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Coin-operated Telephone Boxes
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether it is still necessary to provide coin-operated telephone boxes; and how many such boxes have been broken into over the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.[HL1593]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): The matter raised is the responsibility of the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the noble Lord. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Single Farm Payment Scheme
The Duke of Montrose asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they currently have plans to publish a consultation document on the conditions for cross-compliance under the single farm payment policy; and, if so, when these will be published.[HL1710]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): It has always been the Government's intention to hold a public consultation on cross-compliance. I expect that the consultation will be announced shortly.
Common Agricultural Policy and Digital Mapping
The Earl of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the total number of staff at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs engaged on (a) the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy; (b) the administering of CAP payments to farmers; and (c) the digital mapping exercise.[HL1711]
Lord Whitty: The table below shows the number of staff working on the common agricultural policy (CAP) mid-term review, the administration of CAP payments to farmers and the digital mapping exercise at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The RPA is an executive agency of Defra and is the single paying agency responsible for CAP schemes in England.
| Defra(1) | RPA(2) | Total | |
| (a) mid-term review | 11 | 19 | 30 |
| (b) CAP payments | — | 3,034 | 3,034 |
| (c) digital mapping | — | 23 | 23 |
| Total | 11 | 3,076 | 3,087 |
(1) For core-Defra a total of 11 staff are working full-time in the team implementing CAP reform following the mid-term review, and a significant number of others are devoting varying parts of their time to this area of work.
(2) These figures include all staff engaged in support areas but do not include staff working for the British Cattle Movement Service, or those staff on career breaks.
The Earl of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: The table below shows the number of consultants and advisers working on the common agricultural policy (CAP) mid-term review, the administration of CAP payments to farmers and the digital mapping exercise at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The RPA is an executive agency of Defra and is the single paying agency responsible for CAP schemes in England.
(3) This figure consists of eight consultants supporting the RPA in the delivery of CAP reform and a further 18 consultants employed by information systems suppliers to design and build computer systems to run the new single farm payment scheme.
In addition to the above there are currently 99 consultants employed on the RPA change programme.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Whitty: No specific advice is given to beekeepers on the handling of pesticides including those containing imidacloprid, but advice is available to pesticide users via the pesticide label, the code of practice for the safe use of pesticides on farms and holdings, and the spray liaison officer from the British Beekeeping Association.
All pesticides containing imidacloprid approved in the UK are required to state on the label that the product is harmful to bees and must not be used on crops in flower (where they are pesticides approved for agricultural use) or when bees are present (amateur uses).
The code of practice advises pesticide users to check for bees foraging or visiting plants before using the product, to follow the pesticide instructions carefully, and to avoid spray drift into foraging areas. It also
Provided these products are used in accordance with their statutory conditions of approval, and in line with the code of practice, they should pose no risk to non-target species or the wider environment.
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Davies of Oldham: There are no plans to widen the A34 between Winchester and the M40. A study is in progress to assess major transport issues in the corridor and the work needed to establish solutions across all modes. Also a draft route management strategy for the A34 has resulted in suggestions that climbing lanes should be provided.
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Davies of Oldham: On the basis of traffic data collected in 2002, the last year for which figures are readily available, the most heavily trafficked and congested section of the A34 is the section from Didcot, round Oxford, and up to the M40. The highest flow for lorries was between 1300 and 1400 hours on the link approaching M40 (junction 9) where there were 750 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in total, two-way. Over the whole section, the range of lorry flows for the most congested hour was between 600 and 750 (HGVs), two-way, representing around 13 per cent of total traffic.
Traffic flows for HGVs over a 24-hour period are recorded in a category covering all vehicles over 5.2 metres in length, the majority being HGVs. The average figure for this category on the most congested section of the A34 given above was 520 vehicles per hour. This represent around 19 per cent of total traffic for that 24-hour period.
How many consultants and advisers are currently working for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on (a) the mid-term review; (b) the administering of common agricultural policy payments to farmers; and (c) the digital mapping exercise.[HL1712]
Defra RPA Total
(a) mid-term review 3 26(1) 29
(b) CAP payments — 73 73
(c) digital mapping — 1 1
Total 3 100 103
What advice they have given to beekeepers with regard to the handling of products containing the active ingredient imidacloprid.[HL1752]
What plans they have to widen parts of the A34 between Winchester and the junction with the M40 north of Oxford.[HL1774]
What is the range of traffic flows of lorries on the most congested section of the A34 (a) for the most congested hour; and (b) averaged over 24 hours.[HL1775]
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