§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what notification is required to be given144W to local authorities of the arrival of a consignment of waste mercury for treatment and disposal; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what notification is required to be given to local authorities prior to the arrival of a consignment of waste mercury for treatment; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what are the current licensing requirements for transportation of waste mercury in the United kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Atkins[holding answer 20 February 1995]: Mercury-bearing waste, depending on its concentration and chemical form, is normally a special waste and subject to the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980, which apply to movements taking place wholly within the United kingdom. These require waste producers, before the waste is removed, to prenotify the waste regulation authority for the area in which the waste is to be disposed, using a consignment note. A copy is sent to the producer's waste regulation authority, if different, as soon as the waste is removed by the carrier. When the waste is received by the disposer, a copy is sent to the waste regulation authority in whose area the waste was produced. No licence is required for transporting waste but carriers, unless exempt, must be registered by a waste regulation authority.
Transfrontier shipments of waste for treatment and disposal must be notified in accordance with the provisions of the EC Waste Shipments Regulation—259/93—and the UK's Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994. Advance notification of an intended shipment must be made to the relevant authorities, using a consignment note. Within a prescribed period, the authorities must give their agreement or raise objections to the shipment. Shipments may take place only in the absence of objections and with the prior consent of the authorities concerned. Where consent has been given to a shipment, the person exporting the waste—the "notifier"—must send a copy of the completed consignment note to the authorities concerned three days before the actual date of shipment. The consignee must send confirmation of receipt of the waste within three days of its arrival, again using the consignment note.
Transport, packaging and labelling, and health and safety legislation also apply in all cases.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment what tonnage of waste mercury has been imported into the United Kingdom for treatment and disposal since 1979; what proportion has been treated and disposed of in Thurrock; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Paul Beresford[holding answer 20 February 1995]: The collation of statistics on transfrontier shipment of waste into and out of the United Kingdom began with the implementation of the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988. Statistics on transfrontier shipments before 1989 are not therefore available.
Imports of waste mercury into the UK for treatment and disposal between 1991 and 1994 are as follows:
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Tonnes Year 1991–92 >0.5 1992–93 0.0 1993–94 20.4 1 Figures may be subject to slight revision, as a result of validation exercises carried out by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. Data showing imports of mercury wastes between 1989 and 1991, and relating specifically to sites in Thurrock, are not readily available. I shall write to the hon. Member shortly with further information.