§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the surrender policy for waste management licences issues by the Environment Agency has been launched; and if it is his policy that licence holders who are waiting to surrender their licences having ceased trading should be required to continue paying for operating licences while the agency considers its surrender policy. [102980]
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§ Mr. MullinThe Environment Agency wrote to licence holders to provide advance notice of the launch of its surrender policy on 1 October 1999. The Agency's letter explained that, after staff training to ensure consistent implementation, the policy would be used from 1 January 2000 to determine surrender applications. Licence holders have a legal obligation to pay subsistence charges while a licence remains in force.