Keep Britain Tidy Campaign (Hansard, 31 October 1988)

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, far from giving up hope, we have increased financial support for the Tidy Britain Group. It is carrying out a range of experimental projects. The group envisages a major drive based on the results of these projects for 1990—Tidy Britain Year.

§ Lord Hayter
My Lords, will the Minister accept that in our heart of hearts nearly everybody in this House is ashamed of the litter in our streets and on our transport services? Will he tell us why he thinks that this move will be any more successful than the last one?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, the projects to which I have referred obviously cost money. While it is too soon to reach conclusions, the Tidy Britain Group reports that it is receiving enthusiastic support from many major organisations, as well as from local authorities and voluntary groups.

The Lord Bishop of Manchester
My Lords, can the Minister assure the House that there is a proper understanding in government circles that it costs money not only for the Keep Britain Tidy Group but especially for local authorities? It is no good 8 exhorting people to keep Britain tidy unless adequate resources are given for this task, especially in our major cities.

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I take the point that the right reverend Prelate makes, but it is up to each individual local authority to decide what priority it wishes to give to keeping its area, including its highways, tidy.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, have not local authorities two responsibilities? One is to clean up the public places in their own districts. The other is to institute prosecutions under the Litter Act. Can the Minister say to what extent local authorities are being reasonably zealous on the latter point?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I understand the point my noble friend makes. We are not necessarily convinced that changes in the law would be effective. There are always difficulties with enforcement and we prefer solutions which enlist the community and civic pride, though we do not rule out the option of law enforcement.

The Viscount of Falkland
My Lords, is the Minister aware that anyone who has the misfortune to live on a route used by children going to and from school every day often returns to what can only be described as a carpet of sweet papers and empty chip packets? Is there not a duty on the manufacturers of those products, who obviously do very well out of them, to take some part of the responsibility? Perhaps in their advertising they could encourage children to put sweet papers where they are supposed to go; that is, in dustbins.

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I agree to some extent, not with the remedy but with the point the noble Viscount makes. However, children are considerably encouraged at school during their education hours to understand the problems of litter.

§ Lord Grimston of Westbury
My Lords, will my noble friend the Minister inform us whether keeping Britain tidy extends to motor cars? What instructions are given to police to remove motor cars?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, the keeping tidy of motorways is the responsibility of the Department of Transport. Highways are the responsibility of local authorities.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, how does the Government's concern tie in with the code of practice issued by the Department of Transport to local authorities? That code says that litter bins shall be removed from all-purpose trunk roads; that all-purpose kerbed rural roads shall not be swept more than once a year and that all-purpose kerbed urban roads shall not be swept more than twice a year. Does this not seem very much out of line with what people in this country are thinking and what the Government are saying?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I think that is a rather diffuse question. I shall certainly look at it and reply to the noble Baroness.

Noble Lords
Answer!

§ Lord Taylor of Blackburn
My Lords, does the Minister feel it would be worth while liaising with the Palace and asking His Royal Highness Prince Charles to make a statement about this matter? Then we would receive the maximum publicity, such as the Prince received on Thursday of last week.

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, it would be entirely inappropriate for Her Majesty's Government to answer on behalf of the Royal Family.

Lord Morris
My Lords, does my noble friend care to comment on the observation of Juvenal that if everyone kept their own front doorstep clean the whole city would be clean?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, in response to my noble friend, we have considered the possibility of making people responsible for keeping the pavements etc. clean outside their own premises. However, it would be difficult to enforce that, as a householder accused of not discharging his obligation could always argue that he had done his cleaning and the litter had blown over from another frontage. For the present, we believe this to be an area where voluntary efforts will he much more effective than laws and regulations.

§ Lord Ezra
My Lords, I welcome the extra support which has been given to the Tidy Britain Group, with which I have been associated for many years. Will the noble Earl say when the Government are proposing to introduce Section 4 of the Litter Act 1983? That would require each local authority to introduce and implement a plan for dealing with litter in full cooperation with other bodies.

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I regret that I cannot answer that particular question; but of course I shall correspond with the noble Lord.

The Earl of Halsbury
My Lords, can the Government encourage this House to set those whom we condemn a good example by not leaving a litter of paper behind whenever we adjourn?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, that is very sensible. However, I note that when the House gets up each night, there seems to me to be remarkably little litter around the place.