To ask the Leader of the House how much was paid in salaries and allowances to hon. Members (a) including and (b) excluding payments to Ministers in each year since 1996–97. [169457]

The cost of salaries and allowances, excluding ministerial payments are as follows:

£000
	MP salaries and related costs1	Allowances2
Cash basis
1996–97	28,883	45,894
1997–98	39,060	49,368
1998–99	32,436	47,237
1999–2000	34,167	47,647
2000–01	35,117	49,066
Resource basis
2001–02	40,856	66,745
2002–03	39,801	75,412
1This includes: Members' salaries; salaries of the Chairman of Ways and Means and deputies; social security costs; and the London supplement.
2 Allowances include: office costs allowance; incidental expenses provision; Members' staffing budget; additional costs allowance; travel (including to EU institutions); winding-up allowance.

Information is not yet available for 2003–04. Following the introduction of resource accounting, figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are not directly comparable with those for 2000–01 and earlier years.Ministerial salaries are paid directly by their respective Government Department. Records of ministerial pay are not held centrally and do not distinguish between Lords and Commons Ministers. The information requested could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will close the A43 between Brackley and Towcester on Friday 9 July. [169643]

We are examining carefully the arguments that have been made both for and against closure of the A43 trunk road oil the pre-race day of Friday 9 July to facilitate access in and out of the Silverstone circuit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of compliance of motor vehicle drivers with the legislation forbidding the use of a mobile telephone when driving; and what further steps he will take to improve compliance. [168867]

The Department has been undertaking regular surveys of the use of mobile phones while driving. The last survey carried out in October 2003 before the new offence was introduced showed that 1.9 per cent. of drivers were using a hand-held phone, and 0.5 per cent. a hands-free phone. The results from the most recent survey this month are not yet available.The Department will continue to publicise the dangers of using mobile phones when driving. Radio advertising is planned for May, July, August and November and cinema advertising in September and January 2005. The message will be reinforced through the Department's sports sponsorship programme. The police are responsible for enforcing the law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the percentage change in (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on the roads of Manchester, Gorton has been since 1997. [167306]

The available information relates to local authority areas. For the Manchester metropolitan district (which includes the constituency of Manchester, Gorton) the number of deaths in road accidents fell by 53 per cent. from 32 in 1997 to 15 in 2002, the latest year for which information is available. The number of serious injuries rose by 3 per cent., from 244 in 1997 to 252 in 2002. Estimates on the basis of parliamentary constituencies will become available in the summer and I shall write to my right hon. Friend with figures for Manchester, Gorton and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money has been committed to date by the Government Office for the south west for the Bristol/Bath to South Coast Roads Study. [168829]

Up to 5 April 2004, the amount committed on the Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study was £247,682.77.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the effect of investment in railway improvements over the next 10 years upon residents of Manchester, Gorton. [167309]

Residents of Manchester will benefit from the new TransPennine Express franchise, which commenced in February. The franchise secures investment of around £260 million which will include the introduction of a new fleet of 100 mph diesel trains leading to increased capacity, improved service quality and performance across the region. A new northern franchise, which will include local and regional services through Manchester, is out for tender. Work continues on the west coast main line upgrade, which will see a reduction in journey times on services to/from Manchester and an increase in service frequency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold urgent talks with the US Administration on the exchange of private details, with particular reference to credit card numbers, for British passengers travelling to the USA by air. [168258]

The European Commission is leading the negotiations on the processing and transfer of airline Passenger Name Record data. We are in close discussions with our EU partners to consider how to proceed following referral of the proposed EU-US agreement to the European Court of Justice. I have also raised this with the US Secretary for Transportation at a meeting with him in March.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in lowering administration costs as a proportion of total spending since the 2004 Budget Statement. [168600]

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 April 2004 in answer to his question 165021 showing that administration costs are to fall to a planned 3.7 per cent. of total spending by 2008.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the work he has commissioned from Central Lobby Consultants since 1 June 2001. [163973]

There is no payment to Central Lobby Consultants in HM Treasury records for this period.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the (a) World Bank, (b) IMF and (c) Paris Club creditors on increasing the debt cancellation available to the world's poorest countries, with particular reference to Iraq, through the heavily indebted poor countries process. [168609]

The spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were held on 24–25 April 2004. All Paris Club creditors were represented at the meetings.At the meetings, the UK stressed the importance of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative in helping to provide a robust exit from unsustainable debt for the world's poorest countries. As part of this, the UK called for full topping up to be provided when countries face exogenous shocks, in order to bring their debt ratios back to the agreed HIPC thresholds. The UK also supported consideration of extension of the Initiative so that countries yet to enter the Initiative are able to benefit from HIPC debt relief. A number of countries—many of which are in the process of trying to exit conflict—have yet to reach Decision Point and benefit from HIPC relief. This could deliver an extra $30 billion in debt relief. Iraq is not eligible for the HIPC Initiative, and so will have relief for its external debt considered under the auspices of the Paris Club's Evian Approach. However, the Government's view is that Iraq's debt position is unsustainable and that a substantial reduction will be needed to restore them to sustainability. That is likely to require writing off the vast majority of Iraq's debts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) public expenditure there was and (b) tax revenue was raised per head of population in each of the last seven years. [168430]

Data on tax revenue and public expenditure over the past seven years are available in the public finances databank on the HM Treasury website. (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/pubfinance_data_pubfinance_databank.cfm).Population estimates are contained in the ONS publication, Population Trends 115, available on the ONS website (www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/PT115.pdf).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Union Flag was not flown above the Treasury on the Queen's Birthday on 21 April. [168801]

The Union Flag was raised above the Treasury on the Queen's Birthday on 21 April.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has to draft legislation which would enable UK covered bonds to be put on an approved list that is compliant with the European Directive on Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities; and if he will make a statement. [168892]

The Financial Services Authority is considering the best way to enable covered bonds issued in the UK to be compliant with the UCITS Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Droitwich Spa Army Medal Office in the issuing of the Jubilee medal. [168919]

The Army Medal Office (AMO) at Droitwich issues the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal to those serving and discharged Army personnel who meet the qualifying criteria. The AMO assess eligibility and determine entitlement to the Jubilee Medal and, to date, it has issued 95,332 medals. The majority of those entitled to receive the medal have now received it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the medals being issued by the Droitwich Spa Army Medal Office. [168921]

The Army Medal Office at Droitwich is currently responsible for the issue or replacement of some 332 medals or awards. I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Iraq and (b) GSM Canal Zone medals have been issued; and how many are expected to be issued during 2004. [168923]

The information is as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make available information regarding contamination of land (a) owned and (b) formerly owned by his Department in the City of Portsmouth to Portsmouth City Council; [169409](2) what records his Department holds regarding contamination under the sites of former Ministry of Defence houses in Portsmouth. [169404]

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 31 March 2004, Official Report, column 1480W, on public perceptions, when he will write to the hon. Member for North Norfolk. [169731]

I will write to the hon. Member within the next week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-servicemen who were detained by the Japanese have received ex-gratia payments under the terms of the 1951 San Francisco Peace Agreement; how many have not received ex-gratia payments; and if he will make a statement. [168051]

The payment scheme under the 1951 Peace Treaty remains open, and claims in respect of eligible individuals who have not yet applied may still be made. Some 51,000 British Service personnel were detained by the Japanese during WW2. The payment records are held individually, and it would incur disproportionate cost to analyse them to provide the information requested.As a result of the Ex Gratia Payment Scheme which this Government established in November 2000, 8,430 payments have been made to British Servicemen detained by the Japanese during the Second World War and 12,973 payments have been made to the widows or widowers of former servicemen or former civilian internees who qualify for the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of interference with Ministry of Defence navigational instruments from wind farms placed in UK territorial waters. [168234]

I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the risk to defence interests from the placement of wind farms around the UK coast. [168235]

I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has been asked to fund navigational aids to prevent his Department's vessels colliding with windmills. [168238]

There has been no formal requirement placed on the Ministry of Defence to fund navigational aids to prevent Royal Navy vessels and other MOD owned or operated vessels colliding with offshore wind farms. The cost of correctly marking these structures by navigational buoys and lights is the responsibility of the owner and, as such, must comply with standards defined by the Maritime Coastguard Agency in conjunction with the General Lighthouse Authorities (Trinity House, Northern Lighthouse Board and Irish Lights).

To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee whether the House plans to source more food from North West food producers following the North West Food and Drink promotion in the House on 22 April. [168709]

In conjunction with North West Fine Foods, the Refreshment Department launched the two week North West Regional Food and Drink Promotion on 20 April. This is the second in a series of planned regional promotions.I recognise the strong interest in the provenance of food and drink sold in the House. Regional promotions give small businesses a chance to raise awareness of their produce with wholesalers supplying the House, and other potential customers. I hope that some of the products that prove popular during the course of the promotion will, in future, be available for regular supply to the House.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total expenditure incurred by the Commission was in each year since 1996–97. [169458]

The total expenditure for each year as set out in the House's published annual accounts was:

£000
	Net cash expenditure	Resource outturn
1996–97	130,192	n/a
1997–98	145,228	n/a
1998–99	173,550	n/a
1999–2000	165,905	n/a
2000–01	162,538	n/a
2001–02	132,508	165,426
2002–03	138,328	180,006

Full information is not yet available for 2003–04. Prior to 2001–02 all reporting was on a cash basis only.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures he has put in place to ensure that his Department meets the quick win targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that all copying paper bought by the Department is 100 per cent. recycled with a minimum of 75 per cent. post-consumer waste content. [166662]

All contracts issued in respect of DFID stipulate that the copying paper provided is to be 100 per cent. recycled with a minimum of 75 per cent. post-consumer waste content.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of copying paper used by the Department in 2002–03 was from recycled sources; and how much post-consumer waste this paper contained. [166663]

100 per cent. of the copying paper used in DFID came from recycled sources. It is not possible to say how much post-consumer waste this contained. Our current recycled paper is made up from at least 75 per cent. post-consumer waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures he has put in place to ensure that his Department meets the quick win targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that all paper for printed publications bought by the Department is 60 per cent. recycled, of which a minimum is 75 per cent. post-consumer waste. [166664]

The Department for International Development (DFID) routinely requires that the designers and printers under contract to produce DFID publications source paper that has a minimum of 75 per cent. recycled content.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of paper for printed publications used by the Department in 2002-03 was from recycled sources; and how much post-consumer waste this paper contained. [166665]

The Department for International Development does not hold this information centrally, and due to disproportionate cost we cannot supply this information.However, DFID routinely requires that the designers and printers under contract to produce DFID publications source paper that has a minimum of 75 per cent. recycled content.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department expects to implement in full the quick win targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that (a) all copying paper bought by the Department is 100 per cent. recycled with a minimum of 75 per cent. post-consumer waste content and (b) all paper for printed publications bought by the Department is 60 per cent. recycled, of which a minimum is 75 per cent. post-consumer waste. [166666]

DFID has already met the quick win targets set by DEFRA in that all of our copying paper is 100 per cent. recycled with at least 75 per cent. post-consumer waste content.DFID routinely requires that the designers and printers under Contract to produce DFID publications source paper that has a minimum of 75 per cent. recycled content. We are in the process of amending design and print contracts, and are investigating joining the Department for Transport framework agreement for purchasing recycled paper, ensuring that we meet the quick win target for paper in printed publications.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports, in each case stating (i) the name of each paper used and (ii) the post-consumer recycled content of each paper. [166667]

Type	Supplier	Commmment
Copier Paper (DFID London)	David John Papers Ltd. Unit A Middlegreen Trading Estate Middlegreen Road Langley Slough Berks SL3 7BL	Diplomat Recycled Paper. A4 80gsm 100 per cent. recycled of 100 per cent. post-consumer waste.
Copier Paper (DFID. Scotland)	Glenmore Dunfermline Business Park Rosyth Fife KY 2RN	Evolve Business Paper. 100 per cent. recycled. Minimum of 75 per cent. post-consumer waste.
Stationery	Banner Business Supplies PO Box 560St. Crispins Duke Street Norwich NR3 ISQ	No paper products supplied, only stationery.
	Guilbert Guilbert House 68–72 St John's Road Corstorphine Edinburgh EH12 SAT	No paper products supplied, only stationery
Envelopes	Banner Business Supplies Ltd. PO Box 560 St Crispins Duke Street Norwich NR3 ISQ	Banner Envelopes. 60–85 per cent. post consumer waste.
Paper for Reports (AH)	Glenmore Dunfermline Business Park Rosyth FIFE KY11 2RN	Evolve Business Paper. 100 per cent. recycled. Minimum of 75 per cent. post-consumer waste.
Paper for Reports (PS)	David John Papers Ltd. Unit 1A Middlegreen Trading Estate Middlegreen Road Langley Slough Berks SL3 7BL	Diplomat Recycled Paper. A4 80gsm. 100 per cent. recycled of 100 per cent. post-consumer waste
Paper for reports		The Department for International Development does not procure paper for its reports directly from paper merchants. However we routinely require the designers and printers of DFID publications to source paper that has a minimum of 75 per cent. recycled content.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether a new constitution for St. Helena has been agreed. [165508]

I have been asked to reply.A new constitution for St. Helena has not yet been agreed. Discussions are ongoing between Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials and St. Helena Councillors with a view to having a new constitution in place in time for the next dissolution of the Legislative Council in July 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been spent on the digitisation of content in libraries in Manchester, Gorton since 1997. [167345]

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been spent on the digitisation of content in libraries in Burnley since 1997. [167902]

The information in the following table shows the details of the main suppliers to my Department for paper (separate suppliers for the two headquarter locations), stationery and envelopes.

This information is not held centrally.The New Opportunities Fund £50 million Digitisation of Learning Materials Programme has delivered 150 projects across the UK to enable resources which support learning of all kinds held in libraries as well as museums, archives and other public-sector institutions, to be made available online through the People's Network and the National Grid for Learning. This initiative has created a body of material containing over 2 million images, tens of thousands of sound and video clips and documents and over 1,000 learning packages. All projects can be accessed via the EnrichUK portal at http://www.enrichuk.net.Information on grants awarded to individual local authorities and their expenditure can be obtained from the relevant authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money from the New Opportunities Fund was allocated to Wigan in each year since 1997. [169308]

The New Opportunities Fund began making grants in 1999. The awards to Wigan are shown in the table.

Financial year	Amount (£)
1999–2000	1,363,608
2000–01	602,721
2001–02	2,204,979
2002–03	1,510,710
2003–04	1,345,981

The information is freely available from the Department's searchable Lottery award database at www.lottery.culture.gsi.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department plans to contribute financially to the establishment of the second phase of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber. [167625]

DCMS has no plans at present to contribute financially to the establishment of this DEFRA initiative, but DCMS and its NDPBs are active in sustainable development and the matter will be kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to limit the maximum number of hours during which a live animal may be transported to eight hours; and what plans there are for EU regulations on this. [164580]

[holding answer 31 March 2004]: The European Commission brought forward proposals in July 2003 for a regulation to replace the current EU rules on animal welfare during transport. In discussing those proposals the Government have sought reductions in overall journey times as part of a range of measures to improve the welfare of animals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with other EU ministers about transportation times for animals being exported for slaughter or fattening; and if she will make a statement. [168059]

[holding answer 23 April 2004]: The European Commission's proposals (published in July 2003) for a new regulation to replace the current directive were discussed at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December 2003 and February 2004. I have also taken the opportunity to discuss this important issue with other EU ministers outside of Council meetings. The Commission's proposals were discussed again at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 26 April 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the new Animal Welfare Bill will be published. [166753]

I anticipate publication of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill within the next two to three months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to strengthen animal welfare codes of conduct. [165896]

DEFRA is currently reviewing and updating the Codes of Recommendation for the Welfare of Livestock, where necessary. Codes which have recently been updated include the pig code and the cattle code, issued on 11 March and 23 April 2003 respectively.Under the proposed Animal Welfare Bill there are also plans to introduce codes for non-farmed animals. The codes, which will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny, will be used to support a statutory duty on the owners and keepers of animals to promote good welfare standards. Production of the codes will involve the industry, welfare organisations, veterinarians and officials working in partnership.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the evidence to support the hypothesis that there has been an explosion of the badger population in the UK. [165450]

English Nature advises that there are likely to be in the region of 300,000 to 400,000 badgers in Great Britain. This figure is derived from the most recent National Badger Survey which took place in the mid-1990s¹. The survey also reported that there had been a 77 per cent. increase in badger numbers between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.

¹"Changes in the British badger population, 1988 to 1997" by G. Wilson, S. Harris and G. McLaren (1997), published by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (ISBN1 855800187)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the interim results of the proactive badger strategy. [166881]

The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) undertakes interim analyses of data collected from the proactive treatment areas of the RBCT at six-monthly intervals. The ISG advise that analyses of such data collected so far has not yielded a statistically significant result. Any significant interim findings will be reported to Ministers without delay.On 6 April, DEFRA announced the publication of a report from an independent scientific panel chaired by Professor Charles Godfray FRS reviewing the progress of the RBCT and associated DEFRA research, as part of a wider review of DEFRA's science. The report recommended that DEFRA policymakers should have access to the the interim results from the RBCT. The recommendation did not encompass full publication. Even so, it was challenged by the ISG and the matter is still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Baronsdown Sanctuary area is a recognised reservoir of TB infection. [165489]

We are aware that TB is present in wild deer in parts of Exmoor. This was a factor (together with the disease history of cattle and other wildlife) in the decision to test cattle herds for TB annually over most of Exmoor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the volume of sea bass landings in the United Kingdom was in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) market and (b) port. [167131]

The following table shows details of sea bass landings into the UK by UK and foreign vessels for the years 1999–2003, broken down by port of landing. Fisheries Departments in the U K do not record details of landings by market.

Landings of Sea Bass into the UK 1999–2003
	Quantity (tonnes live weight)
Country of landing/ Port of landing	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
England
North Shields	0.04	0 00	0.04	0.02	0.04
Holy Island	—	—	—	—	0.01
Seahouses	—	—	0.00	0.00	—
Amble	0.01	0.00	0.01	0.02	0.01
Newbiggin	—	—	—	—	0.01
Blyth	0.00	—	0.00	0.01	0.03
Sunderland	—	0.01	0.00	0.01	0.01
Hartlepool	0.01	0.01	0.06	0.04	0.06
Whitby	0.16	0.07	0.43	0.31	0.52
Scarborough	0.12	0.04	0.60	1.49	2.80
Filey	—	0.05	0.05	0.04	0.03
Flam borough	—	0.08	—	—	—
Bridlington	0.55	0.09	0.09	0.12	0.18
Grimsby	0.12	0.26	0.31	0.09	0.59
Boston	0.02	0.00	—	—	—
Lowestoft	0.85	1.72	2.94	4.50	8.20
Brancaster Staithe	—	0.02	—	0.11	—
Sheringham	—	—	—	0.05	0.01
Cromer	—	—	—	0.12	0.05
Great Yarmouth	0.05	1.32	0.51	0.37	0.17
Southwold	0.86	1.28	0.52	0.71	1.02
Dunwich	—	0.00	0.03	—	0.01
Sizewell Beach	—	—	—	0.94
Aldeburgh	0.35	0.03	0.11	0.43	0.88
Orford	1.77	1.44	1.12	0.61	1.26
Ipswich	1.11	6.13	2.31	1.73	—
Felixstowe	0.03	0.01	0.05	8.63	1.51
Harwich	0.25	0.15	0.19	0.64	0.10
Walton-on-Naze	1.54	0.57	0.95	1.56	2.38
Clacton	0.02	—	0.09	0.15	0.00
Wivenhoe	0.81	0.31	0.59	0.79	0.58
Brightlingsea	0.31	0.03	—	0.01	0.01
West Mersea	16.24	0.25	0.66	1.33	0.87
Maldon	0.02	—	—	—	—
Bradwell	—	—	—	0.25	0.22
Burnham-On-Crouch	0.06	0.08	—	0.02	0.01
Great Wakering	0.10	0.00	0.01	0.23	0.31
Canvey Island	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.05	0.12
Southend-On-Sea	—	—	—	0.01	—
Leigh-On-Sea	1.33	2.06	0.76	0.83	1.74
Faversham	0.51	1.03	1.54	2.17	1.92
Gravesend	0.00	—	—	—	—
Rochester	0.10	—	—	—	—
Queenborough	0.33	1.09	0.50	0.40	1.99
Whitstable	8.47	7.01	6.23	12.10	18.59
Hastings	3.00	3.77	2.05	3.34	6.39
Poole	64.44	9.33	9.91	0.60	5.33
Margate	4.57	3.69	1.80	2.60	1.91
Broadstairs	0.29	0.56	0.01	0.13	0.07
Ramsgate	27.12	17.29	13.41	26.21	30.60
Dover	2.60	0.95	6.63	2.79	—
Folkestone	6.99	6.66	9.71	7.87	6.93
Hythe	0.93	1.84	0.96	0.46	2.11
Dungeness	2.25	1.48	0.50	2.34	0.51
Rye	4.01	2.32	2.97	3.70	3.40
Eastbourne	16.24	17.75	12.06	17.98	20.41
Newhaven	45.20	27.31	25.02	23.36	11.57
Brighton	2.81	1.85	1.23	4.50	1.87
Shoreham	33.85	18.69	29.23	30.37	42.73
Worthing	5.87	1.35	4.93	2.05	2.75
Littlehampton	2.69	5.28	2.89	3.14	5.94
Bognor Regis	0.05	—	0.02	0.01	—
Selsey	11.37	11.17	2.98	20.77	12.04
Langstone Harbour	4.54	4.61	3.85	2.86	3.36
Itchenor/East Wittering	—	—	—	—	0.07
Emsworth	0.02	0.95	—	—	0.00
Hamble	0.01	1.73	0.42	0.12	0.80
Hayling Island	—	—	0.00	0.02	—
Portsmouth	31.03	36.61	36.45	44.07	44.17
Southampton	16.25	0.16	0.97	0.00	0.56
Christchurch	7.68	2.95	1.47	—	1.94
Cowes	—	—	0.08	—	—
Isle of Wight	—	6.66	5.21	1.49	5.44
Lymington	2.93	5.13	6.04	0.85	2.18
Keyhaven	—	0.00	—	—	0.00
Swanage	1.00	0.02	0.01	—	—
Kimmeridge	0.05	0.02	0.00	—	0.05
Lulworth Cove	—	0.17	0.39	0.70	—
Weymouth	44.26	14.28	3.08	1.08	6.76
Portland	1.12	0.27	0.02	0.12	0.07
Ferrybridge	—	0.00	—	—	—
West Bay	0.14	1.06	0.05	—	—
Lyme Regis	2.92	1.56	1.28	0.96	4.00
Plymouth	161.78	59.73	108.54	122.77	140.69
Newlyn	4.46	8.26	21.34	98.81	12.90
Beer	0.69	0.83	1.04	0.70	0.42
Exmouth	3.09	10.24	10.57	8.66	9.16
Teignmouth	—	0.19	0.01	0.08	0.35
Torquay	0.61	0.33	0.20	0.34	0.51
Brixham	65.23	33.26	20.49	27.27	27.51
Dartmouth	0.50	0.51	0.39	0.33	0.37
River Dart	0.15	—	—	—	—
Kingswear	0.29	—	—	—	—
Salcombe	0.05	0.07	0.06	0.14	0.04
Hope Cove	—	—	0.00	—	—
Looe	3.08	8.67	9.30	32.34	15.02
Polperro	2.08	1.48	2.11	4.43	12.35
River Fowey	0.55	0.08	0.17	0.05	0.37
Mevagissey	3.50	1.39	1.91	3.51	11.95
River Fal—Falmouth	0.56	0.16	0.47	0.35	0.51
Helford River	0.02	0.14	0.14	0.31	0.22
Porthoustock	—	—	—	0.02	—
Coverack	0.03	0.10	0.01	0.01	—
Cadgwith	0.04	0.00	0.01	0.01	—
Penzance	0.02	0.10	0.00	0.08	0.02
Penberth	—	—	1.95	0.07	—
St. Ives	—	0.00	0.00	0.08	—
Hayle	0.01	0.24	0.02	0.51	0.02
Newquay	0.29	—	0.21	0.38	0.03
Padstow	1.29	0.62	2.04	3.22	1.67
Port Isaac	0.05	0.30	0.07	0.89	0.30

Landings of Sea Bass into the UK 1999–2003
	Quantity (tonnes live weight)
Country of landing/ Port of landing	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Bude	—	0.01	—	0.04	—
Clovelly	0.10	0.03	—	—	—
Appledore	6.18	6.72	18.23	20.29	19.42
Bideford	2.22	3.19	0.11	1.35	0.15
Ilfracombe	0.79	2.19	0.10	11.31	17.56
Fleetwood	0.27	0.24	0.58	0.12	0.37
Hoylake	0.02	—	—	—	—
Mersey Estuary	—	—	—	0.02	0.01
Liverpool	0.01	0.04	0.05	0.01	0.34
Morecambe	0.10	0.10	0.30	—	3.60
Barrow	0.25	0.54	1.72	0.01	0.12
Whitehaven	0.01	0.00	0.07	0.08	0.57
Maryport	—	—	0.00	0.00	0.04
Wales
Milford Haven	31.55	19.63	23.01	20.08	9.45
Conwy	0.01	0.03	3.21	0.26	—
Swansea	1.18	1.70	4.30	2.68	1.80
Porthcawl	—	0.17	0.19	0.16	2.21
Tenby	0.21	0.04	6.12	10.03	2.91
Saundersfoot	1.79	1.86	2.02	1.83	2.80
Llanelli	2.14	9.04	6.25	6.73	3.76
Three Rivers Area	—	—	—	—	0.11
New Quay	—	—	0.06	—	—
Pwllheli	—	—	—	0.45	—
Aberdaran	—	—	0.35	—	—
Caernarvon	—	0.04	4.11	0.04	0.00
Holyhead	0.11	0.06	0.03	0.07	0.34
Cemaes Bay	—	0.00	0.00	0.00	—
Bangor	—	0.19	1.02	—	—
Rhyl-Connah's Quay	—	3.27	2.75	3.13	0.16
Scotland
Eyemouth	0.02	0.00	0.01	5.99	2.59
Dunbar	—	—	—	0.00	0.00
Pittenweem	—	—	0.01	—	—
Aberdeen	0.01	—	0.05	0.01	0.00
Peterhead	0.13	—	—	—	0.02
Fraserburgh	—	—	—	—	0.00
Mallaig	—	—	—	—	0.23
Saltcoats	—	0.03	—	—	—
Girvan	—	—	—	—	0.00
Portpatrick	0.06	0.02	—	—	0.11
Isle of Whithorn	0.07	—	—	—	0.00
Northern Ireland
Kilkeel	—	—	1.34	1.13	8.52
Portavogie	—	—	—	—	0.01
Bangor (Co. Down)	—	—	—	0.01	—
Co. Antrim	—	—	—	—	0.03
Total UK landings	677.97	408.45	463.41	635.62	582.79

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value of sea bass landings within the United Kingdom was for each of the last five years, broken down by market. [167132]

Fisheries departments in the UK do not record details of sales by market. The following table shows details of the value of sea bass landings into the UK by UK and foreign vessels for the years 1999 to 2003, broken down by port of landing.

Landings of sea bass into the UK, 1999 to 2003
Value (£000)
Port of landing	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
England1
North Shields	2—	2—	2—	2—	2—
Holy Island	3—	3—	3—	3—	3—
Seahouses	3—	3—	2—	2—	3—
Amble	2—	2—	2—	2—	2—
Newbiggin	3—	3—	3—	3—	3—
Blyth	2—	3—	2—	2—	2—
Sunderland	3—	2—	2—	2—	2—
Hartlepool	2—	2—	2—	2—	2—
Whitby	1	2—	2	1	2
Scarborough	1	2—	3	6	11
Filey	3—	1	2—	2—	2—
Flamborough	3—	2—	3—	3—	3—
Bridlington	3	2—	3—	1	1
Grimsby	1	1	2	2—	2
Boston	2—	2—	3—	3—	3—
Lowestoft	5	11	15	22	40
Brancaster Staithe	3—	2—	3—	1	3—
Sheringham	3—	3—	3—	2—	2—
Cromer	3—	3—	3—	1	3—
Great Yarmouth	2—	9	4	2	1
Southwold	5	9	3	4	7
Dunwich	3—	2—	2—	3—	2—
Sizewell Beach	3—	3—	3—	3—	4
Aldeburgh	2	2—	1	3	8
Orford	10	9	7	3	5
Ipswich	6	35	13	10	3—
Felixstowe	2—	2—	2—	1	7
Harwich	1	1	1	4	1
Walton-on-the-Naze	9	3	6	9	14
Clacton	2—	3—	1	1	2—
Wivenhoe	5	2	3	5	3
Brightlingsea	2	2—	3—	2—	2—
West Mersea	94	1	4	8	5
Maldon	2—	3—	3—	3—	3—
Bradwell	3—	3—	3—	1	1
Burnham-on-Crouch	2—	2—	3—	2—	2—
Great Wakering	1	2—	2—	1	2
Canvey Island	2—	2—	2—	2—	1
Southend-on-Sea	3—	3—	3—	2—	3—
Leigh-on-Sea	8	11	4	5	10
Faversham	3	5	8	12	10
Gravesend	2—	3—	3—	3—	3—
Rochester	1	3—	3—	3—	3—
Queenborough	2	6	3	2	10
Whitstable	43	42	28	58	94
Hastings	21	24	13	21	41
Poole	325	48	54	2	23
Margate	23	19	9	13	10
Broadstairs	1	3	2—	1	2—
Ramsgate	138	89	68	135	153
Dover	13	5	34	14	3—
Folkestone	46	40	48	50	37
Hythe	6	11	6	3	11
Dungeness	15	10	3	13	3
Rye	27	15	18	23	22
Eastbourne	96	110	69	109	132
Newhaven	226	134	120	112	56
Brighton	14	10	7	24	10
Shoreham	169	101	156	156	191
Worthing	39	9	14	10	14
Littlehampton	18	35	15	14	30
Bognor Regis	2—	3—	2—	2—	3—
Selsey	63	48	11	70	44
Langstone Harbour	33	24	18	13	17
Itchenor/East Wittering	3—	3—	3—	3—	2—
Emsworth	2—	6	3—	3—	2—
Ramble	2—	7	2	1	4
Hayling Island	3—	3—	2—	2—	3—
Portsmouth	206	178	176	182	213
Southampton	85	1	4	2—	3
Christchurch	39	15	8	3—	8
Cowes	3—	3—	2—	3—	3—
Isle of Wight	3—	32	23	7	25
Lymington	15	25	35	4	9
Keyhaven	3—	2—	3—	3—	2—
Swanage	5	2—	2—	3—	3—
Kimmeridge	2—	2—	2—	3—	2—
Lulworth Cove	3—	1	2	2	3—
Weymouth	286	73	16	6	32

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment is made of the sea bass catch in relation to (a) size, (b) maturity and (c) reproductive state; and whether this information influences decisions by the Department on closure of fisheries. [167133]

DEFRA funds a programme that collects data on the size (length and weight) and age (from scales) of representative samples of sea bass caught annually in England and Wales. Research carried out by the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has established the age and size at which male and female bass become mature in UK waters, and reproductive state by area and season. This information is updated as necessary. It is used to provide scientific advice on the conservation status of bass stocks, and informs any decisions taken by this Department on the management of fisheries taking sea bass.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the use of (a) household and municipal, (b) industrial and (c) agricultural waste streams as potential sources for bio-fuels through bio-refinery technologies; and if she will make a statement. [166906]

A study by E4tech for the Department of Trade and Industry made the following estimates for the proportion of the UK's electricity demand that could be met by 2020 from various types of waste biomass: 2.2 per cent. from the combustion, gasification and anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste; 0.5 per cent. from the gasification and anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge; 1.9 per cent. from the combustion and gasification of straw; and less than 0.2 per cent. each from food waste, wood processing waste, farm waste and forestry residues.The Waste Implementation Programme was established last year to provide support to local authorities in assessing and establishing alternative new technologies with particular reference to achieving the landfill diversion targets for biodegradable municipal waste. The New Technologies sub-programme aims to establish up to five demonstrator plants by 2005 end with at least five additional plants initiated by 2006.Tallow derived from rendering animal by-products can be burnt to produce energy. 280,000 tonnes of tallow from animals slaughtered under the over-30-months (slaughter) scheme have already been sold to renderers to power their boilers. The Rural Payments Agency recently signed a contract to sell 110,000 tonnes of stockpiled tallow to a commercial company for energy production.Around 120 million litres of waste vegetable oil are produced in the UK each year, which could produce about 115 million litres of biodiesel. 1 million litres of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil are currently sold each month in the UK and it is likely that this will increase once the ban on used cooking oil in animal feed comes into effect in November 2004. Recent advances in biotechnology are opening up opportunities to produce bioethanol from ligno-cellulosic feedstocks such as wood, straw and organic waste, using gasification and hydrolysis, although large-scale commercialisation is unlikely for some years.