HC Deb 04 April 1985 vol 76 cc754-5W
Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what grants he has given to those organisations concerned to prevent the discarding of litter in public places.

Mr. Waldegrave

The Keep Britain Tidy group receives a grant (approximately £½ million annually) from my Department under section 3 of the Litter Act 1983 in support of its wide range of litter abatement activities.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will initiate a national anti-litter campaign.

Mr. Waldegrave

There are no plans to initiate a specific new national anti-litter campaign. The Government believe that the long term solution to the problem of litter must lie in educating the public.

To this end, we give financial support to the Keep Britain Tidy group which campaigns continuously against littering in collaboration with local authorities, voluntary groups, industry and commerce.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the annual cost of collecting litter.

Mr. Waldegrave

I cannot estimate the annual cost of collecting litter.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent steps he has taken to abate litter.

Mr. Waldegrave

The Government believe that the long-term solution to the problem of litter must be in educating the public not to drop litter. To this end we give financial support to Keep Britain Tidy group, which campaigns continuously against litter in collaboration with local authorities, voluntary groups, industry and commerce.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will initiate a public campaign to discourage the dropping of litter on motorways.

Mr. Waldegrave

There are no plans to instigate a specific campaign to discourage the dropping of litter on motorways. The Government believe that the long term solution to this aspect of the problem of litter lies in education of the public.

To this end we give financial support to the Keep Britain Tidy group which campaigns continuously against littering in collaboration with local authorities, voluntary groups and industry.