§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the problem of illegal waste dumping; and what co-ordination there is with the National Assembly of Wales on controlling illegal waste dumping. [12064]
§ Mr. MeacherThe most recent assessment of the levels of the illegal disposal of waste was carried out by the Tidy Britain Group. The report, "Effects Of Landfill Tax: Reduced Disposal of Inert Waste To Landfill", explored the impact of the landfill tax on fly-tipping, and it confirmed that the type of waste most frequently fly-tipped is household waste. The Fly-tipping Stakeholder's Forum is also currently conducting a study on the scale of fly-tipping on agricultural land.
My Department maintains close contact with the National Assembly of Wales on all relevant policy issues including on fly-tipping. The National Assembly voted additional funds to support the Environment Agency's targeted waste enforcement project in Wales, now in its second year. This has resulted in an increase in successful prosecutions of offenders.