HC Deb 19 April 2004 vol 420 cc132-4W
Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which(a) research on climate change and (b) climate change models her Department has used in the development of policy on climate change. [165282]

Mr. Morley

The Department draws on a wide body of research in developing policy on climate change, including primarily the assessments of research by the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the results of research commissioned by my Department. It also draws on research undertaken by the Research Councils and commissioned by other Government departments for their own requirements. The development and use of climate prediction models by the Met Office's Hadley center forms a significant component of the Department's commissioned research programme and such models contribute to the development of policy on climate change.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of climate change on the yield of the principal crops grown in the United Kingdom over the next 50 years. [165283]

Mr. Morley

Over the past 15 years a considerable amount of research has beer funded, through both MAFF and Defra, on Climate Impacts on Agriculture—including effects on crop yields.

A summary of the research was published in February 2000 entitled: "Climate Change and Agriculture in the United Kingdom" which is available online at http:// www.defra.gov.uk/environ/climate/climatechange/index.htm.

Research in this area is or going and further information is available on both the Farming and Science pages of the Defra website.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 10 March 2004,Official Report, column 1532W, on climate change, when she expects the process of departmental reporting on the implications of climate change to be completed; and if she yin place copies of the reports in the Library. [165288]

Mr. Morley

A report on the outcome of the process is expected to be published later in 2004, and copies will then be placed in both Libraries.

Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average length of the growing season was in(a) 1974, (b) 1984, (c) 1994 and (d) 2003 (i) in England and (ii) broken down by county. [165751]

Alun Michael

In responding, we are using the definition of the growing season in England to be the longest period within a year whichStarts—the first day in a period of five consecutive days during the spring when the daily average temperature was greater than 5.5°C, and Ends—the day before a period of five consecutive days in the autumn/winter when the daily average air temperature was less than 5.5°C.

The 20th century warming over central England has resulted in a lengthening of whit is known as the thermal growing season by about one month.

Most of the increase took place in two distinct phases. The first took place between 1920 and 1960, and the second between 1980 and 2000.

The longest thermal growing season occurred in 2000 when it extended for 328 days. The thermal growing season is now longer than at any time since the start of the daily temperature series in 1772.

Accurate data by county are not available.

For further information please refer to the UKCIP02 Scientific Report (specifically page 10, Figure 7), available online: http://www.ukcip.org.uk/scenarios/ sci_report/sci_report.html.