§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much additional money will be available for local authority recycling and composting in(a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05, as a result of the increases in SSA for environmental, cultural and protective services after allowing for (i) cost increases in landfill and incineration and (ii) inflation. [22323]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 17 December 2001]: SR2000 provided real terms increases for the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of the Standard Spending Assessment which includes these services. By the third year the EPCS will have risen by £1.1 billion. Landfill and incineration costs will be affected by factors such as the volume of waste, pressure on landfill gate fees and the landfill tax, which is currently £12 per tonne for active waste and will be increased by £1 per year through to 2004 05. Their effect on local authority costs will also depend on how much waste is recycled or composted. It is for each local authority to decide how much of the revenue support grant it receives, and its other resources including the amount raised through council tax, should be directed towards any particular service.