here - United Kingdom Parliament

801W
Written Answers
1 DECEMBER 2010
Written Answers
802W
(2) what the average sum payable as a grant of
widow’s or widower’s bereavement allowance under the
Agricultural Wages Order was in each of the last five
financial years. [27418]
Mr Paice: The Agricultural Wages Order provides
agricultural workers with an entitlement to paid
bereavement leave on the death of a close relative,
including a spouse or civil partner. However, it does not
include provision for the payment of a lump sum grant
in addition to this.
The Government do not keep records of the amount
of bereavement leave taken by agricultural workers.
Therefore, it is not possible to provide details of the
average amount of bereavement leave pay received in
each of the past five years.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many grants of dog
allowances were made under the Agricultural Wages
Order in each of the last five financial years; [27419]
(2) what the average sum payable as a grant of dog
allowances under the Agricultural Wages Order was in
each of the last five financial years. [27421]
Mr Paice: The dog allowance is a weekly amount
added to the minimum rate for a worker whose employer
requires them to keep a dog or dogs. The allowance is
paid in respect of each dog.
The Government does not have information on the
number of allowances paid to workers required to keep
a dog or dogs for the better performance of their work.
Nor is it possible to state what the average sum payable
to such workers was in each of the last five financial
years.
The level of the weekly dog allowance payable to a
worker required to keep a dog or dogs in each of the last
five years was as follows:
2010 7.21
2009 7.01
2008 6.86
2007 6.58
2006 6.30
Note:
All allowances are effective from 1 October of the relevant year.
Biofuels
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much wood
was imported for burning as biomass fuel in (a) 2007,
(b) 2008 and (c) 2009. [27552]
Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply.
Information collated by HM Revenue and Customs
as part of its statistics on overseas trade do not indicate
the final use for imported wood.
The 2010 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics
contains estimates of the total quantities of wood and
waste wood that were used for energy purposes during
2007, 2008 and 2009. Copies of this publication are
available in the House Library. The publication shows
the following information:
£
Wood for energy
purposes
Waste wood for
energy purposes
Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent
2007 2008 2009
332 359 375
101 162 165
Additionally, the publication contains the following
estimates of straw, short rotation coppice, and other
plant based biomass imported for energy purposes:
Total imports of straw, short rotation coppice
and other plant-based biomass for energy
purposes
British Waterways
Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent
2007 2008 2009
378 416 415
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent
discussions she has had on the future of British
Waterways. [25906]
Richard Benyon: On 14 October, the Government
announced that British Waterways will move from being
a public corporation to a charitable body within civil
society from April 2012. Government’s intention is to
issue a full public consultation on the scope and model
of the new waterways charity early in 2011. Key
stakeholders will continue to be kept closely involved
through ongoing discussions, workshops and meetings
with myself and DEFRA officials.
Carbon Emissions: Businesses
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans
to introduce mandatory reporting of carbon emissions
by UK-listed companies. [27113]
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is
on the introduction of mandatory carbon reporting for
businesses under section 85 of the Climate Change Act
2008. [26349]
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will
assess the merits of introducing mandatory reporting of
carbon dioxide emissions by listed UK companies; and
if she will make a statement. [27200]
Mr Paice: I refer the hon. Member and my hon.
Friends to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for
Hartlepool (Mr Wright) on 27 October 2010, Official
Report, column 319W.
Common Agricultural Policy
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent
assessment she has made of the effect on UK food
security of the operation of the Common Agricultural
Policy. [20736]