Palace of Westminster: Waste Paper (Hansard, 17 February 1992)

§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Blatch)
My Lords, between two and four tonnes of waste paper are collected from the Palace of Westminster daily. The paper is removed for recycling free of charge by the waste disposal contractor.

§ Lord Rippon of Hexham
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for her Answer. Perhaps I may say how pleased I am that the Government are not making a loss. Is she aware that on 4th February 1952 my noble friend Lord Boyd-Carpenter told another place that he had managed to sell the 28 tonnes of waste paper collected in six months for £300, and also that he had arranged for the pulping of 58 tonnes of used ballot papers and had received £1,130? Will my noble friend consider changing the policy so that government can be run and trade as profitably as was the case in my noble friend's day?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, the issue raised by my noble friend's Question is as pertinent now as it was when my noble friend Lord Boyd-Carpenter answered in another place in 1952. In return for the waste paper and having the benefit of being able to sell it on, all of the waste throughout the whole of the Palace of Westminster and indeed Nos. 1 and 2 Abbey Gardens, No. 3 Dean's Yard, No. 1 Cannon Row, St. Stephen's House, the Norman Shaw building, No. 1 Parliament Street and No. 1 Derby Gate is collected free.

Lord Wallace of Coslany
My Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that the noble Lord, Lord Rippon, 986 has raised a very important question? Will the Government take steps to ensure that all local authorities have a waste paper collection scheme? In my area of Bexley, I save waste paper every week but it goes in the bin with the rest of the rubbish. A waste paper collection policy would save a large number of trees, and have a great effect on the environment.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, the noble Lord raises an important point. I agree with what he said about my noble friend's Question. This Government put on the statute book the Environmental Protection Act, which has gone a long way down the road to achieve the objectives set out by the noble Lord.

The Earl of Halsbury
My Lords, perhaps I may commend to your Lordships by way of a question to the noble Baroness the Hansard index, I think of last year. I commented to your Lordships that you should set the nation a good example by not scattering papers when the House rises.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I invite all noble Lords to take note of what the noble Earl has just said.

§ Lord Peyton of Yeovil
My Lords, it would be interesting to know what proportion of the paper reaches a higher value when it is disposed of than at any time during what some would describe as its useful life.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I should like to say that the question is wide of the Question on the Order Paper. I suspect the answer is that in some cases it reaches a higher value and in others it does not.

§ Lord Wigoder
My Lords, what effect has the imminence of the election on the output of parliamentary rubbish?

§ Lord Rippon of Hexham
My Lords, in view of the enormous increase in the consumption of paper, will my noble friend consider ways in which consumption might be reduced or will she take steps to test my theory that inflation and costs rise in direct proportion to the use of paper?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, first, the collection of the waste paper that is available represents good value in that all waste is collected at no cost to the Palace of Westminster. Secondly, my noble friend makes a very good point. I hope that that message will be taken on board by all departments and by all noble Lords.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
My Lords, are not the figures that have been given rather worrying? Does it not seem to be the fact that the amount of waste paper increases in inverse proportion to the importance of Parliament? In other words, the less important Parliament becomes, the greater the increase in the amount of waste paper. Can we have either an increase in the powers of Parliament or a reduction in the amount of waste paper?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I should be a little more impressed with the noble Lord's point if he were not so demanding in his requests to see every single piece of paper that is produced by any government department at almost any time.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
When was that?

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, on a very minor point, I wonder whether the value of paper for recycling is at all affected by the aggravating habit of Her Majesty's Stationery Office of wrapping even small amounts of paper in a plastic bag?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I must admit to the House and to the noble Lord that I say just that to my husband almost every weekend as I unwrap single pieces of paper wrapped in single plastic bags. I do not know the answer to the question. However, I can assure the noble Lord that I shall ask that question on his behalf and on behalf of other noble Lords in the House.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
My Lords, perhaps I may deny the Minister's accusation that I request to see every single piece of paper; I certainly do not.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I withdraw the personal accusation that I made. Indeed, I was referring to noble Lords opposite who, quite rightly, demand to see and have copies of any pieces of paper produced. I believe that we are all far too demanding in our desire to see copies of other pieces of paper. Perhaps the greatest scourge of modern society is the photocopier.