HL Deb 23 March 1989 vol 505 cc821-2

Lord Campbell of Croy asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they propose to prohibit the import of wastes which are destined for disposal by direct landfill, without assessment or treatment.

The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Caithness)

Yes, my Lords.

Lord Campbell of Croy

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his reply, which is very welcome. Unless waste is coming specially for treatment in this country we can do without it. We have enough of our own to dispose of, in any case. Can my noble friend tell me whether legislation is required, or can prohibition be put into effect straight away?

The Earl of Caithness

My Lords, legislation is required. A new Bill will have to be placed before Parliament, and we hope to introduce it in the next Session.

Lord Gainford

My Lords, can the Minister tell the House what happened in Basle?

The Earl of Caithness

My Lords, considerable progress was made, but it was not until the final minutes that any kind of agreement that could form a convention was reached. There were last-minute negotiations in which the United Kingdom played a very active part. As with many countries, although we have been unable to sign the convention because of last-minute changes of wording it was a first step on the road to getting a better policy for waste in general. These developments arose in the last 24 hours. Because other member state Ministers were there I took the opportunity to stress the importance of tackling all wastes and not just the hazardous ones.

Lord Dean of Beswick

My Lords, as regards the announcement made by the Minister concerning the introduction of a Bill to deal with this problem, can he say whether the time-scale in another place and in your Lordships' House rates the Bill with a high priority? To supplement the point raised by the noble Lord who introduced the Question, surely we already produce enough of our own waste because of our industrial base. We should limit ourselves to dealing with that and exclude waste from other people. Can the Minister tell us whether the Bill will have a high priority in the Government's legislative programme?

The Earl of Caithness

My Lords, of course we treat this matter as having top priority. That is why for the past three years we have been considering the whole of the waste law. We have carried out three consultation exercises, the last of which has just finished. That referred to the question of who should be the responsible body for the disposal of waste. The noble Lord will recall that the Government have come down firmly on the side of supporting the existing waste disposal authorities.

Lord Dean of Beswick

My Lords, can the Minister say whether we can expect a Bill in the next Session of Parliament?

The Earl of Caithness

My Lords, I hope that we shall be able to legislate within the life of this Parliament and I very much hope that it will be in the next Session.

Lord Campbell of Croy

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that while the Basle conference from which he has recently returned dealt with toxic wastes, my Question is mainly concerned with those that are supposed not to be toxic? The early action that he has indicated will be widely appreciated because there is always a risk that waste that is supposed to be not dangerous and which comes into this country without inspection will contain hazardous substances.

The Earl of Caithness

My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right. I shall go a stage further than him by saying that any waste, if it is not dealt with properly, can be hazardous, and that includes domestic waste. That is why it is important to look at all the waste and not just concentrate on one category. I am grateful to my noble friend for the debate that he initiated the other day in your Lordships' House and for this Question in order to make the position clear.

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