HC Deb 30 January 1987 vol 109 c464W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total acreage (a) in cereals and rape and (b) in grass in 1986 and the forecast for 1987; and what was the increase or decrease in each case since 1979 in actual and percentage terms.

Mr. Gummer

The areas for 1986 and 1979 are set out below.

The 1987 area cannot be accurately forecast at this stage.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the operation of part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 has improved his Department's control over the disposal of waste at sea.

Mr. Gummer

By comparison with the Dumping at Sea Act 1974, which it superseded, part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 extended controls to marine incineration and disposal of waste beneath the seabed, increased the powers of Ministers in considering applications for licences, notably to take account of human health and the availability of alternative methods of disposal, enabled Ministers to charge fully for the costs of considering licence applications, monitoring sea disposal and to recover the costs of clean-up operations, and strengthened their powers of inspection.