§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue guidelines to ensure that the true through-life costs of landfill sites are calculated when328W tenders for such sites are assessed by local authorities and others who have a duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act.
§ Mr. BaldryYes. Under the Environmental Protection Act, local waste regulation authorities will be empowered to impose conditions in waste site licences governing the period after the deposit of waste has ceased. My Department will issue advice to authorities, which they will be statutorily obliged to heed, that they should set such conditions requiring the operator to exercise and pay for continuing pollution control until the authority certifies that the site is safe. It is for site operators to price their disposal services so as to recover the long term costs of such pollution control. This licensing system will apply equally to landfill sites whether operated by local authority companies or the private sector. It will be for waste disposal authorities letting contracts for the disposal of their waste to ensure that all tenders include the costs of compliance with licence conditions and other statutory responsibilities.