§ 2.39 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT HANWORTHMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government, in view of the world wide and national shortage of paper and the importance of preserving natural resources, what steps they are taking to promote increased recovery and recycling of waste paper.
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, the Government are in close and constant touch with the waste paper trade and are represented, with observer status, on the Joint Waste Paper Advisory Council. We are currently examining proposals to overcome the cyclical problems of the trade. We also offer a favourable rate of grant for research into waste paper recycling. Local authorities are encouraged to collect waste paper for recycling if they consider that this is commercially justifiable.
§ VISCOUNT HANWORTHMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply, which at least shows that something is being done. Would he agree that at present only 500 out of a total of 1,500 local authorities are taking active steps to collect paper waste? Furthermore, does he realise that the consumption of the average family is 10 lb. of paper a week, and that this represents something like four trees a year? Also, that there is a world shortage of raw material?
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, I was not aware of the figure of 10 lb. per family, but I am sure the noble Lord, with his usual accuracy, has got it right. The basic problem for the local authorities is finding a market for their products when they do go to the trouble to collect waste paper. This has proved difficult owing to the cyclical nature of the industry. There have been times when they collected 184 paper at considerable expense and found that nobody wanted to take it off them.
LORD INGLEWOODMy Lords, could the noble Lord say why this industry should have the cyclical nature which he has emphasised, because surely the consumption of paper is fairly constant throughout the year?
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, I regret to say that I am simply not a good enough economist, or whatever expertise one needs to answer that question. I am sure that the newspapers themselves would be delighted if I could answer it for him.
§ VISCOUNT HANWORTHMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that my information is that for a very long time those who reprocess the paper have been crying out for more, and there has been for some time a grave shortage of paper for newspapers, particularly local papers? It seems that the problem simply is to get the raw paper and not the ability to recycle it. I may be wrong, but that is my information.
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, do I understand that the noble Lord was speaking about newsprint in particular?
§ VISCOUNT HANWORTHMy Lords, I was mentioning a shortage in newsprint and was also saying that there had been complaints for a long time, I thought, regarding firms dealing with recycling, that they were not getting as much paper back as they could recycle.
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, as regards newsprint itself, the problem there is the inking. The Department of Trade and Industry supports the research association called the P.I.R.A. in its effort to devise machinery for de-inking newsprint, which can then be re-used by the newspapers.
§ VISCOUNT HANWORTHMy Lords, once again my information, if the noble Lord will permit me to say it, is that there is a de-inking process already in use. Has the noble Lord heard of it?
§ LORD LEATHERLANDMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that Reed International already have a de-inking plant and that they are very worried in case their oil supplies are cut down and they 185 are not able to use that plant to the best advantage? Further, is he aware that, apart from the cyclical nature of this trade, the mills are at this moment appealing for 200,000 tons of waste paper and are having to import waste paper in order to keep the mills going? Furthermore and finally, can be make it obligatory on local authorities to collect this waste paper, not merely as a municipal bookkeeping operation but in order to do something to put right the balance-of-trade deficit?
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, I often find it easier to begin at the end because it is closer to what I remember. So far as the last point is concerned, there is a problem here, which is the fact that the local authorities are currently being reorganised and it is difficult for them to engage themselves in a completely new trade of this kind until they have settled down. However, the Department hopes very much to encourage them. Of course, your Lordships will be aware that in the Environment Bill which is currently being considered in this House this question has been a great interest expressed by noble Lords and by the Government. So far as recycling is concerned, I am informed that this country is ahead of almost every other country in its re-use of waste paper. The other point to hear in mind is that recycling of waste paper is virtually confined to the making of board only. It is used to a small extent in newspapers, which we have spoken about, and it can be re-used also in some of the lower grades of paper, but not to a great extent.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, can the noble Lord state the particular steps the Government propose to take for the recovery and recycling of the large quantities of waste paper received by Members of your Lordships' House?
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, I was not aware that the Government had in mind any particular steps in that direction.
VISCOUNT MONCKMy Lords, could my noble friend inform us what happens to the very large quantity of waste paper which must be daily available from your Lordships' House and from another place? Would he bear in mind that if it is now being sold profitably, I 186 should be delighted to receive it on behalf of my local church, for whom I make a collection?
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, the question is what my noble friend does with it when the church has got it.
§ LORD LEATHERLANDMy Lords, with regard to the final point which the noble Lord made before these supplementary questions were asked—namely, that waste paper was mainly used for the production of board—is he aware that if more waste paper were available for the production of board, less of the very valuable and vital pulp would be needed for the board industry, and more pulp, with the same expenditure of money, would therefore be available for the better grades of paper?
§ LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, my information is that there is a limit to the amount of paper that the board manufacturers can use for recycling and that we are getting fairly close to that limit now. I am not saying that there is not some small increase they could make—I could give the figures—but I understand there is not a great deal of scope for further use in that particular direction.
§ LORD LEATHERLANDMy Lords, the figures which the noble Lord has may not be quite those that the paper industry itself has. It is at the present time receiving 350,000 tons a year. It wants—and it says it wants urgently—another 200,000 tons a year.