To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to encourage (a) the use of alternative crops and (b) non-farming livelihoods in the Afghan provinces. [144859]

We are providing more than £20 million over three years to our livelihoods programme in Afghanistan. This includes funding a Research in Alternative Livelihoods Project, (£3 million over three years) designed to help the rural poor in Afghanistan build new ways of making a living. Research grants will be given to organisations, which put forward innovative ideas for the development and promotion of new farming and non-farming opportunities in Afghanistan.Workshops will be held to share lessons learnt and information gathered by the projects being funded with other rural development projects across Afghanistan. We are also building the capacity of key Ministries to enable the Afghan Government to support the new livelihoods opportunities and engage with the local communities through newly established development councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the UK target figure for the Global Fund his Department has pledged for 2004–05. [141501]

For the financial year 2004–05 we will provide £30 million and have extended our current commitment through to 2008 bringing our total planned contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS TB and Malaria (GFATM) to US$280 million.At the 6th Board meeting of the Global Fund held in October, members of the Board of the Global Fund voted to move to a periodic replenishment model on a voluntary basis for all public donors, complemented by additional ad hoc donations. This is now the agreed system for contributions to the Global Fund and should put the Fund on a firmer financial footing.Future UK funding will be subject to the GFATM reflecting a clear poverty focus, achieving a better financing system, integrating the Fund's activities more effectively with national programmes and meeting agreed benchmarks to monitor its effectiveness. We have been working closely with the Fund on all of these issues and made some good progress at the recent Board meeting held in October—particularly on improving the financing system by moving to a more reliable system of replenishment based on commonly agreed performance measures. Good results will encourage increased contributions to the Global Fund—both from the UK and, importantly, from the wider international community and this will help to ensure its future as an effective instrument to tackle these terrible diseases.Our contribution to the GFATM reflects only part of the UK's significant contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. At country level, DFID has committed over £1.5 billion since 1997 to strengthening health systems so that better care and drugs can be delivered. Our commitment to HIV/AIDS is demonstrated by the increase in bilateral spending from £38 million in 1997–98 to over £270 million in 2003–04. We are now intensifying our efforts to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the recently published "Call for Action", we state that we will make HIV/AIDS a priority for the extra £320 million the UK will be devoting to development in Africa by 2006. We will also double our core funding of UNAIDS.We also contribute to other global partnerships, which work on different aspects of these diseases. For example DFID has contributed £48 million over four years (1999–2003) to Roll Back Malaria, a global partnership which aims to halve the world's malaria burden by 2010. This financial year we are providing some £1.2 million in support for public private partnerships to develop a new generation of affordable drugs required for malaria control. DFID plays a major role in supporting TB control and the adoption of good practice in countries such as India, Russia, Zambia, Nepal, Bolivia and South Africa. The UK is also a member of the coordinating Board of the global Stop TB partnership and in 2002–03 we provided £0.75 million to the partnership.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has, made of the implications of the introduction or compulsory identity cards for his Department. [142950]

There has been no assessment made.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on shortages of (a) antisera (anti-snake venom) and (b) anti-cancer medicines in Iraq. [143935]

Assessments by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Iraqi Ministry of Health earlier in the autumn indicated that there are no major shortages of essential medical supplies in Iraq. There are however still reported shortages of some very specialised supplies including antisera (ie anti snake venom) and some anti-cancer medicines.A great deal has already been achieved to re-establish drug systems in Iraq. The initial focus was, rightly, or securing adequate supplies of the most essential and most used medicines and vaccines. On 27 October, the Iraqi Ministry of Health estimated that 15,000 tons of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies had beer delivered in 150 days. However, new supply systems are not yet fully operational. Until these are in place, including comprehensive accounting and reporting processes to ensure that needs are identified before shortages arise, some problems will continue to occur.Work is currently underway in the Iraqi Ministry of Health to develop a national drug formulary. This will enable improved sourcing of drugs and a new purchasing structure which will facilitate the arrival of some drugs which were almost non-existent under the old regime, including top-tier cancer drugs and other advanced pharmaceuticals. Work is also being done by the Ministry of Health, CPA and WHO to develop a complete overview of missing drugs and supplies. This is scheduled to finish in three months.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on financial incentives for private healthcare. [144721]

I have met BUPA and others. We estimate the cost of financial incentives for private medical insurance, including tax relief on private medical insurance and vouchers for private healthcare, at £2 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are available to him to ensure that the resources he makes available to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the 2004–05 settlement for local authorities will generate council tax rises in that year no higher than the rate of inflation. [144734]

The extra resources for local authorities announced in November and in the pre-Budget report amount to an additional £760 million for local government on top of previously planned increases in grant. Following the provision of these substantial extra resources provided, excessive increases should not be necessary, but the Government have capping powers and are prepared to use them to protect local taxpayers from excessive council tax rises imposed by local authorities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer until what date and for how much money his Department has given financial commitments in relation to the funding of the National Programme for information technology in the health service. [144735]

Although programmes of this scale do need Treasury approval, the Treasury does not commit funding to individual projects. It is for the Department of Health to ensure that the national programme for information technology is affordable within its budget, without pre-empting the results of future spending reviews.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action his Department is taking to promote wealth creation in the North East. [144736]

All areas of the UK are benefiting from a stable macroeconomic framework, and the measures to promote entrepreneurship and set out in the pre-Budget report.Regulatory and VAT reforms could benefit 15,700 businesses in the North East:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with officials from the Inland Revenue regarding the introduction of Child Trust Funds. [144737]

I am the Minister with specific responsibility for the Child Trust Fund and I have regular discussions with both the Chancellor and officials of the Inland Revenue on a wide range of issues in connection with the Child Trust Fund and its introduction.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on Equitable Life. [144738]

Equitable Life's most recent interim accounts, which reflected its position as at 30 June 2003, confirmed that it remained solvent. However, the interim accounts also refer to the fact that it continues to face fundamental uncertainties over its mis-selling liabilities and, like all market participants, has had to operate in difficult economic conditions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the funding of healthcare through (a) charges and (b) private medical insurance. [144739]

We have met BUPA and others to hear representations on private medical insurance. The Government believe that the best way to fund healthcare is through general taxation and that delivery of healthcare should be on the basis of clinical need not ability to pay.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the proposed conditionalities to be applied to the proposed International Finance Facility. [144740]

The International Finance Facility would not impose new conditions on recipient countries.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people receive Child Benefit in Scotland, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [144528]

The latest available figures, for November 2002, are shown in a table which is being placed in the Library. Recent annual changes in the number of families in Scotland with Child Benefit awards have been very small.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to set up a realisation fund for outstanding Export Credits Guarantee Department debt. [144835]

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry informed the House of progress towards establishing the Export Credits Guarantee Department as a Trading Fund on 22 July 2002. Details of the structure of the Trading Fund will be set out in a public consultation document ahead of the move to Trading Fund status.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to public funds was of the Progressive Governance Conference hosted by the United Kingdom in July. [140566]

I have been asked to reply.The Progressive Governance Conference from 11 to 13 July was organised and paid for by the think-tank Policy Network.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) organised the subsequent Summit on 13 and 14 July for the heads of state or government of 14 countries. The final cost of organising the Summit was £251,929. This was met by the FCO. This excludes costs for policing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions disciplinary action has been taken against airlines for (a) breach of aircraft noise arrival and departure regulations and (b) failure to follow preferred routes into and from Belfast City. Airport in each of the last three years. [144601]

Noise and track-keeping procedure applicable at Belfast City Airport are a matter for local control by the Airport. The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested, which should be available direct from Belfast City Airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made against the EU target for biofuels to reach two per cent. of the petrol and diesel market by December 2005. [144771]

The EU Biofuels Directive (2003/30/EC) requires member states to set indicative targets for sales of biofuels for 2005 and 2010, and provides reference values of 2 per cent. and 5.75 per cent. respectively. Member states must report to the Commission by 1 July 2004, indicating the level of their national indicative targets for 2005.Current sales of biofuels in the UK are around two million litres a month, which is approximately 0.05 per cent. of the transport fuels market. This represents a dramatic increase since the position prior to July 2002, when the 20 pence per litre fuel duty incentive for biodiesel came into effect.The Department for Transport will be consulting in early 2004 on its plans for implementing the Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional money has been given to the British Transport Police in this financial year for their duties under the Terrorism Act 2000. [145133]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today [144178].

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional resources have been made available to the British Transport Police to take on anti-terrorist responsibilities since 2001. [144178]

The resources available to the British Transport Police (BTP) are a matter for the BTP Committee, which overseas the Force and sets its budget. The rail industry is responsible for providing the necessary funding for the Force. In addition to this funding Government has agreed to provide the BTP in 2003–04 with an additional £1.5 million for anti-terrorist response vehicles in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there were in (a) Suffolk. (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) Norfolk and (d) Essex, in each year since 1997; and what amount of revenue was raised in each of those counties. [143348]

Before the safety camera netting off trial began in April 2000 local authorities were not obliged to inform central government about their camera activity. Essex have netted off since 2000 and Cambridgeshire and Norfolk since 2001. The number of camera sites (both fixed and mobile) for each is:

2000–01	2001–2002	2002–2003
Essex	200	356	342
Cambridgeshire	—	15	40
Norfolk	—	44	60

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an announcement on the route for the A21 South of Pembury to Flimwell before Parliament rises on 18 December 2003. [144449]

An announcement will be made following full consideration. The Highways Agency is developing proposals for the section of the A21 between Kippings Cross and Lamberhurst. This area is particularly sensitive in environmental terms and it is important to achieve a balance between the impact on the environment and the impact on those living beside the existing route. I hope to make an announcement early in the New Year following further discussions with colleagues in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.The Highways Agency has not yet started looking at the Lamberhurst to Flimwell section of the A21 and the Lamberhurst bypass is currently under construction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support is available from Government to assist returning the stretch of the A421, proposed to be de-trunked around Great Barford, Bedfordshire, following the construction of a by-pass, to its rural character. [144820]

Once de-trunking of the stretch of the A421 at Great Barford, Bedfordshire, has taken place, management becomes the responsibility of Bedfordshire County Council. They will be able to apply through the Local Transport Plan process for funding of any works they feel necessary to reflect the changed character of the road.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further developments are planned to improve the safety and capacity of junctions on the stretch of the A43 between junction 15A of the M1 and junction 10 of the M40. [144480]

I have asked the Chief Executive of Highways Agency, Mr. Archie Robertson, to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he still expects the Air Accident Investigation Branch to publish in December its report of the investigation of a series of cabin air quality incidents involving BAe 146 aircraft and other similar incidents; and if he will make a statement. [144970]

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report following the investigation of a series of cabin air quality incidents involving BAe 146 aircraft and similar incidents to other aircraft is now complete, following extensive industry consultation. The report is to be processed for printing and publication in February 2004. Five safety recommendations were made during the course of the investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on (a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by his Department since 1997 has been; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by his Department through sales of works of art has been since 1997. [142360]

The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and since then no works of art have either been purchased or sold. All works of art within the Department have been provided on loan from the Government Art Collection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of drivers killed in traffic accidents were over the legal blood alcohol limit, in the last five years for which data are available. [144552]

The following table shows the percentage of drivers or riders killed in traffic accidents over the legal blood alcohol limit over the last five years.Percentage of Drivers and riders killed in road accidents over the legal blood alcohol limit

	Percentage over limit
1998	11
1999	9
2000	10
2001	10
20021	11
1Provisional data

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the key characteristics of drink drive casualties are, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) time of day, (d) month of year and (e) mode of travel; and if he will list the measures he has put in place to combat drinking and driving. [144554]

The most recent road casualty statistics are contained in "Road Casualties Great Britain 2002: Annual Report", a copy of which is in the House Library.These show that:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of staff in his Department contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff in his Department through the scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff in his Department. [143911]

DfT have only had a separate payroll from ODPM for the last two months, October and November. We can therefore only provide useful data for this period.October 2003: 107 staff donated to "Give As You Earn" (GAVE) out of a total headcount of 2049 staff. Percentage of staff = 5.22 per cent. Total charitable donation was £2471.90.November 2003: 107 staff donated to GAYE out of a headcount of 2,078 staff. Percentage of staff = 5.15 per cent. Total charitable donation was £2456.90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of all journeys was made by rail in England and Wales in the last month for which figures are available. [142616]

[holding answer 8 December 2003]: Data from the National Travel Survey on main mode of trip show that, over the period 1999–2001, 2.7 per cent. of all trips (excluding walking) by people in England and Wales were by rail (1.7 per cent. by surface rail and 1.0 per cent. by London Underground). Monthly figures are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras there were in Essex in each of the last 10 years; how much revenue was raised from them in each year; and how many speeding convictions resulted from them in each year. [142044]

The numbers of fixed speed cameras placed in total in Essex are shown in the following table.

Year	New Camera Sites
1994	0
1995	9
1996	9
1997	0
1998	2
1999	8
2000	0
2001	28
2002	9
2003	17
Total	82

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated average cost is of establishing a taxi rank in an urban area a) at a major transport interchange and (b) at a main road. [144883]

Taxi ranks in England and Wales are normally appointed by the relevant Licensing Authority. We do not collate information about the cost of appointing taxi ranks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on how funding for transport in London will take account of the projected increase in London's population between 2001 and 2016; [144034](2) what assessment he has made of the (a) infrastructure and

The Government's latest spending plans for London were set out in the Ten Year Plan for Transport, and its subsequent progress report "Delivering Better Transport". Spending plans and priorities are regularly reviewed. We will consider the case for additional resources put forward by TfL in their latest business plan in the run-up to next year's spending review, as well as the Mayor's emerging London Plan, which sets out his vision of the development of London over the next 15–20 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the case put forward for extra funding for Transport for London in the next spending review. [144247]

We will consider the case for additional resources put forward by TfL in their latest business plan. The Spending Review is expected to conclude in Summer 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the total mileage of roads in the Greater London area and (b) the total mileage of roads in the Greater London area where u-turns were forbidden for the last five years for which figures are available. [144884]

The total mileage of roads in the Greater London area is 8,959 miles (14,415 kilometres). Information on the total mileage of roads in the Greater London area where u-turns were forbidden is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether members of the Senior Civil Service are required to report an invitation to take up an external appointment in industry and commerce received whilst serving, and to whom; what restrictions they are subject to; and what obligations there are with regard to appointments in industry and commerce taken up once they have retired from their civil service posts. [143688]

All civil servants are subject to rules on the acceptance of outside appointments. These rules are set out in Section 4.3 annexes A & B of the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new recruits there were to the civil service in each year since 1997. [144657]

The number of new recruits to the civil service between 1996–97 and 2001–02 are shown in the following table. The figures shown are on a headcount basis and apply to non-industrial civil servants only. The figures cover information on 98 per cent. of civil servants, based on data collected on individuals and held in a central database. Information on the remainder is only collected in aggregate form.More detailed information on entrants to the civil service is published annually in 'Civil Service Statistics', copies of which are laid in the Libraries of both Houses. The last edition, based on April 2002 data, was published in July 2003.

Entrants to the civil service 1996–97 to 2001–02
Non–industrials
		Of which
	Total recruits	New recruitment	Re-instatement to the civil service
1996–97	29,000	27,910	1,090
1997–98	26,640	25,970	670
1998–99	29,770	29,230	540
1999–2000	38,700	37,900	800
2000–01	31,530	30,450	1,080
2001–02	38,800	38,290	510

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, following the reform of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, the resulting funds are to be made available to the community waste and recycling sector. [143987]

A sustainable waste delivery public spending programme, administered by Defra, has been established following the reform of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS) in April 2003, to ensure that sustainable alternatives to landfill disposal are widely available. The funds are being administered by the Waste Implementation Programme.Plans for expenditure under the Programme are at various stages of development and execution. So far, for example, a review has been commissioned to identify any former LTCS projects which, if continued with Defra funding, would support the Programme's objectives. Similarly, the Programme will fund relevant waste research and community groups will be able to bid for those funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average length of time taken to supply equipment to households under the Warm Front initiative has been; and if she will make a statement. [141941]

The Department has contracts with two scheme managers, Eaga Partnership and Powergen Warm Front Ltd. for the delivery of Warm Front. Heating materials are provided under separate contracts with two suppliers who have sub-contracts with a number of manufacturers.Following survey of a property, the average time taken to install measures ranges between 4 to 6 months for heating and 2 to 3 months for insulation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to lift the market restrictions on beef from cattle over 30 months old. [143610]

Ministers are still considering the FSA advice on replacing the OTM Rule and the OTM Scheme with testing. Defra has commissioned a study co-ordinated by the MLC (involving all sectors of the meat chain) to investigate the impact on the beef market of any changes to the OTM rule and OTMS exit. The Government are also investigating with the EU Commission the possibility of introducing an underpinning temporary market support measure to insure against any disruption to the market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of abandoned cars were set alight in the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [143843]

I have been asked to reply.In England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) conducted a Municipal Waste Management Survey in 2001–02 which estimated that 292,900 abandoned vehicles were removed and destroyed by local authorities. No data are available for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for that year.An analysis of national fire statistics shows that in 2001–02 an estimated 22,700 fires occurred in vehicles that had previously been abandoned. This estimate represents 8 per cent. of all abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed, as recorded by the Defra survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many vehicles she expects to be abandoned in each year before the End of Life Vehicles Directive is fully enforced. [143957]

It is not possible to estimate how many vehicles will be abandoned in the period leading up to January 2007, from which time producers will be required to take back end of life vehicles at no cost to the owner.Vehicle abandonment rates will be dependent on a number of factors, including the price of scrap metal.The Government have introduced a range of measures, including the advent of continuous registration in January 2004, which will enable local authorities to tackle abandoned vehicles effectively and make it much harder for last owners to evade responsibility for their vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total average cost per car was of disposal of end of life vehicles in the last 12 months for which figures are available [143955]

Based on estimated disposal costs of between £30 and £50 per vehicle, the total cost of disposal for end of life vehicles in the financial year 2001–02 was between £8.79 million and £14.65 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is undertaking to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide around Heathrow airport. [143793]

The Air Quality Strategy sets out the Government's policies and measures to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide and other key air pollution throughout the UK in general. Various emissions sources may contribute to levels of nitrogen dioxide in the Heathrow area. The Department is working with other departments, local authorities and other organisations concerned to secure improvements.Emissions arising in mainland Europe can contribute significantly to concentrations in London and the South East. Reductions agreed under the National Emission Ceiling Directive in UK and in other member states will cut emissions of oxide of nitrogen and other air pollutants at source.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets her Department has set to reduce the levels of nitrogen dioxide by (a) 2005 and (b) 2010. [143823]

The national Air Quality Strategy, published in 2000, sets a one hour mean air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide of 200 micrograms per cubic metre not be exceeded more than 18 times per year and an annual mean of 40 micrograms per cubic metre, both to be achieved by 31 December 2005. These objectives, together with objectives for six other air pollutants, are prescribed in the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000. Local authorities are required to review and assess the objectives and, where these are unlikely to be met, to work towards the achievement. European Council Directive 99/30/EC sets similar limit values for nitrogen dioxide which members states are required to achieve by 2010. The limit values have been implemented by the Air Quality Limit Values Regulations 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the polychlorinated biphenyls in the US ships intended for decommissioning by Able UK have been analysed to determine whether the waste meets the necessary standards for (a) incineration and (b) landfill. [143442]

Not yet. Dismantling work on the ships is currently prevented while matters concerning their future are addressed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to prevent further US vessels crossing the Atlantic for dismantling in Hartlepool. [143663]

[holding answer 11 December 2003]: The remaining nine vessels in the contract, will remain in the US pending the resolution of US legal action which prevents them leaving the US before April 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether planning permission for the construction of the dry dock at Able UK was within its period of validity when the American ghost ships were given permission to come to the UK. [143808]

Whether a grant of planning permission is effective for the development concerned is a matter in the first place for the relevant local planning authority and ultimately the courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received asking her to ban the slaughter of animals without pre-stunning; and if she will make a statement.[141953]

[holding answer 4 December 2003]: Following the recommendation in the Farm Animal Welfare Council report on the welfare of red meat animals at slaughter, a number of organisations concerned with animal welfare, and individuals, have called for a ban on slaughter of animals without prior stunning in this country.Jewish and Muslim groups have suggested that the practice be maintained. We hope to issue our response for consultation early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the UK Government's representatives are pursuing the policy of an eight-hour journey limit for slaughter animals in EU Council working group meetings; and if she will make a statement. [143844]

The Government is seeking a finite journey limit for the transport of animals destined for slaughter and further fattening, in accordance with our policy of replacing the long distance transport of animals for slaughter with a trade in meat. Journey limits cannot be considered in isolation and must be part of an overall package of agreed measures that provide a significant improvement in animal welfare throughout the EU and beyond.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for pre-movement testing of cattle for exposure to m.bovis. [144438]

All farmers have been sent a leaflet "Golden rules for a healthy herd", which advises purchasers to check the disease status of cattle prior to purchase.In February 2003, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a review of our bovine tuberculosis strategy. Early in the new year we will be publishing a consultation document which will represent the outcome of the first stage of that review. The consultation document will include proposals for short-term measures for reducing the risk of geographic spread of bovine TB from high to low incidence areas, including consideration of proposals for the pre and/or post movement of cattle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research she has commissioned into cod by-catches in nephrops fisheries; and if she will make a statement. [143719]

Defra and the other Fisheries Departments in the UK have sufficient data on the catches of vessels which take both nephrops and cod to be able to demonstrate that curtailing nephrops catches brings minimal benefit to cod stocks. We shall continue to draw to the attention of the European Commission the evidence we have on this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received concerning the Common Agricultural Policy reform options of (a) individual historic payments and (b) regional average payments. [143609]

We received over 800 responses to our consultation letter on CAP reform implementation. Most respondents presented arguments in favour of the individual historic, flat rate or hybrid models of allocating entitlements under the new Single Payment Scheme. We will follow our standing practice for public consultations in placing a list of the respondents in the House Library; making copies of individual responses available in the main Defra library (other than those where the respondent has specifically requested the letter or email be withheld); and providing a summary of views on the Department's website. Ministerial colleagues and officials have also had meetings with a range of stakeholders on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether compensation will be paid by her Department to farmers affected by the over-estimation of the wheat area for this year's harvest; and if she will issue a formal apology to farmers. [143587]

I regret that the error was made. Defra figures are only one of a number of sources of information available to the market and individual buyers and sellers have to use their own commercial judgment. Although there was an initial increase of approximately £5 per tonne immediately following publication of corrected figures, this had reduced by about half within a few days with the price back on trend. This reflects the UK's position as a price taker rather than a price maker in an international commodity market. UK production is only about 13 per cent. of EU production, and EU production is just over 20 per cent. of world production. On average, however, wheat prices this year are now some £50 per tonne higher than at the same period last year. They have risen steadily throughout the marketing season in response to serious reductions in supply elsewhere in Europe as a result of heat and drought in the summer. This has also coincided with a tighter global market which has seen world wheat prices at their highest levels in recent years. There was no discernable effect on prices when the provisional agricultural census results were published in the middle of September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are being taken by the Department to ensure that the estimation of crop areas is accurate; and what assessment has been made of the causes of the error in estimation this year. [143588]

The error in the estimation of crop areas this year was caused by unintentional double counting of holdings during the process of combining IACS crop areas with June Census returns. The computer program that extracts the necessary data from the IACS returns has now been rewritten to ensure that this error will not be repeated. In addition, the existing procedures for checking results will be strengthened and a risk assessment process will be instituted to ensure that potential problems are identified. Figures derived from surveys are always subject to some uncertainty, particularly when provisional results are issued, but every attempt is made to minimise this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that errors in estimation of the wheat area harvest are detected. [143589]

The error in the estimation of crop areas this year was caused by unintentional double counting of holdings during the process of combining IACS crop areas with June Census returns. The computer program that extracts the necessary data from the IACS returns has now been rewritten to ensure that this error will not be repeated. In addition, the existing procedures for checking results will be strengthened and a risk assessment process will be instituted to ensure that potential problems are identified. Figures derived from surveys are always subject to some uncertainty, particularly when provisional results are issued, but every attempt is made to minimise this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department takes to ensure the correct estimate of each year's wheat harvest is made. [143668]

[holding answer 11 December 2003:] Estimating the size of the annual wheat harvest depends on information from a number of different sources gathered over time. A provisional estimate of planted area is normally published in September based on a combination of census and IACS data. Provisional yield information in the form of a production estimate is normally published in October. Updated figures are normally published in November and January respectively.A number of checks are in place to verify the information coming in from farmers, the processes and the credibility of the aggregate results. Unfortunately, the internal error in the calculation of this year's planted area figures was only discovered by Defra statisticians after the area results had been published, and a corrected Statistical Notice was therefore published on 1 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the help available to dairy farmers to increase innovation. [143654]

Product innovation is, of course, for individual businesses to consider in line with the demands of the market. Nevertheless, Government can play a role in promoting innovation.Under the auspices of the Dairy Supply Chain Forum, chaired by my Noble Friend Lord Whitty, the Milk Development Council has been working with other members to establish a Market Development and Innovation sub-group. The objective of this group is to stimulate and co-ordinate innovation for the development of British dairy products by creating a forum for the exchange of market information and ideas that anticipate consumer needs. The group will also consider how barriers to innovation might be addressed.Furthermore, the Agriculture Development Scheme (ADS) offers grants for the various activities associated with the marketing of produce, including dairy products, and welcomes innovative applications. Support is also available under the England Rural Development Programme, which encourages the development of new products and markets through the Rural Enterprise Scheme and the Processing and Marketing Grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Office of Fair Trading to seek clarification of competition rules regarding the production, processing and retailing of milk. [143655]

The application of competition rules in the milk sector was discussed between Ministers and officials in Defra, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Office of Fair Trading during 2002. These discussions were prompted by comments on the impact of competition rules on collaborative ventures made in the report of the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food. The outcome of the discussions is reflected in the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food and in its Response to the Report of the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food, both of which can be found on Defra's website at: http://defraweb/farm/sustain/newstrategy/index.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many import permits her Department (a) granted and (b) refused for species listed on (i) Appendix I and (ii) Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in each year from 1997, broken down by species. [143756]

This Department issues over 5,000 import permits each year for a wide range of CITES controlled species. We do not keep precise statistics of the numbers refused but we believe that approximately 1 per cent. are refused on scientific grounds with a further 2 per cent. to 3 percent. refused on administrative grounds (e.g. failure to supply outstanding information or refusal to pay the fee).The breakdown between Appendix I and Appendix II species is not readily obtainable either. However, Annex A and Annex B of the relevant EC Regulation (338/97) broadly equate to CITES Appendices I and II. In recent years 11 per cent. of the permits issued have been for Annex A species and 89 per cent. for Annex B species.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department charges for a permit to import species listed on (a) Appendix I and (b) Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. [143757]

The charges are as follows:

	Fee
Plants and Corals
Application for fewer than five genera where the import, export or re-export is for commercial purposes	£7 per genus
Application in respect of five or more genera where the import, export and re-export is for commercial purposes	£5 per genus
Application in respect of any number of genera where the import, export or re-export is not for commercial purposes	£5 per genus
Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Others
Application for fewer than five genera where the import, export or re-export is for commercial purposes	£10 per species
Application in respect of five or more genera where the import, export and re-export is for commercial purposes	£8 per species
Application in respect of any number of genera where the import, export or re-export is not for commercial purposes	£5 per species

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Article 10 certificates her Department granted for the sale of species listed on (a) Appendix I and (b) Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in each year from 1997. [143758]

Article 10 certificates are issued under EC Regulation 338/97, which lists all CITES species in Annexes which broadly equate to the CITES Appendices. Annex A is therefore broadly equivalent to CITES Appendix I and Annex B to Appendix II. The Regulation requires the issue of Article 10 certificates only for Annex A species. The numbers of certificates produced for the years in question have been:

	Number
1997	5,738
1998	16,838
1999	14,498
2000	14,308
2001	18,754
2002	16,230
2003	116,150
1 To date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the development of new technologies to help reduce the demand for energy consumption. [142848]

The Energy White Paper recognised the need to promote innovation to find new ways to save energy in the future. We agreed with the Chief Scientific Adviser's Energy Research Report that energy efficiency should be a priority area for investment in research and development and an inter-departmental high-level group, on which the Energy Saving Trust and The Carbon Trust are also represented, is co-ordinating work in this field.The Carbon Trust has established the Low Carbon Innovation Programme, launched in 2002, which aims to accelerate the development of new and emerging low carbon and energy efficient technologies in the UK and provides funding across the low carbon innovation process—research, demonstration and development— by investing in projects and leveraging in further funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the cost and enforcement of EU environmental regulations in (a) the UK, (b) other EU countries and (c) applicant states. [143809]

In 1998, this Government announced that no proposal for legislation, which has a potential to impact on business, the voluntary sector or charities, should be considered by Ministers without a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). Departments are required to undertake RIAs for all proposed regulations and policies, including environmental regulations, that impose a burden or realise a benefit to business, charities and the voluntary sector whether initiated by the UK or EU. The RIA includes an analysis of the costs of implementation and enforcement. It is an ex-ante appraisal and it is an explicit requirement that consideration is given to monitoring and review at the appraisal stage.The RIA process will be strengthened further by the National Audit Office (NAO) taking on a new role as an independent evaluator of selected RIAs. The NAO will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to Departments.All RIAs published by Government Departments since January 2001 can be accessed via the Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit website (http://www. Cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/index.htm).The responsibility for assessing the cost and enforcement of EU environmental regulations in other member states rests with individual member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is the policy of her Department to use fair trade products, as a matter of course, in (a) sales on Departmental premises and (b) receptions and meetings involving staff and visitors.[142815]

Yes. As explained by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 9 December 2002, Official Report, column 92W, the Government are committed to supporting ethical trading wherever possible within the boundaries set by Government's value for money policy and the EC procurement rules.Defra's policy is to work with the department's catering service providers so that fair trade tea and coffee is available to staff as customers and can be served at official meetings and conferences when appropriate.To date, Defra and its caterers have arranged for fair trade products to be available at nine of its 11 staff restaurants, including Defra's HQ and a number of regional offices in Guildford, York and Crewe. At each of these sites the teas and coffees served as official hospitality are fair trade products. Efforts to identify potential for serving more fair trade food products are continuing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's plans to regulate farm animal welfare through Codes of Practice that have been recommended by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. [144533]

Defra takes account of advice from the Farm Animal Welfare Council when formulating and revising Codes of Practice relating to farm animal welfare. We are in the process of revising Codes of Practice for the welfare of red meat and white meat animals at slaughter and killing. They will be published next year. We also hope to publish revised Codes of Recommendations for the welfare of ducks, goats and turkeys by next summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average subsidy to eligible farmers in (a) England and Wales, (b) Yorkshire and The Humber, (c) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (d) North Lincolnshire is in 2003–04. [142778]

The table shows direct payments to farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy in the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund 2003 year (16 October 2002 to 15 October 2003). Some farmers may also have received market support payments, though these are available to traders as well. In addition, farmers benefited from the effect of the market regimes and import tariffs, which kept the price of many commodities in the EU higher than elsewhere. Questions regarding payment of direct grants and subsidies in Wales should be directed to the devolved authorities in Wales.

Area	Number of farmers receiving subsidy	Total subsidy (£)	Average subsidy per farmer (£)
(a) England	88,978	1,539,639,160	17,304
(b) Yorkshire and The Humber	10,506	191,985,666	18,274
(c) East Riding of Yorkshire	1,650	40,551,373	24,577
(d) North Lincolnshire	518	14,482,414	27,958

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who will lead the UK delegation at the December Fisheries Council. [142726]

I will lead the UK delegation at the discussions on fisheries at the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council together with Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development in the Scottish Executive and Ian Pearson, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on the progress of trials of active acoustic deterrents; when the trials will be completed; and when she expects to make an assessment of their effectiveness; [143540](2) what type of fisheries will be covered by active acoustic deterrents deployment trials; over what timescale the trials will be conducted; and if she will make a statement. [143541]

Defra is grant aiding a trial by the Sea Fish Industry Authority to assess the technical viability of using pingers on gill nets to prevent porpoise bycatch. The first phase has just been completed and the next phase with pingers modified to improve performance and to assess longer term durability is likely to start in February 2004. The timescale for this trial has not yet been fixed. The results will be presented in a Seafish Technical Report.The findings to date of these trials have been reviewed at a meeting of interested parties, including pinger manufacturers, under the auspices of a Biodiversity Action Plan for the protection of small cetaceans. This review has helped to inform the next stage of the trials. The trials will also be useful in determining the next steps of the UK Small Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy on which I hope to make an announcement early in the New Year, in consultation with the Devolved Administrations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the review of Deca-BDE; and what advice she has received on potential alternatives. [144388]

We have concluded the environmental risk assessment of deca-BDE carried out under the Existing Substances Regulation (EC) 793/93 and forwarded it to other Member States. Initial discussion has agreed that for the standard risk assessment, no further information nor risk management measures are needed. However, further data, not mandated by the Regulation, is available and this cannot be ignored. This information is of concern but it is not possible at this stage to conclude that there is a clear and unambiguous risk. It was therefore further agreed that the UK should recommend a monitoring programme, which will provide information as to the changing levels of deca-BDE in the environment. We are expecting levels to go down as industry controls its emissions more effectively. The environmental risk assessment is still being discussed within the European process and the final conclusion will ultimately be for the Community.The examination of alternatives (looking at both efficacy and cost) is a standard part of the next step of this process when looking to see if any risk reduction measures are appropriate. In the case of deca-BDE, some of this work has already been carried out on a precautionary basis—at present a ready, safer alternative has not been identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether she plans to introduce provisions on the use of bits and specs for game birds in the Animal Welfare Bill; [144529](2) what estimate she has made of the number of companies which use bits on game birds; [144531](3) if she will make a statement on the

One of the opportunities provided by the proposed Animal Welfare Bill would be the possibility of introducing codes of practice, including a code on the rearing of gamebirds, which would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. The codes would support a statutory duty to promote the welfare of animals kept by man. The code on gamebirds would better regulate the methods, including bits and specs, used in rearing. It is not known how many companies currently use bits and what the costs and benefits of employing specs are.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to address mistreatment of game birds. [144530]

Gamebirds are afforded protection under the Game (Scotland) Act 1772, the Game Act 1831, the Protection of Animals Act 1911, Protection of Animals Act (Scotland) 1912 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The proposed Animal Welfare Bill provides an opportunity to modernise the law as far as gamebird rearing in England and Wales is concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by her Department in 2002–03 was introduced to implement EU requirements. [141135]

The information is as follows:

(a) In 2002–03, 50 per cent. of primary legislation sponsored by the Department was introduced to implement EU requirements.

(b) During the same period, in the case of secondary legislation my Department was responsible for the making of 120 Statutory Instruments, of which, 57 per cent. were introduced to implement EU requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who are exposed to nitrogen dioxide in the Heathrow area; and how many people she estimates will be exposed in (a) 2005 and (b) 2010. [144099]

Defra has not carried out an assessment of the number of people exposed to nitrogen dioxide in the Heathrow area. Assessments have been carried out on the current and future concentrations of pollutants.Assessments of air quality impacts in the vicinity of Heathrow have been undertaken by the local authorities and by BAA plc. Having declared Air Quality Management Areas in the Heathrow area, the local authorities are developing action plans to reduce emissions. Some work has been undertaken on future predictions, for example by the London Borough of Hillingdon in relation to 2005. These assessments focus upon pollutant concentrations relative to limit values rather than exposed population.In the context of air quality work supporting decisions to be announced in the forthcoming Aviation White Paper, the Department for Transport has run air quality emissions scenarios out as far as 2020. I understand this work will be made public following the publication the Aviation White Paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the database of government-funded projects examining ill health and organophosphates prepared by the Central Science Laboratory in York to be publicly available; and if she will make a statement on research progress relating to organophosphates. [141211]

[holding answer 4 December 2003]: The database being prepared by the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) covers the whole range research into OPs, both Government sponsored and privately funded. This database can be accessed via the CSL website (www.csl.gov.uk/ops).Up-to-date information on the Government sponsored research into possible health effects of exposure to OP, including the findings so far, is available on the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's website (www.vmd.gov.uk). Some of this research was delayed in starting by practical problems arising from the FMD outbreak. The full results of this research are now not expected until 2006/07. These will all be peer-reviewed as a quality check before publication.The Veterinary Products Committee, the independent, expert advisory committee on the safety of veterinary medicines, has considered all of the results available to date and has concluded that none of these justify any additional regulatory action on the current authorisations for organophosphate sheep dips.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the options for the lifting of the Over Thirty Month scheme with regard to (a) biodiversity, (b) prime meat market prices, (c) the viability of the beef market, (d) the viability of British meat and meat products and (e) British meat exports and (f) Government finances. [142275]

Ministers are still considering the FSA advice on replacing the OTM Rule with testing. No direct assessment has been made on the impact of possible changes to the OTM Scheme on biodiversity although it is recognised that the marketing of slower maturing native breeds suited to environmental management would be facilitated by any changes to the Scheme.Defra has commissioned a study co-ordinated by the MLC (involving all sectors of the meat chain) to investigate the impact on the beef market of any changes to the OTM rule and OTMS exit. It is expected that the impact of a re-introduction of OTM beef would be reduced by import substitution and that the effect on prime beef prices would be minimal once the market adjusted. However the Government are investigating with the EU Commission the possibility of introducing an underpinning temporary market support measure to insure against any disruption to the market. British meat and meat products would be expected to benefit from the increased availability of competitively priced good quality lean beef, domestically produced.EFSA is currently considering whether export controls on UK beef from cattle born after August 1996 could be reduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what initiatives her Department is promoting to minimise unnecessary packaging and use of wrapping paper during the Christmas period. [143514]

Minimisation of packaging needs tackling throughout the year not just at Christmas. The Advisory Committee on packaging has recently set up a new Task Force to look at the potential for further reductions in the amount of packaging used by businesses. The Committee will report its findings to Ministers early next year.We would encourage people to recycle wrapping paper where possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on whether printer cartridges are included in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. [143954]

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: The WEEE Directive applies to whole products placed onto the market and not to individual components, sub-assemblies or consumables, for example, computer memory chips and graphics cards. The Government believes that printer cartridges fall into this cadre of items and are not separately covered. The eco-design provisions of the WEEE Directive would therefore not apply to them. However, these kinds of item would be included when retained within whole products, like a printer, when these become waste and are separately collected for recovery and recycling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of (a) Christmas cards and (b) Christmas trees that were recycled in 2003; what support she provides to local authorities with regard to the recycling of Christmas cards; and if she will make a statement. [144119]

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: The Department does not collect separate data on either of these two recyclates.Defra does support and take part in a Christmas Card Recycling Scheme run by the Woodland Trust that recycled 40 million Christmas cards (800 tonnes) in 2003. The charity Environ estimate that 750,000 Christmas trees were recycled during 2003 (approximately 12.5 per cent. of the total sold).Defra also provides a range of support for local authorities to help improve their recycling rates for all types of household waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the EC proposal to recommend that set aside rates be reduced. [143611]

The European Commission has proposed that the rate of compulsory arable set-aside be reduced from 10 per cent. to 5 per cent. for the 2004–05 EU marketing year. The proposal has been made in order to try to restore a more normal balance of supply in response to serious reductions in this year's cereals harvest as a result of prolonged hot weather and drought in Central and Southern Europe in the summer.The Commission estimates that the measure will increase the supply of cereals by around 7 million tonnes. It is not clear what the impact will be in the UK. There is normally around 400,000 hectares of land in compulsory set-aside each year, with a further and more variable area being set aside voluntarily. In theory, up to 200,000 hectares of additional land could be cropped in 2004 increasing UK cereal production by 1.4 million tonnes based on average yields. In practice, however, the additional output is likely to be significantly lower than this as the proposal has been made after many farmers have finalised their cropping plans for next season.Reducing the rate of compulsory set-aside may also have some impact on the environmental benefits which can be derived from uncultivated land, though it is difficult to assess this without knowing what land may be put back into cropping.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will implement the Single Farm Payment Scheme; and if she will make a statement. [143562]

We have already announced our intention to implement the new Single Payment Scheme in 2005, which is the earliest possible date provided for in the June CAP reform agreement. We are currently considering responses to a consultation exercise on how entitlements to payments under the scheme should be allocated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what historical data (a) her Department and (b) other publicly-funded bodies collate on snowfall; and what the predicted future annual number of days when there is snowfall are for (i) London and (ii) Edinburgh in (A) 2010, (B) 2020, (C) 2030 and (D) 2050. [144120]

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: The Department does not collate historical data on snowfall. However, the Met Office, which is an agency of the Ministry of Defence, records daily snowfall frequency and amount at 80 stations in the UK. Most of these records go back to 1971.In April 2002, the Department published new "Climate Change Scenarios for the UK". These scenarios include information on total winter snowfall amounts, but not number of snowfall days. The scenarios show that snowfall in the London and Edinburgh areas could be reduced by between 55 per cent. and 90 per cent. by the 2080s (compared to the 1961–1990 baseline), depending on the degree of future climate change. Scaling these figures back to the years in question gives

the following estimates of the reduction in snowfall amount at both locations, depending on whether there is a low or high degree of climate change:

	Percentage reduction
2010	17–30
2020	22–38
2030	27–47
2050	37–65

These figures represent general trends, not predictions of the amount of snowfall in specific years, which will be greatly influenced by natural year-to-year variability, particularly in the first few decades of the century. Further information is available in the full report in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the predicted changes in the frequency of the number of days when there is snowfall in the United Kingdom under future scenarios of climate change; and what regional variations were identified in that assessment. [144121]

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: In April 2002, the Department published new "Climate Change Scenarios for the UK". The scenarios do not contain an analysis of the changes in the number of snowfall days, but show that climate change will cause the amount of snowfall to decline significantly throughout the UK in the future. By the 2080s, large areas of the UK are likely to experience quite long sequences of snowless winters. Coastal areas and the English lowlands are likely to show the largest percentage reductions (up to 90 per cent. or more by the 2080s compared to 1961–1990 baseline), while the Scottish Highlands and parts of Northern Ireland may experience smaller percentage reductions (50 per cent. or less).In addition, in July 2003 the Met Office published climate change scenarios for small islands within the British-Irish Council region. These include the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Western Isles, Orkney Islands, and Shetland Isles.Both reports are in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what follow-up action has been taken since the Sustainable Development summit in Johannesburg; and if she will make a statement. [142041]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 845W, which noted that the Government would be presenting an overview of progress against commitments made at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). That progress report, which covers actions across Government, has now been published and is available at http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/eac-wssd/progress.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether any cases of the liver disease blackhead have been detected in commercial turkey farms in the UK this year; [143612](2) what measures her Department has taken to protect commercial turkey farmers from the liver disease blackhead. [143665]

[holding answer 11 December 2003]: Blackhead is not a notifiable disease so it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for the number of cases. Of the cases diagnosed by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in 2003 most have been in back-yard turkey flocks of under 100 birds, with a very small number of turkey flocks of under 2,000 birds also affected. We are not aware of disease in any larger turkey flocks.Following the recent withdrawal of the only remaining authorised medication for the treatment of birds infected with Blackhead, the UK is pressing the EU Commission to keep the disease situation under review with a view to adopting remedial measures if the disease risk increases significantly.Good biosecurity is a key measure in the prevention of a number of poultry diseases including Blackhead. To reinforce this message, Defra has placed on its website guidance for poultry producers to minimise the risk of Blackhead. In addition VLA Regional Laboratories have circulated an update on blackhead including advice on control to veterinary practices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she plans to reduce spending pressures on local government in respect of waste next year, as announced in the statement by the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), Official Report, 19 November 2003, column 786. [143316]

[holding answer 10 December 2003]: We have announced that we are putting back the start date of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme to 2005. This is consistent with the views expressed by local authorities in the recent consultation on the implementation of the scheme. It will reduce spending pressures by around £10m overall.The Department is looking urgently at the options for meeting the remainder of its commitment to relieve spending pressures, and will be making an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department gave his constituent, Mr. Ross Donovan, in relation to his company's compliance with Directive 2000/76/EC on the Incineration of Waste when he first contacted her Department; when this advice changed; and what advice her Department is currently able to give. [143854]

The Department's first contact with Mr. Donovan, (who is the hon. Member's constituent and not the Secretary of State's) and his company was on 19 September 2003. Mr. Donovan had previously had discussions with the Environment Agency and attended a meeting at the Agency's Huntingdon office on 24 July 2003. During that meeting, Mr. Donovan was advised that there was a possibility that his plant would be subject to the Waste Incineration Directive and the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (the PPC Regulations). Following the meeting, this advice was confirmed in a letter to Mr. Donovan of 13 August 2003. The letter also stated that the plant may fall within the regulatory remit of the appropriate local authority in England and Wales or the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), depending on where the plant would be located.Prior to transposition of the Waste Incineration Directive at the end of 2002 it was difficult for the Environment Agency to be able to provide firm advice to every operator on whether they would be subject to it However, my Department consulted on draft Regulations and Directions during the summer of 2002. The transposition of the Waste Incineration Directive and the publication by my Department of draft "Guidance on the Directive 2000/76/EC on the Incineration of Waste" was publicised through articles in the trade press and at a ministerial press conference in January 2003.A group of my officials visited Mr. Donovan on 12 November 2003 to consider his case, at which time he was again advised that it was possible that his plant would be subject to the Waste Incineration Directive and the PPC Regulations. Following the visit and further consideration of Mr. Donovan's plant by my officials working with the Environment Agency, I will write to the hon. Member shortly with the outcome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to ensure that the polluter pays principle applies to the (a) collection of and (b) management of municipal waste. [143281]

The Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC as amended by 91/156/EEC) sets out a range of measures on the management of waste including its collection and disposal. These measures include Article 8 which requires that "any holder of waste has it handled by a private or public waste collector"; and Article 15 which provides that "In accordance with the 'polluter pays' principle, the cost of disposing of waste must be borne by the holder who has it handled by a waste collector."The Government have put a range of measures in place under Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 to comply with the Directive's requirements. These measures include the arrangements for the collection and disposal of household waste by waste collection and disposal authorities. The cost of collection and disposal under these arrangements is met through taxation and charges. Most commercial and industrial waste is collected and disposed of by the private sector under arrangements which comply with the Directive. The cost of collection and disposal under these arrangement is met through charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 local authorities had the (a) highest and (b) lowest recycling rates in the last year for which figures are available. [143282]

The percentage of household waste recycled and composted by the 10 highest and lowest performing local authorities, for which the most recent data available are 2001–02, is presented in the following table.

Local authority	Percentage of household waste recycled and composted in 2001–02
Daventry District Council	43.7
Lichfield District Council	32.8
Eastleigh Borough Council	29.5
Forest Heath District Council	29.2
St. Edmundsbury Borough Council	29.1
Dorset County Council	27.2
Chiltern District Council	26.8
Melton Borough Council	26.1
Bath and North East Somerset Council	24.9
New Forest District Council	23.6
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council	2.2
Liverpool City Council Metropolitan Borough Council	2.1
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council	2.0
Bolsover District Council	1.9
North Cornwall District Council	1.8
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council	1.6
Cannock Chase Council	1.6
Sunderland City Council	1.3
Hackney London Borough	1.2
London Corporation	0.1
1Municipal Waste Management Survey 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what high temperature incineration capacity she estimates the UK will require when provisions of the Landfill Directive relating to hazardous waste are implemented in the UK. [143283]

Current high temperature incineration capacity (HTI) in the UK is approximately 110,000 tonnes per annum. Work undertaken for the Hazardous Waste Forum suggests that the demand for HTI is likely to increase, but that the level of any increase is dependent on a number of factors, not least future arisings of hazardous waste. The Forum continues to keep these issues under review, in particular through the treatment and capacity task force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional (a) recycling, (b) composting, (c) energy recovery and (d) hazardous waste treatment capacity will be required in England to achieve compliance with the Landfill Directive in (a) 2009, (b) 2013 and (c) 2020. [143284]

Waste Strategy 2000 provided five estimates of waste management options over the period 2000 to 2020. A 'base case' was modelled so that the additional cost of meeting the landfill targets for biodegradable waste and the waste strategy goals could be calculated. The other four models provided different mixes of recycling, composting and incineration and the additional capacity required for those facilities under each option.Cases 3 and 4 (increasing levels of recycling and composting with some incineration with energy recovery) were designed to meet the waste strategy targets, as well as the requirements of the Landfill Directive.The actual figures for additional capacity can be seen in annex C in Part Two of Waste Strategy 2000 (table C8 on page 194). A copy of the strategy is in the House of Common's Library and can also be accessed through the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/cm4693/index.htm.Future hazardous waste treatment capacity required under the Landfill Directive depends in part on future arisings of hazardous waste. Currently some 5 million tonnes of hazardous waste is consigned each year in England and Wales. Analysis in support of the Hazardous Waste Forum shows that future arisings of hazardous waste will be affected, among other matters, by future levels of waste minimisation balanced against changes to the hazardous waste list. Nevertheless, the Landfill Directive requires all hazardous waste to be treated prior to landfill or to be dealt with in an alternative treatment option altogether, such as high temperature incineration or co-incineration. It is clear that new treatment plants for hazardous waste will be required, for example to solidify waste, and to enable hazardous waste to meet the landfill waste acceptance criteria under the Directive. The Hazardous Waste Forum is considering these issues and requirements in detail through its treatment and capacity task force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of (a) glass, (b) paper, (c) wood, (d) plastic and (e) metal containers were recycled by community organisations in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002; what the average cost per tonne was; and if she will make a statement on how their performance was audited. [143286]

As part of Defra's Municipal Waste Management Survey, local authorities are asked to submit any data on recycling carried out by community organisations in their area, that they are aware of. The responses for 2000–01 and 2001–02 are shown in the table. The data are not believed to be comprehensive.

	Voluntary/private collections
Material recycled in thousand tonnes	2000–01	2001–02
Paper and card	24	13
Glass	1	1
Compost	1	1
Scrap metal and white goods	0	0
Textiles	4	1
Cans	0	0
Plastics	0	0
Co-mingled	2	4
Other (inc. oils, batteries, aluminiumfoil, books and shoes)	4	14
Total	35	34

The Community Recycling Network, a national umbrella organisation for community and not-for-profit waste management groups claims that their members account for approximately 7 per cent. of the total material collected from households for recycling in the UK.This Department does not collect the requested cost data nor does it audit the performance of community waste organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the waste management sector on incorporating combined heat and power in new developments. [143287]

The Department recognises that CHP has a part to play in effective waste management, as demonstrated in the recent changes to the criteria applied to waste PFI projects. These were in direct response to the views of the market and the waste management sector will be invited to contribute to a wider review of the criteria which is now in train.We also provide direct support to energy from waste projects through our Community Energy programme, delivering community heating mainly through the use of CHP. Meetings with the waste management sector have resulted in five energy from waste schemes receiving more than £2.5m or over 10 per cent. of the funding awarded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money has been spent on collecting and managing municipal waste in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997; and how much on average it cost to collect and manage one tonne of municipal waste in the UK in each year since 1997. [143291]

Annual net current expenditure by English waste authorities for providing the services of collection and disposal of municipal waste are taken from annual ODPM Local Authority Revenue Outturn Returns. Annual municipal waste arisings are taken from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey.The data are listed as follows are for the financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02 and are for English local authorities. An average net cost of managing one tonne of municipal waste has been estimated based on this data. Financial data exclude any capital charges.

Financial year	(a) Municipal waste arisings (thousand tones)	(b) Net current expenditure (£000)	(b/a) Cost to manage one tonne of municipal waste (£
1997–98	25,711	1,198,880	46.63
1998–99	26,337	1,281,919	48.67
1999–2000	27,480	1,423,278	51.79
2000–01	28,057	1,521,338	54.22
2001–02	28,823	1,653,856	57.38

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances solid polychlorinated biphenyls can be (a) landfilled and (b) incinerated. [143506]

Wastes contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (RGBs) can only be landfilled where the authorisation allows it. Limit values apply to all deposits of PCB contaminated waste and are given in Government guidance (Waste Management Paper No 6—"Polychlorinated Biphenyls").Additionally, implementation of the Landfill Directive will subject any solid PCB contaminated waste to the pre-treatment requirements and waste acceptance criteria.Similarly, PCBs can be incinerated in hazardous waste incinerators which have been authorised to burn such wastes. These incinerators are required to meet the stringent emission limits specified in the Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive (94/67/EC).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the rate of landfill tax is in other member states of the European Union where such a tax is levied. [143290]

The Strategy Unit Report 'Waste not, Want not' published in November 2002 contained the following table:

European Union state	Tax rates (£/tonne)
Austria	18–54
Belgium	3–14
Denmark	28
Finland	9
France	4
Germany	None
Greece	None
Ireland	None
Italy	0.6–16
Luxembourg	None
Netherlands	8–40
Portugal	None
Spain	None
Sweden	17
UK	2–13