Lords Hansard text for 15 May 200715 May 2007 (pt 0001)

Written Answers

Tuesday 15 May 2007

Agriculture: Pesticides

Lord Tyler asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the scope, analysis and recommendations of H2OK—Keep it Clean, published by the Crop Protection Association and part-funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was endorsed by Ministers. [HL3557]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The H2OK—Keep it Clean booklet (published February 2007) was not specifically endorsed by Ministers, but officials were consulted as part of the production process. This leaflet is part of a long-standing campaign on water protection from the Voluntary Initiative (VI) for Pesticides' programme of work, which aims to minimise the impact of pesticides on the environment. The VI is an industry initiative managed by a steering group made up of a wide range of pesticide interests, including the Crop Protection Association, which has led on this publication.

The VI is actively contributing to Defra's England catchment sensitive farming delivery initiative through a small consultancy contract to provide pesticide-specific environmental advice and training in catchments with known pesticide problems covered by the initiative. The H2OK campaign contributes to this work.

Armed Forces: Sea Cadets

Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will place the funding given to the Sea Cadets under the same conditions enjoyed by the Army and Air Force cadets. [HL3566]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The sea cadet organisation is not part of the Ministry of Defence and is therefore not in a position to be funded under the same conditions and mechanisms as Army and Air Force cadets. Each sea cadet unit is an independent charity under the direct management of a unit management committee and, by act of affiliation with the Marine Society and Sea Cadets (itself a charitable body), affiliated units form the Sea Cadet Corps. While the funding arrangements may be different they are effective, and the training choices and opportunities offered to sea cadets are comparable with their RAF and Army counterparts.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, having regard to Section 50(9A)(a) of the British Nationality Act 1981, a minor who is born in the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory would be a British citizen under Section 1 of the British Nationality Act 1981 in the following circumstances (a) neither the biological father or mother of the child was a British citizen or settled in the United Kingdom or that qualifying territory at the time of the child's birth; (b) the husband of the child's mother at the time of the birth, who is not the biological father, is a British citizen or settled in the United Kingdom or that qualifying territory at the time of the child's birth; (c) the child was conceived without resort to artificial means of insemination by its biological father and the mother; (d) the marriage between the husband and the child's mother has been lawfully entered into and is valid; and (e) the marriage between the husband and the child's mother was entered into primarily for the purposes of obtaining British citizenship for the child and is to be dissolved after the child's birth. [HL3508]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The child in this case would be a British citizen.

Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, having regard to section 50(9A)(a) of the British Nationality Act 1981, a minor who is born abroad would be a British citizen under Section 2 of the British Nationality Act 1981 in the following circumstances (a) neither the biological father or mother of the child was a British citizen at the time of the child's birth; (b) the husband of the child's mother at the time of the birth, who is not the biological father, is a British citizen otherwise than by descent; (c) the child was conceived without resort to artificial means of insemination by its biological father and the mother; (d) the marriage between the husband and the child's mother has been lawfully entered into and is valid; and (e) the marriage between the husband and the child's mother was entered into primarily for the purposes of obtaining British citizenship for the child and is to be dissolved after the child's birth.[HL3509]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The child in this case would be a British citizen.

Carers

Baroness Hollis of Heigham asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the likely cost to the state were the childcare element of the working tax credit able to be claimed by (a) grandmothers; (b) grandfathers; (c) other female relatives; and (d) other male relatives who regularly care for a child or children in their family for a minimum of 20 hours per week to enable the mother to work. [HL3581]

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are unable to make an assessment because the information required is unavailable.

Climate Change

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

How, following the United Kingdom climate impact programme framework, businesses and other organisations have integrated climate risks and climate change effects into their decision-making procedures; and whether they will give detailed examples. [HL3542]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The Government set up the UK Climate Change Impacts Programme (UKCIP) in 1997 to encourage private and public sector organisations to assess their vulnerability to climate change so that they can plan their own adaptation strategies.

UKCIP has produced a wide range of research, guidance and tools for different sectors. Examples include:

scenarios of climate change for the UK;scoping studies in all the English regions and the devolved Administrations looking at impacts of climate change; guidance for local authorities on how they might need to adapt;a risk and uncertainty decision-making framework; anda method to cost the impacts of climate change.

The UKCIP website (www.ukcip.org.uk) includes an adaptation actions database, which contains case studies that show how organisations in the UK are adapting to climate change. This database can help organisations to see what others are doing and identify what actions they might take to reduce their risks or exploit opportunities.

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to increase their research efforts into ecosystem threshold changes in order to augment the collection of important data as a basis of future recommendations for policies to prevent adverse changes such as desertification, soil erosion and destruction in tree clusters. [HL3616]

Lord Rooker: Defra's evidence and innovation strategy¹ sets out the department's research priorities. The need to better understand environmental limits (which include ecosystem threshold changes) is identified under several of these priorities and is being pursued through a number of means including:

research under Defra's ecosystems research programme, including a scoping study on “defining and identifying environmental limits”² which assessed the current evidence base on environmental limits and how this could be better applied in policy and decision-making;joint Defra and devolved Administration research on the “normal ranges” of soil properties (including those reducing erosion risks) for healthy soil function in the UK; and scoping work on development of the sustainable consumption and production evidence base, which is likely to pursue research on limits for consumption of non-renewable and renewable resources.

The issue will also be addressed in the context of the planned “Ecosystems Services and Poverty Alleviation” research programme, a joint initiative between the Natural Environment Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department for International Development.

Climate Change: Emissions Trading Scheme

Lord Leach of Fairford asked Her Majesty's Government:

What, in terms of reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, is the projected effect of the European Commission's proposed caps on allocation for phase 2 of the European Emissions Trading Scheme, assuming coal and gas prices remain constant. [HL3573]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): It is too early to say what the projected effect of the caps will be for phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme as the European Commission has yet to make assessments on all member states' national allocation plans (NAPs). The Commission has so far made decisions on 20 member states' NAPs. Six further plans have been submitted for assessment, leaving one member state yet to submit its NAP. Should member states accept the Commission's decisions, the NAPs that have so far been assessed would give a total cap of 1,663 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year between 2008 and 2012. This is against 2005 verified emissions of 1,685 million tonnes of carbon dioxide for those member states.

The UK's phase II cap of 246 million tonnes of CO2 will deliver savings of 29 million tonnes of CO2 per year and puts us on track to achieve carbon dioxide reductions of 16.2 per cent by 2010.

Climate Change: Greenhouse Gases

Lord Leach of Fairford asked Her Majesty's Government:

What have been the total emissions of (a) carbon dioxide, and (b) all greenhouse gases for each member state of the European Union, in each of the years since 1980 for which data are available for any member state. [HL3571]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The UK does not hold detailed greenhouse gas emissions statistics for each European Union member state. Most member states report greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These data, yearly from 1990, can be found on the UNFCCC website.

There is a longer data history for UK carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 can be found in the national atmospheric emissions inventory which is available on the website.

Crime: Money Laundering

Baroness Whitaker asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will advocate that the third EU Money Laundering Directive will apply to United Kingdom Crown dependencies and other overseas territories. [HL3555]

Lord Davies of Oldham: The third EU Money Laundering Directive applied to all member states, and covers Gibraltar. UK Crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories that offer international financial services have established independent regulatory authorities and have implemented laws and systems to prevent money laundering in line with internationally recognised standards. Regulatory standards and anti-money-laundering systems are independently assessed against recognised international standards by the relevant international bodies.

Demonstrations

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 23 November 2006 (WA 14), how they define “hard-line activist”; whether a register is kept of such individuals; and whether an individual has a right to know whether they are so classified by the Home Office; and [HL3471]

Whether an activist is considered to be “a hard-line activist” when he or she has committed an offence, or when they have attended a certain number of protests, or both. [HL3472]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The term “hard-line activist” has no statutory definition. It is commonly used to describe someone who is uncompromising in their views or beliefs and is prepared to commit criminal offences in furthering a particular cause or ideology. The Home Office does not classify individuals as hard-line activists and there is therefore no such register.

The term “hard-line activist” used by the Metropolitan Police in the context of the “Sack Parliament” demonstration referred to a group of individuals who were clearly intent on disrupting the work of Parliament that day.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Regulation

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many regulations the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has introduced over each of the past five years; how many were updated regulations; and how many were revoked without being replaced. [HL3595]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The department has made over 750 general and local statutory instruments since 2001. However, the department does not have a central database of revoked regulations or one which identifies those that are updated regulations, and collation of the data requested would involve disproportionate cost.

The department views the revocation, modernisation and rationalisation of its regulations as an essential part of its approach to regulating better. For example, the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005, which govern the statutory controls on veterinary medicines, provided much-needed clarity and improved comprehension by replacing part of the Medicines Act 1968 and 49 separate statutory instruments. To keep these regulations up to date and to maintain their ease of use they have been replaced by the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2006 as part of an annual exercise to revoke and remake them.

The Veterinary Medicines Regulations are one of a number of simplification measures the department is taking forward. The department's 2006 simplification plan, Maximising Outcomes, Minimising Burdens, identifies a reduction in the administrative burden Defra imposes on business of £159 million, more than 30 per cent of the department's total administrative burden. Copies of the simplification plan are available from the Library.

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has taken or is taking to reduce the burden of regulation. [HL3596]

Lord Rooker: Defra is committed to a comprehensive programme of regulating better. Our December 2006 simplification plan, Maximising Outcomes, Minimising Burdens, explains the action that is being taken across Defra and its agencies to reduce administrative burdens and to improve regulations. That includes removing redundant legislation without compromising environmental standards, seeking alternatives to traditional regulation and taking a risk-based approach to enforcement and inspection.

The simplification plan, which is available from the Library of the House, identifies over 130 separate initiatives that will contribute to meeting our target of reducing the administrative burden we impose on business by 25 per cent by 2010. Those initiatives are scheduled to deliver an annual administrative burden reduction of around £159 million, more than 30 per cent of the department's total administrative burden. They include:

movements of hazardous waste—simplifying paperwork for monitoring movements will deliver savings of £2.1 million;whole-farm approach—the administrative saving for farmers is estimated at £2.9 million by 2009-10 (based on current uptake);replacement of the Over Thirty Months Scheme with the older cattle disposal scheme—will deliver administrative savings of £3.49 million by the end of 2008;fruit and vegetable marketing standards (introduction of electronic certificates of conformity with EU marketing standards)—will achieve administrative savings of £3.22 million in 2007; and the game licensing review—realises administrative savings of £0.6 million per annum—starting in mid-2007.

Elections: Armed Forces

Lord Garden asked Her Majesty's Government:

What measures they have taken to assess the effectiveness during the 3 May 2007 elections of the new arrangements for voting by the Armed Forces; and when the results of any assessment will be available. [HL3621]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The Ministry of Defence carried out a survey in December 2006 to determine electoral registration levels and awareness of the need to register among members of the Armed Forces. Evaluation of the survey is not yet complete. I understand that the Ministry of Defence will place a copy of the report in the Library of the House when it becomes available.

In February 2007, the Government asked the Electoral Commission to review and report on the introduction of personal identifiers for absent voting in England and Wales and, in particular, the use of the personal identifiers at the 3 May 2007 elections in England and Wales. The Electoral Commission has advised that the review may include an assessment of the impact of the new provisions on members of the Armed Forces. The Electoral Commission has been asked to produce its report by 31 July 2007. A copy of the report will be made publicly available when it is produced.

Energy: Hotels

Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their strategy to reduce wasted energy in Britain's hotel industry; and what specific steps they will take to reduce energy wastage as a result of (a) lights being left on all day in hotels; (b) televisions in bedrooms left on stand-by; (c) 24-hour air conditioning; and (d) all-year-round corridor heating. [HL3568]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Emissions from the large non-energy-intensive business and public sector are rising and there is scope for significant abatement.

The Government's consultation on the most effective measures for achieving 1.2 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) savings per year by 2020 from this sector, including hotel chains, closed earlier this year. It considered an energy performance commitment (EPC), a mandatory auction-based emissions trading scheme and a system of voluntary benchmarking and reporting. The Government will announce which option will be taken forward in the energy White Paper.

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