HC Deb 20 April 1972 vol 835 c153W
Mr. Walter Johnson

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make funds available to local authorities to provide more official tips with fully qualified staff to deal with the dumping of toxic wastes.

Mr. Eldon Griffiths

Local authorities have a statutory duty to remove house refuse but powers in connection with the removal of trade waste are, except in Inner London, discretionary. Where local authorities exercise their discretion to provide disposal facilities for trade waste, they might be expected to recover the costs of those facilities by charges for their use. In so far as there is a residual burden on local authorities, the poorer authorities would receive assistance by way of the resources element of rate support grant.