§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received concerning the indirect fee proposal regarding the EU Draft Directive on port waste reception facilities; if he intends to support the proposal; and if he will make a statement. [130557]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 17 July 2000]: The UK has been involved at every stage of the Directive on port waste reception facilities and strongly supports the principles which it embodies. The European Parliament and the Council, meeting at the Conciliation Committee, agreed the Directive on 28 June.
During the negotiation of the Directive, my Department consulted closely with a range of bodies—including those representing the UK shipping, ports and waste industries and environmental non-governmental organisations—on the practicalities of the proposal that ships calling into a port of an EC member state contribute to the costs of waste reception facilities, irrespective of actual use of the facilities. The consensus was that ease of use and meeting the operational needs of the ships regularly using the ports were the key factors. Latterly, I have received representations from the Kommunenes Internasjonale Miljøorganisasjon (KIMO) supporting the principle of a charge being levied irrespective of use. I have also received representations from the North Sea Commission and the Wadden Sea Cooperation which have focused on the manner in which the charge should be calculated.
The Directive substantially mirrors current UK port waste management legislation and practice (the merits of which have also been recognised by the International Maritime Organization, which agreed guidelines, earlier this year, which are based on the UK model).