§ Mr. BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the policies in the United Kingdom Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste. [124080]
§ Mr. MeacherExisting policies on exports and imports of waste are set out in the United Kingdom Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste, which came into 543W effect on 1 June 1996. These reflect the long-standing UK commitment to self-sufficiency in waste disposal and the well-established proximity principle, namely that waste should be disposed of in, or as close as possible to, the country of origin.
Since the Plan has been in force, there have been a number of changes at national and international level which have altered the arrangements for transfrontier shipments of waste. My Department will be issuing tomorrow for public consultation a revised draft of the United Kingdom Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste, copies of which will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
The main proposals for changes to existing UK policies are:
to permit shipments between Northern Ireland and Ireland for local disposal, provided they are in accordance with waste management plans being drawn up by the Northern Ireland District Councils;to permit exports and imports for trial runs provided that strict criteria are met; andfurther limited restrictions on imports of waste for disposal.Furthermore, the Plan reiterates the UK's commitment to the self-sufficiency principle. The UK will allow wastes to be imported for disposal in the UK from developed countries only in extremely limited circumstances. Imports from developing countries are not quite so tightly restricted, but the expectation is still that such countries will as quickly as is feasible put in place the appropriate facilities to dispose of their own waste, as far as is compatible with environmentally sound and efficient management.
This Plan is separate from, but consistent with, the various domestic strategies in the UK, including the England and Wales Waste Strategy which will be launched tomorrow.
Table 1: Departmental Capital Analysis £ million Department A(i) 1998–99 Actual expenditure A(ii) 1999–2000 Project expenditure1 B(i) 1998–99 Plan B(ii) 1999–2000 Plan Agriculture 24 23 24 25 Economic Development 142 144 147 158 Education 92 113 87 123 Finance and Personnel 4 4 3 4 Health and Social Services2 -35 -39 -30 -41 Environment 195 189 203 146 Other 1 2 — 6 NIO 30 35 35 31 Total3 453 470 469 451 1Actual expenditure figures for 1999–2000 are not yet available 2These capital figures include receipts from the Health Trusts Debt Remuneration 3Due to roundings, individual figures may not necessarily sum to the totals in the tables
544W
Table 2: Main Programme Capital Analysis £ million Main programme A(i) 1998–99 Actual expenditure A(ii) 1999–2000 Projected expenditure1 B(i) 1998–99 Plan B(ii) 1999–2000 Plan Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 24 23 24 25 Trade, Industry, Energy and Employment 142 144 147 159 Roads and Transport 32 36 32 -26 Housing 58 38 58 55
§ Mr. BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the waste strategy; and if he will make a statement. [124081]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Government and the National Assembly for Wales will publish "Waste Strategy 2000—a Waste Strategy for England and Wales" tomorrow, and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The strategy has two aims: to reduce the amount of waste we produce; and to get more value from that which we do produce—in particular through a substantial increase in household recycling.