| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Jan 2004 : Column 487W—continued
Farm Incomes
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the latest figure for the average annual income of hill farmers in England and Wales is. [150058]
Alun Michael: The average net farm income in 2002–03 for hill farmers in England was £17,960. Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business.
Welsh data are a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
Farming Policy
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on Government policy on the place of (a) environmental protection, (b) protection of wildlife and (c) animal welfare in UK farming policy. [149830]
29 Jan 2004 : Column 488W
Alun Michael : The Government are committed to help develop a farming industry which is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. The Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food (SFFS), published in December 2002 sets out how the Government will work with the whole of the food chain to secure a sustainable future for English farming and food industries, as viable industries contributing to a better environment and healthy and prosperous communities.
One of the strategy's key aims is to protect the environment and reward farmers for providing environmental goods. Last year's agreement on CAP reform will help further this objective by removing an incentive to overproduce. In addition, the cross compliance measures to be introduced as part of the agreement will help farmers to reduce damaging environmental impacts by making farm subsidies dependent on meeting good agricultural and environmental conditions. The CAP reform deal also provided for the switching of support from production subsidies to environmental and rural development schemes. In England, we have been running a pilot Entry Level Scheme designed to link key elements of good environmental management across a wider area than the current schemes. Provided that the pilot is successful, the scheme will be made available across England during 2005.
Defra is also carrying out a strategic review of options to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture, and will be consulting further on this in the near future.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) provides protection for wildlife and their habitats and sets out comprehensive statutory protection for all species and habitats. All wild birds are afforded statutory protection under the 1981 Act, which fulfils our obligations under the EC Wild Birds Directive. Certain animals and plants are also protected under the 1981 Act. In addition to the protection given to certain animals by the 1981 Act, further protection is also granted to certain species via the Habitats Regulations 1994.
Furthermore, England's Biodiversity Strategy builds on the foundations already laid in conserving habitats and species and aims to go further by ensuring that the implications for wildlife as a whole are considered an integral part of agriculture policy. The strategy encourages the management of farming and agricultural land so as to conserve and enhance biodiversity as part of SFFS.
Also as part of the SFFS, an outline Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain was published for consultation in July 2003. The strategy sets out the direction for animal health and welfare related policy over the next 10 years. It aims to improve the health and welfare of kept animal, and protect public health from animal disease. The strategy is underpinned by the principle of partnership between government and all those involved in and affected by animal health and welfare. It sets out the factors that will help inform Government decisions and the rationale for
29 Jan 2004 : Column 489W
Government intervention in animal health and welfare including the need to protect and promote the welfare of animals.
Fisheries
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the difference is in (a) species and (b) size of fish caught between paired trawling and single vessel towing. [150296]
Mr. Bradshaw: In 2003 fishing vessels using single trawl gears caught a much wider range of species than those using pair trawl gears. While both single and pair trawlers caught predominantly more pelagic species, a greater proportion of landings by pair trawlers comprised pelagic species than by single trawlers.
Information on fish sizes is collected for marketing purposes. However since this is recorded as size bands which differ between species, and because the grading of fish is often not recorded, it is not possible given the data available to determine how the size of fish caught differs between the two fishing methods.
| Percentage of landings by volume | ||
|---|---|---|
| Species | Pair trawls | Single trawls |
| Mackerel | 53 | 28 |
| Herring | 15 | 17 |
| Haddock | 7 | 6 |
| Blue Whiting | 5 | 11 |
| Sprats | 4 | 1 |
| Pilchards | 3 | 1 |
| Horse Mackerel | 3 | 1 |
| Saithe | 3 | 2 |
| Cod | 2 | 5 |
| Whiting | 1 | 1 |
| Plaice | 1 | 4 |
| Nephrops | 1 | 4 |
| Others | 2 | 19 |
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at what level in her Department the decision is made to pursue through the criminal courts the prosecution of persons or companies alleged to have committed or suspected of fraudulent activity in matters within the jurisdiction or responsibility of her Department; and whether such decisions are confirmed or reviewed by her or any member of her ministerial team. [150560]
Alun Michael: Decisions to prosecute for fraudulent activity are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors (4th Edition) (2000) by prosecution lawyers in the Criminal Advisory and Prosecution Division of the Legal Services Directorate General of the Department. The lawyers are bound by Code for Crown Prosecutors (4th Edition) (2000) and their task is firstly to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a "realistic prospect of conviction" and only then, if there is a realistic prospect of conviction, whether a prosecution is in the public interest.
29 Jan 2004 : Column 490W
Such decisions are not confirmed or reviewed by any Ministers although quite properly Ministers are informed of certain high-profile cases and may make representations to the prosecutor.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria are applied by her Department in determining whether to pursue through the criminal courts the prosecution of persons or companies alleged to have committed or suspected of fraudulent activity in matters within the jurisdiction or responsibility of her Department. [150562]
Alun Michael: Decisions to prosecute for fraudulent activity in matters within the jurisdiction or responsibility of the Department are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors (4th Edition 2000) by prosecution lawyers in the Criminal Advisory and Prosecution Division of the Legal Services Directorate General of the Department.
The lawyers are bound by Code for Crown Prosecutors (4th Edition) (2000) and their task is firstly to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a "realistic prospect of conviction" and then, only if there is a realistic prospect of conviction, whether a prosecution is in the public interest. In their overall assessment of the public interest in prosecuting such cases, the lawyers take into account all relevant circumstances relating to the commission of the offence including those set out in paragraphs 6.5 (c) to (e) of the Code and the personal circumstances of the offender including those set out in paragraph 6.5 (f) to (h) of the Code.
Information Technology
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what audit mechanisms are in place to determine whether information technology (a) hardware and (b) software products are being used properly in her Department. [150930]
Alun Michael: A considerable amount of work is going on in Defra to improve our IT facilities and systems. We are also seeking to improve usage and exploitation of the capacity of the Department's systems in the interests of efficiency and service delivery. It is against that background that the variety of audit mechanisms need to be understood. They are:
- The IT Audit Branch of the Department's own Internal Audit Division conducts a continuous programme of audit assignments (approximately 15–20 per year) in order to provide an assurance concerning the management of our IT systems' (hardware and software) lifecycle—specification, procurement, development, implementation, operations and decommissioning. The scope of audit assignments included in the programme is determined using a risk-based approach and ranges from in-depth examination of single projects or operational systems, to "horizontal" reviews of management processes which can be expected to apply reasonably consistently across projects or systems—for example, software licensing, infrastructure change management, IT governance.
- Internal audits contribute to an assurance that hardware and software products are being used properly within the Department, in the sense that projects/systems contribute effectively and efficiently to the achievement of Departmental objectives, are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements,
29 Jan 2004 : Column 491W
- apply mandated or claimed standards and acknowledged best practice, and are appropriately economical in the use of funds and other resources.
- The Department's Security Branch conducts a rolling programme of IT security audits focusing on compliance with Departmental IT Security policies throughout the Defra estate. It also co-ordinates the implementation of BS7799—the British Standard for the Management of Information Security. Internal Audit Division is responsible for independent review of achievement of compliance with this standard.
2. Other internal tools and mechanisms:
- There are IT-supported administrative systems in place to assist with the identification and management of IT assets (hardware and software).
- A fixed asset inventory is maintained on the Department's Resource Accounting and Management Information System (RAMIS) and holds details of fixed assets valued at £2,000 or more, including IT assets.
- The e-Business Directorate holds information about the software installed on our Office Systems network as well as about major server and application development software, and ensures that the correct number of software licences is held. An IT inventory management application is used to identify hardware on Defra's Local Area Networks.
- "Audit Logs" recording information concerning users' access to and activity on the Department's IT systems are automatically specified and implemented for all significant IT systems. These are generally for the benefit of system owners in day-to-day management of the system, but may sometimes be used by Internal Audit to examine for signs of improper use of the systems.
3. External audit bodies and mechanisms:
- External audit bodies which may examine IT management functions include reviews by NAO, and by EU Audit (where the system/function in question is involved in administration of EU-funded schemes). As with internal audit, external audits of administrative functions may also touch upon IT management issues and may prompt internal audit follow up.
- All new major IT-enabled business change programmes within Defra are subject to OGC Gateway Reviews and Health Checks, which examine and report on the management of Programmes, and can also be regarded as a form of external audit.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |