To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions since 1 June he has been informed of a Minister issuing a direction to an accounting officer as set out in paragraphs 14 to 17 of the Treasury document, The Responsibilities of an Accounting Officer; on which grounds the note of dissent was issued; and if he will make a statement. [204782]

The Treasury has not been informed of any directions issued by Ministers to Accounting Officers under this guidance since the reply given to the hon. Member by my predecessor on 8 July 2004, .Official Report, column 810W

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2004, Official Report, column 16W, on the International Cricket Conference Headquarters, from which International Sports Federations he has received representations on taxation issues affecting their proposed headquarter locations. [203729]

holding answer 9 December 2004

The Government have received a representation from the UK Sports Council. The Government welcome any further representations there may be on taxation issues.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the policy of the Department to retain for the benefit of future (a) historians and (b) applicants under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the same (i) complete categories of files, (ii) numbers of files and (iii) representative examples of files from categories of files destroyed as had been preserved prior to the passage of that Act. [203319]

In accordance with the Public Records Act 1958 S.3, the selection of records of enduring historical value for permanent preservation at The National Archives (TNA) will continue to take place in HM Treasury under the guidance and supervision of TNA staff. The Department will also comply with the Code of Practice on Records Management, issued by the Lord Chancellor under S.46 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which underlines the importance of having clear selection policies and disposal schedules in place.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many departmental files have been destroyed in each of the past five years. [203320]

Records are appraised 29 years after the oldest paper on the file. In accordance with The National Archives' guidance, the Treasury has destroyed the following number of files in each of the last five years.

⁽¹⁾ Provisional.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [204357]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 355W. Expenditure on official entertainment for 2003–04 was £116,000. Further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list activities in which his Department has been involved to promote the benefits of the Government's policy towards the European Union; what the costs were; what partner organisations were involved; and if he will make a statement. [204225]

The Government work with a wide range of partners to develop and communicate their policy towards the European Union, including the CBI, Chambers of Commerce, trade unions and more, including other EU member states and EU institutions. Costs of these activities are covered from departmental budgets, as set out in annual departmental reports.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the per capita GDP was for the Pendle local authority area in each year since 1995. [205007]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 15 December 2004

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about GDP per capita for Pendle local authority. (205007)

Pendle local authority is in Lancashire County Council (NUTS3 area), which is currently the lowest geographic level at which GVA per capita is published. The latest published information is for 2001.

¹ (GVA) estimates published in December 2003. The estimates in table A are based on the regional Gross Value Added. These are available on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=10904&More=n

Table A

⁽²⁾ Information presented here is Gross Value Added (GVA) which is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) less taxes (plus subsidies) on products.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many redundancies per 1,000 workers are estimated from the Labour Force Survey to have been experienced in each industrial sector since 1997. [204612]

The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 15 December 2004

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about redundancy.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of redundancies experienced by survey respondents in the three month period before their survey interviews.

The table overleaf shows the rates of redundancies per 1,000 employees in each industrial sector of the UK in each three month period since 1997. The data are up-dated quarterly in the "Jobleavers and redundancies" section of the ONS website.

The estimates for the LFS are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

Redundancies rates—United Kingdom—not seasonally adjusted Rates per 1,000 employees⁽³⁾

⁽³⁾ The redundancy rate is based on the ratio of the redundancy level for the given quarter to the number of employees in the previous quarter, multiplied by 1,000

Source:

ONS Labour Force Survey

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the topics are of the group litigation orders brought against the Inland Revenue and Customs which were resolved in the last 12 months; how many litigants participated in each group; what the name was of each corporate litigant; and whether each was registered (a) in the UK and (b) in another jurisdiction. [204606]

The Inland Revenue is dealing with six categories of company group litigation order as follows:

Franked Investment Income—13 claimant groups

Foreign Income Dividends—20 claimant groups

Thin Capitalisation—15 claimant groups

Controlled Foreign Companies—24 claimant groups

Loss Relief Group Litigation—74 claimant groups

Advance Corporation Tax—around 750 claimant groups

To the extent that litigants' names are in the public domain, they can be obtained from the High Court, where they are not in the public domain it would be inappropriate to disclose them.

Approximately 50 of the companies concerned are not resident in the UK; 24 cases were settled finally in 2004.

HM Customs and Excise have not received any group litigation orders.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests have been made to the Inland Revenue Overpayments Dispute Team by claimants of tax credit for waiver of recovery due to (a) official error and (b) hardship; and how many such requests were accepted. [201564]

By the end of November about 67,000 taxpayers had returned Form TC846, or had otherwise been recorded as requesting the write-off of their overpayments on grounds of official error. In total about 1,100 families had their overpayments written off by the end of November for that reason. To date the Inland Revenue has had to consider very few requests for overpayments to be written off on ground of inability to pay.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,

(1) what the average time is from the receipt of a completed TC846 form, for a decision to be made by the Inland Revenue on an appeal against its decision to recover tax credit overpayments; [203283]

(2) how many completed TC846 forms have been received by the Inland Revenue requesting a reconsideration of its decision to recover tax credits for (a) the 2003–04 tax year and (b) the current tax year. [203284]

holding answer 7 December 2004

For the number of forms received, I refer my right hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (Dr. Kumar) today.

Information on the average time taken to deal with these requests is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will outline the positions taken by each of the G8 member countries in respect of the International Finance Facility. [204593]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 7 December 2004, Official Report, column 442W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much landfill tax has been paid by operators on (a) in-house and (b) merchant landfill sites in each year since 1997. [203688]

Landfill tax receipts are routinely published by HM Customs and Excise at www.uktradeinfo.com in the Landfill Tax Bulletin.

Separate data on landfill tax paid by operators on(a) in-house and (b) merchant landfill sites are not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have died of MRSA in care homes, as a proportion of total MRSA deaths, in each of the last five years. [204586]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Brian Cotter, dated 15 December 2004

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have died of MRSA in care homes, as a proportion of total MRSA deaths in each of the last five years. (204586)

The latest year for which figures are available is 2002. Figures on deaths in care homes in England and Wales for the years 1998 to 2002, where MRSA was mentioned anywhere on death certificate, are given in the table.

Deaths in care homeswhere MRSA was a contributory factor, in care homes, England and Wales, 1998–2002^(4)(5)(6)

⁽⁴⁾ Care homes were defined as NHS and non-NHS nursing homes, local authority residential homes and private residential homes

⁽⁵⁾ Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004) Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993–2002. Health Statistics Quarterly 21, 15–22,

⁽⁶⁾ Figures are for deaths occurring in 1998 to 2002.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account the Office for National Statistics intends to take of the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards. [204415]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 15 December 2004

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what account the Office for National Statistics (ONS) intends to take of the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards. (204415)

ONS has been addressing the issue of the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) through its membership of Eurostat's Taskforce on Accounting and Statistics since 2001, and has been considering the possible effects of the introduction of JFRS on UK statistical data through business contacts since 2003.

In 2004, ONS established a taskforce, to address the statistical implications of IFRS. The objectives of this taskforce include establishing the potential incidence and significance of any statistical discontinuities arising from the introduction of IFRS. The taskforce established a three-stage action plan for addressing the issue, involving initial direct contacts with significant data contributors, a survey of a broad range of 500 data contributors (early in 2005) and subsequent amendments, as appropriate, to data collections in respect of 2005 onwards.

Despite the proximity of the introduction of IFRS for EU listed businesses, little conclusive information has yet been available about the specific impacts of IFRS on business statistics. Of those businesses contacted to date by ONS, very few have yet been willing or in a position to comment on the effects of IFRS. Very recent contacts have indicated that businesses are beginning to address the IFRS issue with some urgency and it is hoped that much more specific information will be obtained from the survey in early 2005.

In. addition, ONS is planning for contingencies including any further special surveys necessary later in 2005, any changes to regular business surveys and the handling of any discontinuities in key surveys. As more specific information becomes available, ONS will keep key stakeholders informed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outstanding stock of (a) cash ISAs, (b) insurance ISAs and (c) equity ISAs was on 31 March (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003 and (iv) 2004; and what the net change in stock was for the years (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004. [204413]

Figures of outstanding stocks of cash, insurance and equity ISAs are available in table 9.6 of Inland Revenue Statistics published on the Inland Revenue website; http://newinternet.inrev.gov.uk/stats/isa/table9_6_september04.pdf

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available. [204373]

Inland Revenue (incorporating the Valuation Office Agency) and HM Customs and Excise have a total of 75 gyms available to staff, of which one is a shared facility with HM Treasury.

Identifying the costs of providing the IR and C&E facilities would incur disproportionate costs. Members' subscriptions to the various civil service sports associations help to fund equipment for use in these facilities.

Management and equipment costs of the shared facility at 1 Horse Guards Road in Westminster are met from membership subscriptions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recipients of working tax credit have been credited for underpayments in the last 12 months and subsequently told that the underpayment recalculations were wrong. [203214]

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 347W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) what representations he has made to (a) G8 and (b) Paris Club Nations on following the UK's lead in paying 10 per cent. of the debt service owed by highly indebted poor countries to the World Bank and African Development Bank; [204277]

(2) whether the UK will pay debt service on behalf of the world's poorest countries to the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement; [204280]

(3) what representations he has made to (a) the International Monetary Fund, (b) the World Bank and (c) regional development banks to (i) cancel debt owed to them by the world's poorest countries and (ii) revalue gold reserves to finance cancellation. [204281]

The UK is proposing that the international community—including the G8, Paris Club and the EU—provide up to 100 per cent. relief on the debt owed by poor countries to the World Bank and African Development Bank. In order to avoid reducing aid elsewhere, or running down the resources of the international institutions, this should be funded through new commitments from all donors.

The UK is leading the way by paying its share of debt payments owed to the World Bank and African Development Bank, not just for HIPC countries but for all low income countries, as long as they can ensure debt relief is used for poverty reduction.

The UK will continue to call for the relief on debts owed to the IMF to be funded through more efficient use of IMF gold reserves.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the total cost in a year to the Exchequer of tax reliefs provided on donations to universities. [204002]

holding answer 13 December 2004

Universities, along with other charities that are registered with the Inland Revenue, are able to reclaim gift aid on qualifying donations. The amount the charity reclaims is equivalent to approximately 28 per cent. of the value of the donation.

It is not possible to ascertain the amount repaid in gift aid in relation to universities, because Inland Revenue records do not distinguish amounts repaid to charities according to type of charity. The available information relates to all charities and is published in Table 10.2 of Inland Revenue statistics at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/charities/menu.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what assessment he has made of the report from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Team on the Blue Badge Parking Scheme; and if he will make a statement; [203668]

(2) what plans he has to reform the Blue Badge Parking Scheme to ensure that (a) local authorities are more circumspect in issuing Blue Badges and (b) there are sufficient disabled parking spaces to accommodate Blue Badge parking holders; [203669]

(3) what steps he is taking to prevent abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme; [203670]

(4) what discussions he has had with local authorities regarding (a) reform of and (b) abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme; [203671]

(5) what plans he has to ensure greater security of the Blue Badge Scheme. [203672]

The information requested is as follows:

Review of the Blue Badge Scheme

Careful and detailed consideration was given to the report and each of the recommendations made by the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) following the review of the scheme. We accepted the majority of their 47 recommendations.

Work is in hand to take forward the recommendations. Changes need to be made to primary and secondary legislation, further research needs to be carried out and revised guidance issued to local authorities. On the latter, we will be issuing new guidance to local authorities on all aspects of the scheme, including assessment of applications to encourage consistency in the issue of badges.

We have already secured the necessary slots for the primary legislation. We intend to consult on changes to the regulations and draft guidance by spring 2005.

Abuse

Theft of blue badges and abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme is of concern to the Department. Measures exist to tackle abuse as follows:

it an offence under Section 117 of The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the badge itself to be misused by a non-disabled person, the maximum fine on conviction being £1,000;

local authorities have powers to withdraw a badge if the holder constantly misuses it or allows it to be misused by others;

it is an offence under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to park a vehicle which is not displaying a badge in a designated disabled persons' parking bay.

We are also taking forward a number of additional enforcement measures following the review. These include an important power for the police, traffic wardens and local authority parking enforcement officers to inspect badges to check details and the photograph of the badge holder. We have already made provision for this in the Traffic Management Act 2004 and we aim to bring that power into effect by commencement order in the spring next year. This will allow time to produce and consult on the guidance that will be needed by those who will be exercising the new power. We are also looking at the feasibility of establishing a national database of badge holders; the introduction of smartcard technology; increasing penalties for abuse and misuse of the scheme and re-introducing a hologram onto the blue badge as an additional security measure.

Interaction with local authorities

Local authorities were involved throughout the review process and were able to feed in their views and make representations to the Department on all aspects of the scheme. In taking forward the remaining recommendations we will continue to involve and consult local authorities.

Provision of disabled person parking spaces

The provision of parking spaces is a matter for local authorities. They have a wide range of powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to provide parking places, including designated bays for disabled people. The decision to provide such bays is ultimately for the local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds since 1997, broken down by local authority; [202770]

(2) how many and what length of (a) bus lanes and (b) cycle lanes have been designated on roads in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority. [202771]

Information on bus and cycle lanes in England for the financial years 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 is set out in the tables which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. A full set of data for the years required are not available.

The information is provided by local authorities on an annual basis as part of their Annual Performance report on the Local Transport Plans. It is not verified by the Department. Responsibility for the accuracy of the data rests with individual authorities. The data are incomplete and include estimates.

A breakdown of cycle lanes by London borough is not available. TfL estimates that there are approximately 300 km of on-road cycle lanes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last two years. [202414]

The DfT units or associated bodies that currently have responsibility for vacant property are as follows.

The Highways Agency holds property in relation to the Government's Targeted Programme of Investment (TPI) in the strategic road network but the assets change year-on-year as the requirements of the TPI dictate. Properties identified as empty were either surplus property for sale, empty property awaiting refurbishment/letting and/or empty property awaiting demolition for road schemes or empty beyond economic repair. The annual cost of these properties in 2002–03 and 2003–04 were £545,000 and £582,000 respectively. These costs included utility costs, security, management fees and the annual repair costs to bring the properties into a lettable or saleable condition. The value of the properties was £7.159 million in 2002–03 and £17.821 million in 2003–04.

The Driving Standards Agency has only one empty property, which is valued at £320,000 and has running costs of approximately £3,000 per annum.

The General Lighthouse Authorities comprising the Trinity Lighthouse Service and Northern Lighthouse Board spent £18,000 in 2002–03 and £13,000 in 2003–04 on empty properties. The properties are mainly former lighthouse keepers' living accommodation and have not been valued. The properties have been retained because it is not possible to effectively separate the properties whilst maintaining the security of the operational lighthouses or it is difficult to sell or lease the properties due to their remote locations.

The British Railways Board (Residuary) Ltd. (BRBR) are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Strategic Rail Authority and is responsible for managing the majority of the remaining property, rights and liabilities of the British Railways Board. BRBR own a number property with values of £137.1 million at the end of 2002–03 and £132.5 million as at the end of 2003–04. BRBR are unable to provide the value of the empty properties as their records are not kept in this way and some sites are part rented which makes it particularly difficult to determine the value. The cost of managing freehold vacant office space was £689,000 in 2002–03 and £583,000 in 2003–04.

The Department has acquired properties adjacent to the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link which have become empty because of the impact of construction work. These are generally sold on the open market as soon as construction is complete but to obtain the value of these would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years. [202413]

The energy costs recorded by the Department over 2003–03 and 2003–04 are as follows.

£

Overall the increase in costs is 13 per cent. although the figures for costs alone can be misleading if not placed within the wider context of changes in unit price, areas measured, levels of consumption and improved record keeping. The DfT estate comprises some 1,170 properties of varying size, use and nature of occupation and it is therefore not possible to make any comprehensive or definitive statements about energy cost increases on such a diverse estate, which may be attributable to these and other factors.

Increases and decreases in unit charges and area occupied can also mask efforts to improve energy efficiency so a better measure of performance is consumption where the overall usage was down 2.2 per cent. over the same period. For more details on consumption I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 October 2004 to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green), Official Report, columns 687–88W.

The Department will continue to aim to reduce energy consumption and meet other energy targets set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development in the Government Estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce an automatic e-mail notification facility for all announcements and publications issued by his Department and those public bodies reporting to him. [203683]

The Department for Transport does not currently offer an automatic e-mail notification facility from its website (www.dft.gov.uk). We have plans to make one available by the middle of 2005.

The News Distribution Service (NDS) issues all news releases on behalf of the Department, and posts them on the GNN website for universal reference. Any bona fide media practitioner can opt to have these announcements sent to them by e-mail, or by a variety of alternative distribution mechanisms.

The Department contributes to info41ocal, the cross-departmental portal website for local authorities, which offers an e-mail alert service.

Public bodies are responsible for their own announcements and publications. This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to reach a final decision on the planning inquiry and subsequent work on the Leigh to Manchester guided busway. [204231]

holding answer 14 December 2004

Following a public inquiry into this scheme under the Transport and Works Act 1992, the Department asked the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) to provide additional environmental information. GMPTE provided this further material in October 2004 and gave an opportunity for interested parties to make representations to the Department by 2 December. We have now asked GMPTE for their comments on the six representations received. When we receive their response we will consider whether we should re-open the public inquiry or deal with the new issues by means of written exchanges. It is therefore too early to say when we will be in a position to decide the application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) he and (b) other Ministers from his Department have visited Switzerland; and what plans he has for future visits by Ministers from his Department. [203600]

The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002. Since that date no Ministers from the Department have undertaken a departmental visit to Switzerland and none is currently planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a requirement for learner drivers prior to taking their driving tests, to take theoretical instruction on driving on motorways, dependent on the area in which the driving test is to be taken. [204181]

There is no evidence to suggest that newly qualified drivers are generally more dangerous than other drivers on motorways. We therefore have no plans at present to lift the current restriction on learner drivers using motorways. However, the theory test, including the hazard perception test, covers driving on motorways and other high speed roads, so learners are expected to acquire the appropriate theoretical knowledge. The Highway Code and the Driving Standards Agency's Driving Manual provide theoretical instruction to support this.

Learner drivers are also expected to gain experience on high-speed roads other than motorways before attempting the practical test and are expected to demonstrate their skills on such roads where practicable.

Newly qualified drivers may also take the Pass Plus course of training which includes motorway driving with an Approved Driving Instructor. The scheme is taken up by some 20 per cent. of pupils who pass their test.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people are employed by (a) Forest Enterprise, (b) the Meat Hygiene Service, (c) the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and (d) the Sustainable Development Commission; what the running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement on the future of each body. [203744]

The Forest Enterprise is an Executive agency of the Forestry Commission which has supplied the following information. The Forestry Enterprise employs 750 full time equivalents in England and its net operating costs were £22.7 million.

The Meat Hygiene Service is an Executive agency of the Food Standards Agency and ministerial responsibility lies with the Department for Health.

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the Sustainable Development Commission are advisory NDPBs and the running costs for each are included with Defra's accounts but are not separately identifiable. The total sponsorship and/or funding cost to the Department (which would include remuneration and expenses of members, administrative costs, research/programme funding and any other cost to the department directly related to the sponsorship of the body) for the last financial year is given as follows. The figures do not include funding given for specific additional projects that have been undertaken during the period.

We keep these bodies under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that its functions are still required and that the they still provide the most effective means of carrying out those functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the membership is of the British Waterways Board; what the (a) cost of salaries and expenses to members and (b) running costs was of the board in the last year for which figures are available; and how many staff are employed to service the board. [203759]

Membership of the British Waterways Board is set out in its annual report and accounts which are laid before Parliament each year. In 2003–04, the board consisted of a chairman, vice-chairman and nine members. The cost of salaries and expenses was £208,000 and running costs £22,000. The board has no dedicated staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,

(1) if she will make a statement on plans to introduce a licensing system for cockling (a) in Morecambe Bay and (b) elsewhere; [203797]

(2) what assistance her Department is offering to Cumbria police in their efforts to regulate the cockling in Morecambe Bay; [203799]

(3) what estimate she has made of the tonnage of immature cockles removed from Morecambe Bay in the past 12 months; and what assessment she has made of (a) the ecological and economic consequences of overfishing of cockles in Morecambe Bay and (b) trends in the (i) number and (ii) point of origin of cocklers operating in Morecambe Bay. [203800]

Management of local inshore fisheries is the responsibility of Sea Fisheries Committees.

North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee (NWNWSFC) is responsible for managing the cockle fishery in Morecambe Bay, and runs a permit scheme for one of the cockle beds within Morecambe Bay. NWNWSFC are currently considering extending this scheme to cover the whole of their district, and the Government are currently considering how we can best support this proposal.

NWNWSFC are responsible for enforcing their own byelaws. There have been a number of joint enforcement exercises planned and executed with, among others, the local police, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Inland Revenue, and Immigration Service.

Fishing is inherently dangerous. On Morecambe Bay the problem is mainly one of ensuring people in control of commercial cockling have proper regard for their own health and safety and that of their workers, taking account of the Bay's tidal conditions and characteristics. The HSE has drawn up and issued safety guidelines to those involved in the fishery. These provide the basis for inspections on the Bay, and at other tidal areas and estuaries around the British coastline. Since the unfortunate tragedy in February the most relevant local organisations have come together in the "Morecambe Bay Intertidal Shellfisheries Joint Liaison Group" to improve the management of cockling activity on the Bay through exchange of intelligence, and co-ordinated enforcement activity.

NWNWSFC monitor cockle stocks in Morecambe Bay and have powers to introduce appropriate management measures should they consider the pattern of exploitation warrants it.

The Morecambe Bay Intertidal Shellfisheries Joint Liaison Group regularly reviews the activities of cocklers in Morecambe Bay and is aware of the numbers involved and, in many cases, their national origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will outline the Government's policy towards commercial whaling; and if she will make a statement. [204679]

holding answer 14 December 2004

The Government are opposed to all forms of whaling other than limited whaling by indigenous people to meet objectively defined subsistence needs. We strongly support the International Whaling Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling and believe that properly regulated whale-watching is the only truly sustainable use of whale resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representation was made by the Government to the International Whaling Commission meeting in Borgholm, Sweden, in November this year; what discussions took place; what conclusions were reached by the delegates of the meeting; and if she will make a statement. [204680]

holding answer 14 December 2004

The UK delegation at the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) Working Group meeting was led by Richard Cowan CBE, the UK Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The meeting discussed the possible content of an RMS, the corpus of regulatory measures required to control commercial whaling should such whaling ever be resumed. The aim of the Working Group was to draw up instructions for a Small Drafting Group (SDG) on which the UK was also represented, to draw up draft RMS text for possible adoption into the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling at the next annual meeting of the IWC in Ulsan, South Korea, in June 2005.

The UK is seeking a comprehensive RMS, which would ensure that any future approved commercial whaling could not pose a threat to whale conservation and that catch limits and other rules would be strictly observed and seen to be so. No definitive conclusions were reached on any of the key elements of the RMS. Such text as the SDG was able to prepare therefore contains variants in square brackets reflecting the differing points of view of participants.

Some issues of a largely technical nature were referred to specialist groups, which will conduct business by correspondence and report back to the next Working Group meeting in Copenhagen in March 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for her Department in each of the last two years. [202351]

The estimate of the cost to the Department of ministerial cars and drivers in each of the last two years is £399,684.01 in the financial year to April 2004 and £369,855.17 in the financial year to April 2003. We do not hold information on travel by taxi centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the use of telephones in her Department by members of staff for their personal use relating to (a) domestic calls and (b) international calls; and if she will make a statement. [204105]

The Department does not object to the reasonable use of telephones for personal use as part of its objective to achieve a fair work/life balance for its staff. Line managers have a responsibility to monitor usage. Domestic calls are permitted but the majority of international calls are barred on all but those extensions needing access for official purposes. Call logging is used if abuse is suspected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has taken to ensure the telephones in her Department are not used by staff for making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers. [204106]

Extensions have international call barring. The only exceptions are where there are essential operational needs for such access. Call logging is used if abuse is suspected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated cost to her Department of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic numbers and (b) international numbers was in the last year for which figures are available. [204107]

The Department permits reasonable telephone access for staff to make personal calls to domestic numbers. Where there is a managed telecommunications service, call charges are for the most part absorbed into a fixed extension cost. In cases where telecommunications services are owned by the Department, call charges are incurred for domestic calls, although without intensive call logging it is impossible to differentiate between personal and business calls. The majority of extensions have international call barring unless such access is an operational necessity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken in the last 12 months to investigate the potential use of continuous sampling technology for the monitoring of emissions from waste incinerators for dioxin levels. [203367]

I understand that the Environment Agency has finished field tests of continuous dioxin sampling and analysis equipment. Reports on the field tests are still being written and will be available early next year. The Environment Agency will consider the regulatory implications of the conclusions of the reports when they are published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions resulted in (a) convictions and (b) custodial sentences in each year since 1999 for offences related to (i) water resources, (ii) flood defences, (iii) fisheries, (iv) navigation, (v) process industry regulation, (vi) radioactive substances, (vii) waste and (viii) water quality as recorded in the National Enforcement Database; and what the average fines were where custodial sentences were awarded (A) in total and (B) broken down by region. [200915]

The information requested is provided in the following table.

Environment agency: successful prosecutions and custodial sentences, calendar years 1999 to 2004 -- Date of report: 29 November 2004

⁽⁷⁾ April to December.

⁽⁸⁾ January to October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has allocated to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in each of the last 10 years; what plans she has for future levels of funding for the organisation; and if she will make a statement. [204177]

Over the last 10 years, the Department has allocated funding as provided in the table below:

£000

Currently there are no plans to change the funding level of the RCEP.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department takes to make sure that the cost and rigour of environmental regulation in the UK compares favourably with that of current and prospective members of the European Union. [203667]

All Defra's policies are developed using impact assessments that consider the economic, social and environmental effects of different policy options. The majority of UK environment legislation comes from the EU and, to ensure the quality of legislation, Defra must work effectively with our EU partners and the European institutions to shape policy. Defra has an excellent international reputation for usefully influencing EU legislation. Notable recent successes in the EU include bringing about changes to the REACH chemical proposal to reduce its burden on business.

Defra's internal organisation promotes detailed scrutiny of policy proposals during their development. Economists form part of policy teams in advising both on costs and benefits and on the best ways to achieve policy goals. In April 2004, Defra's Better Regulation Unit (BRU) was enlarged to promote the Better Regulation agenda. It plays a role in scrutinising policy and in advising policy teams on aspects of policy making. The BRU are also undertaking studies into red tape and the cumulative burden on business of the whole stock of Defra regulations. Here, as in many other areas of Defra's work, Defra benefits from close contact and comparison with other EU member states. A recent example is the work done in the BRU to reduce red tape and administrative burdens on business, building on a Dutch methodology. One of the nine principles of policy making promoted in Defra is the need to be outward looking—to draw on experience in other countries and regions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total external spending by her Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement. [202368]

From information held centrally, there has been no external spending by the Department on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total external spending by her Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the past two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement. [202358]

From information held centrally, and for the last two years to date, the Department has spent a total of £415,593 on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants. For 2003–04 the expenditure was £80,000 and for 2004–05 to date the expenditure is £335,593. Information on how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over the two-year period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; and what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

As part of its preparations for, and implementation of, the Gershon Value for money agenda in Defra, Pareto or detailed expenditure distribution analysis of departmental expenditure on professional services is now being undertaken, and will be made available publicly in due course. The analysis will define how many consultancy firms have been used by the Department over the past financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she received from (a) biotechnology companies, (b) environmental groups and (c) farming organisations regarding the application for a licence to import GT73 genetically modified oilseed rape into the European Union for use as animal feed (i) before and (ii) after 20 June. [204158]

Defra Ministers have not, either before or after 20 June 2004, had any direct representations from biotechnology companies, or farming organisations regarding this application. I have received one letter from an environmental organisation which included, among other issues, a representation on this case. The Application by Monsanto Europe SA/NV for consent to import and market oilseed rape grain GT73 under Directive 2001/18 was made through the Netherlands Competent Authority. As part of the procedure there is a mandatory EU-wide system of written consultation for each commercial GM product application before any decision is made. This provides all members of the public throughout the EU with the opportunity to make representations, which are taken into account during the regulatory process. The UK authorities assessed the dossier after the Netherlands had submitted their opinion and considered that further information was necessary before coming to a decision. Monsanto subsequently provided some further information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the policy of her Department is on land reform. [201672]

The Department has no proposals for land reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with farming bodies regarding the application of organic nitrogen in nitrate vulnerable zones. [203693]

The nitrates directive outlines the rules, including those restricting the rate and timing of organic manure applications, that must be included within a member states' action programme.

In December 1998, Defra's predecessor Department established an action programme within the nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) in England and Wales. During the development of this action programme, those Departments formally consulted with stakeholders, including farming bodies, on a number of separate occasions. Specifically:

November 1995: consultation on Proposed Measures to Apply in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and Draft Regulations Transposing the Directive in England and Wales.

December 1997: consultation on Draft Regulations Establishing the Action Programme Measures to Apply in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in England and Wales.

In December 2002, Defra established an action programme within the additional NVZs designated in that year. This action programme was effectively identical to that established in the original NVZs in 1998. Nevertheless, the Department provided the opportunity for further comment during the following consultation:

December 2001: The Protection of waters against agricultural nitrate pollution in England: How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive regarding (a) nitrate vulnerable zones and (b) nitrate derogations. [203694]

The Department has regular contact with the Scottish Executive on all matters regarding the implementation of the Nitrates Directive. Additionally, the Scottish Executive are a member of the project board that oversees the development of research in relation to the intended UK justification to the EU Commission in support of a derogation to allow a higher application limit for manure nitrogen within its Action Programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make representations to obtain a derogation to allow organic nitrogen to be applied in nitrate vulnerable zones up to 250kg per hectare. [203695]

Member States may allow a different application limit than the baseline of 170kgN/ha set by the Nitrates Directive, though they must justify that decision to the EU Commission. As a result of earlier discussions with the Commission, the Department has initiated research to support the UK justification for the inclusion of a higher application limit within its Action Programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the potential for plasma gasification melting technology to deal with nuclear waste. [202091]

The Department has made no such assessment. However, the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), which has been set up by UK Government and the devolved Administrations, is currently considering a wide range of options for the long-term management of the UK's higher activity radioactive waste and is very happy to receive suggestions via its website—www.corwm.org.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from (a) the Environment Agency and (b) the Environmental Industries Commission on oil pollution of inland waters; and if she will make a statement. [201130]

My officials are in regular contact with the Environment Agency which is responsible for enforcing the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 which were introduced to prevent pollution of surface and ground waters. I have received representations from the Environmental Industries Commission relating to its report "Oil under the Carpet" which calls for the regulations to be strengthened. My view remains that this would be premature, given that the requirements do not come fully into force until September 2005 and there has already been an encouraging fall in the number of oil pollution incidents reported since the regulations were made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what products containing organophosphates are authorised for use in the United Kingdom, in (a) agriculture, (b) horticulture, (c) industrial and (d) domestic circumstances; by which companies each is manufactured; what quantities she estimates were supplied in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement on their future use. [204162]

A list of products for use in agriculture and horticulture that contain organophosphates and are currently approved by the Pesticides Safety Directorate is provided in the attached table. The table also lists separately the organophosphate veterinary products approved for use in domestic circumstances and as sheep dips. There are no approved pesticide products containing organophosphates approved in domestic gardens, industrial products and domestic uses other than plant protection products are approved by the Health and Safety Executive.

Information on the quantities of each pesticide is not available as these data are not gathered by the Pesticides Safety Directorate. Data on total sales are collected for the purposes of the levy, but this does not include information on individual products. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate does not collect comprehensive data on the sales of veterinary medicines containing organophosphates (OPs), other than sheep dips. This is because OP sheep dips have always been regarded as presenting the greatest potential risk to human health. These sales data are collected under the adverse reaction surveillance scheme, and have been used to put into context the numbers of serious human adverse reactions being reported for OP sheep dips. The number of such adverse reactions reported to other OP based veterinary medicines is negligible. This year we have received no adverse reaction reports to any OP based veterinary medicine, including sheep dips.

The most recent figures available, which cover sales in the year 2003, show that there were 54,000 kg of organophosphate active ingredients sold in such products. Given a sheep population of around 36 million in the UK, this equates to about 1.5 grams of active used on each sheep per year.

Future use of organophosphates

Veterinary Medicines:

The independent scientific Veterinary Products Committee, which advises agriculture and health Ministers on all aspects of veterinary medicines, takes the safety of organophosphates very seriously and keeps their use in veterinary medicines under regular review. It has recently confirmed its advice that, on the basis of the current scientific evidence, there is no need to take any further regulatory action on these products, provided they are used in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions.

Pesticides:

All agricultural pesticides are subject to strict regulatory control and must be approved by Ministers before they can be marketed or used in the UK. Data are thoroughly evaluated by the Pesticides Safety Directorate. PSD's evaluation is subject to independent scrutiny by the Advisory Committee an Pesticides. All pesticide approvals are subject to a regular review programme including organophosphates, and a specific review may be activated at any time if evidence emerges concerning their safety. If appropriate, an approval can be restricted or revoked entirely.

Currently approved pesticide products containing organophosphates

Currently authorised veterinary medicinal products containing organophosphates

⁽⁹⁾ Approved for use as a commercial fisheries product

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total value was of contracts between community recycling organisations and local authorities in England in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002 and (d) 2003. [203664]

Defra does not hold this information. The hon. Member may like to contact the Community Recycling Network (www.crn.org.uk and 0117 942 0142).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many community recycling organisations were registered in England to collect waste in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002 and (d) 2003. [203665]

This information is not held centrally, as not all community recycling organisations are required to be registered with the Environment Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(1) what procurement policy the Government have in place for the use of timber in sea defence projects; and what steps she takes to ensure that all such timber is (a) procured from legal and sustainable sources and (b) certified by one of the two systems the Central Point on Expertise on Timber has identified as guaranteeing legality and sustainability; [202089]

(2) if she will list the sea defence projects planned for (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 which will use timber in their construction, stating (i) what type of timber will be used, (ii) whether this timber is procured from legal and sustainable sources and (iii) whether this timber is certified by one of the two systems the Central Point on Expertise on Timber has identified as guaranteeing legality and sustainability. [202088]

Defra funds most of the Environment Agency's flood defence activities and provides grant aid on a project-by-project basis to the other flood and coastal defence operating authorities (local authorities and internal drainage boards) to support their investment in improvement projects to manage flood and coastal erosion risk.

In 2000, the Government announced that Departments and agencies, including the Environment Agency, must actively seek to procure timber and timber products from sources independently validated as legal and sustainably managed. In 2002, Defra Ministers wrote to all English local authorities to encourage them to adopt responsible timber procurement policies. However, choice of materials to be used in construction of defences and whether they are obtained from legal and sustainable sources is a matter for the relevant operating authority. I regret therefore that parts (i), (ii) and (iii) of question 202088 could not be answered without incurring disproportionate cost.

I understand that the Environment Agency, as a non-departmental body of Defra, purchases timber in accordance with the Government's timber procurement policy. Currently this policy is to require contractors to supply timber products that derive from legally harvested trees. Bidders for Government contracts are invited to offer timber from sustainable sources as a higher quality variant and such offers are given preference where they offer value for money.

Timber used by the Agency in sea defence projects is predominantly tropical hardwood. The Central Point on Expertise on Timber (CPET) has concluded that all five certification schemes it examined provide assurance of compliance with Government requirements for legal timber. CPET further concluded that the Forestry Stewardship Council and the Canadian Standards Association will also assure central departments that timber products derive from sustainably managed forests. However there is very little certified hardwood available that is suitable for marine work.

The Agency is working with its supply chain to encourage more production of tropical hardwood that can be independently verified as legally harvested from sustainably managed forests. The Agency currently does its own auditing of timber use in the absence of any other independent verification.

The following table shows coastal defence projects on which authorities are likely to incur expenditure in years 2004–05 and 2005–06 and where timber is either likely to be used or to have been used. The table is based on forward planning project information provided recently by the Environment Agency and by local authorities in the summer and should be regarded as indicative rather than a definitive list.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much sewage was discharged into the Thames in each month of the last four years. [202071]

Table 1 sets out the monthly flow data of sewage discharges from Abingdon, Cassington, Little Marlow and Windsor treatment works directly to the upper freshwater section of the Thames. Secondary and more stringent treatment is provided to the sewage prior to discharge at Abingdon, Little Marlow and Windsor. Discharges from Cassington receive secondary treatment, and are to receive more stringent treatment in 2005.

Table 1

Note:

All figures are in cubic metres.

Sewage discharges to the Thames estuary are made by three water companies Thames, Anglian and Southern. The following tables concern discharges made by Thames Water.

Table 2 sets out the average monthly volumes of fully treated, to secondary standards, and partially treated, because of excess flows during wet weather, sewage discharges to the Thames from Beckton, Crossness, Long Reach, Mogden and Riverside treatment works. I have provided the monthly average as the volumes are fairly constant throughout the year.

Table 2

Table 3 sets out the monthly calculated volumes of untreated sewage discharged to the Thames from the five largest pumping stations during wet weather. As no data are available for the other overflows along the Thames Tideway, it is estimated that on average these volumes represent 60 per cent. of the total discharge from London's combined drainage system at these times.

Table 3

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with which supermarkets her Department has had discussions regarding policies on stocking UK-produced food. [203716]

As part of the Defra funded £3 million programme of support for the quality regional food sector, Food From Britain have held discussions with Asda, Booths, Budgens, the Co-op, Londis, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Waitrose to understand their local sourcing policies and to work with them and regional food groups to get more quality regional foods listed.

In addition, as part of the work under the "Action plan to develop organic food and farming in England" my ministerial colleague, the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), has had meetings in the last 12 months with representatives of Tesco, Asda and Morrisons. Officials have also had regular contact with the British Retail Consortium and the Association of Convenience Stores regarding local sourcing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list in descending order the percentage of (a) pork, (b) bacon and (c) ham which (i) was British and (ii) bore the Meat and Livestock Commission's Quality Standard Mark offered for sale in supermarkets in (A) March and (B) May. [203717]

The information requested is as follows:

Percentage

However, in addition to the above figures several large supermarkets¹ currently supply 100 per cent. British fresh pork, but do not carry the Quality Standard Mark. The British Pig Executive (BPEX) is working closely with them to encourage the use of the QSM on their packaging.

¹ Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and Budgens supply 100 per cent. British fresh pork, and Morrisons supply predominantly British fresh pork.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,

(1) how many cases of the liver disease blackhead have been detected in commercial turkey farms in the UK, in each of the past 10 years for which records are available; [204999]

(2) what measures her Department has taken to protect commercial turkey farmers from the liver disease blackhead. [205000]

Blackhead is not a notifiable disease so it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for the number of cases. Over the past 10 years the number of incidents of blackhead in turkeys recorded on VIDA by VLA and SAC for England, Scotland and Wales between 1994 and 2003 are listed in the table:

(VIDA-Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis database, VLA-Veterinary Laboratories Agency, SAC-Scottish Agricultural College)