§ Mr. AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government are going to respond to the fourth report of the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee on hazardous waste disposal.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyWe are today publishing a full response to the Committee's report. We are pleased to note that there are many points on which the Committee support the Government's present policies and proposals for legislative change. In particular both the Government and the Committee have expressed concern over the waste disposal control framework, delays by local authorities in completing waste disposal plans, landfill gas management and the control of imports. These are all matters on which we have already made progress.
We could not accept the Committee's recommendations on certain issues such as the registration of hazardous waste producers and statutory regional groupings of waste disposal authorities. Our response has included the reasons.
We welcome the opportunity the Committee's fourth report has provided for discussing the important issues. The Government have made advance towards solving the problems and improving the system of control since the Committee last reported in 1981.