§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list those sections of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 which have not yet been brought into force, which sections they hope it will be possible to bring into force in the next two years, and which sections they now do not intend to bring into force in the foreseeable future, and whether they will make a statement.
§ The Earl of AvonMost of the provisions of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 have now been implemented in England and Wales.
However certain sections of Part I of the Act remain unimplemented: Section 1 will be considered again when substantial progress has been made with waste disposal plans; the implications of implementing Sections 12 to 14 are currently under discussion with the local authority associations, and no decision has been taken on a date for implementation; and Section 24, on litter, will be implemented when circumstances permit. (Pending the implementation of Section 24, the Keep Britain Tidy Group has prepared the Keep Britain Tidy System for the use of local authorities.) Section 15 is the responsibility of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Most of the provisions of Part II are still outstanding, although Sections 43, 44, 49, 50 and 56 have been implemented. Her Majesty's Government are currently considering a programme of implementation. There will be an announcement as soon as possible.