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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect of her Department's actions and policies on Blackpool, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001. [215748] Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take my hon. Friend directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/ default.asp. In addition the Office for National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http:// www.statistics.gov.uk. Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Blackpool, South constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office for National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ geography/default.asp. The following information may help provide a "word picture" of the way Defra's work benefits Blackpool, South. Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to deliver a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 2003-04 and 25 per cent. by 2005-06. Defra has, since its establishment in 2001, set up a number of funding mechanisms to help local authorities achieve their targets. It is not possible to be specific as to how successful the Blackpool, South constituency has been in obtaining some of the available funding. However, as a result of allocations from these funds, the residents of the borough of Blackpool should, over the next few years, reap the benefits. Since 2001 a total of £1,106,836 has been awarded to the borough to expand kerbside recycling schemes. Defra has overall policy responsibility for flood .and coastal erosion risk in England and funds most of the activities of the Environment Agency (EA) in this area. Defra also provides grant aid on a project-by-project basis to the other flood and coastal defence operating authorities (local authorities and internal drainage boards) to support their investment in improvement works. Improvement projects funded by Defra, including those of the EA, must meet specified economic, technical and environmental criteria and achieve an appropriate "priority score" to be eligible for funding. Defra does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on what specific projects to carry out. The works programme to manage risk is driven by the operating authorities. Details of Defra grant aid paid to Blackpool borough council for coast protection works carried out under the Coast Protection Act from 1997 to date are: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. £ 1997 3,246,295 1998 5,333,593 1999 2,693,727 2000 6,320,596 2001 1,295,302 2002 1,850,269 2003 1,128,269 2004 400,873 2005 670,003 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 1149-50W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity. Common Agricultural Policy Payments to farm based schemes in the Blackpool, South constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to £4,426.59 The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Exfensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c1650-1W;432 c1645-7W; 215748

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Government departments Policy Blackpool

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk