Secretary of State as part of the overall preparation for operations. He was advised at the time that there were some 13,000 existing sets of ECBA in stock, which was judged sufficient to equip the fighting echelon, based on plans at the time. In the light of that advice, he indicated to the Ministry of Defence on 17 September 2002 that he would be willing to consider further advice in due course. In the light of planning changes, on 15 October the Defence Secretary agreed that a business case should be developed for ECBA. On 12 November, following further planning, a request was submitted to explore with industry the possible procurement of an additional 30,000 ballistic plates for ECBA. Approval was provided by the Defence Secretary on 13 November 2002, and contracts were let on 13 December 2002.

Aviation: Air Passenger Duty

Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect airlines to pay the increased air passenger duty in respect of flights in (a) February, and (b) March 2007; and [HL1817]

What assumptions they made about the way in which increased air passenger duty would be paid to HM Revenue and Customs in arriving at the £165 million for 2006-07 shown in table B4 of the December 2006 Pre-Budget Report (Cm 6984). [HL1818]

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: Air passenger duty liability is normally payable to HMRC for each calendar month on the 22nd of the month following. However, Ministers have confirmed that payment of the extra APD for February will be deferred by one month. This means that for the February return, due to be rendered in March, airlines are to declare and pay the duty at the old rate. The balance of the payment for February, covering the increase, will be payable alongside the March return. Further information on this can be found in paragraph 9.1 of Public Notice 550, Air Passenger Duty, a copy of which is available on the HMRC website.

The March return is to be completed with the new increased rates and rendered with full payment, to include the February adjustment, in April.

The PBR announced an increase in APD rates with effect from 1 February 2007. The £165 million represents the additional revenue owing to this increase, which is accounted for in 2006-07, as with all scorecard costings, on a national accounts basis. This means revenues for APD received up to and including 22 April 2007 are included in the £165 million score for 2006-07. An explanation of the national accounts can be found on page 288, Chapter C, of Budget 2006, a copy of which is available on the HM Treasury website.

Biodiversity: UK Overseas Territories

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the implications of climate change for the biodiversity of the United Kingdom’s overseas territories. [HL1869]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): In 2001, the Department for International Development (DfID) commissioned a study by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich, The Impacts of Global Climate Change on the UK Overseas Territories.

In 2005 the Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP), a jointly funded programme of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and DfID, supported a project managed by the Tyndall Centre to help build capacity in the Caribbean British Overseas Territories (OTs) to assess their vulnerability to climate change and to plan adaptation measures. The Tyndall Centre and the territory stakeholders produced a guidebook, Surviving climate change in small islands, which was distributed widely and is available at www.tyndall.ac.uk. This report has recently been used as a guidance document for the latest bidding round for new projects under OTEP.

Both projects included consideration of the implications of climate change for biodiversity but did not focus on this aspect exclusively.

DfID's OTs department is taking steps to facilitate the participation of the five Caribbean UK OTs in regional climate change adaptation programmes, funded through the Global Environment Facility and managed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, based in Belize. Among other things, this will enable the territories to draw on regional expertise in undertaking more detailed assessments of the potential impacts of climate change on their biodiversity and on ecosystem services more generally.

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What assessment they have made of the biodiversity values of the United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories; and what actions they propose to ensure that the 2010 target to halt biodiversity loss is met in these territories. [HL1870]

Lord Triesman: We are aware of the importance of biodiversity within the UK Overseas Territories (OTs). The Government, working through their scientific advisers, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, undertook assessments of the biodiversity values in the OTs. A report in 1999, Biodiversity: the UK Overseas Territories, commented on the state of biodiversity in each territory. In September 2001, the Government signed environment charters with most of the OTs, listing commitments for the UK and the OTs. These charters form the basis for our relationship with the territories on environmental issues.

In 2003, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID) established the overseas territories environment programme to assist the territories with the implementation of the charters. Initial funding was £1.5 million per department over three years. DfID has since approved £1.5 million for the financial years 2007-08 to 2009-10. The FCO has approved £469,000 for the financial year 2007-08. Future allocations will depend upon the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), through its Darwin initiative, has contributed over £1.5 million on biodiversity projects in the UK OTs since 1993. Further support has been channelled through international biodiversity agreements, in particular the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). The South Atlantic territories are important breeding sites for some very rare albatrosses and petrels, which benefit from the international collaboration that stems from ACAP and from the additional voluntary funding that Defra provides to it. Later this year, Defra also plans to contribute to the costs of an officer who will co-ordinate ACAP activities in the South Atlantic territories.