§ Mr. Roger KingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will announce the results of the consultation on the draft code of practice on the duty of care under the Environmental Protection Bill.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryMy Department together with the Welsh Office and the Scottish Office have considered the responses made to the consultation papers on the draft codes of practice for waste holders under the duty of care issued on 12 February in England and Wales and 22 March in Scotland.
A total of 108 responses were received in England and Wales and 41 in Scotland. Copies of those responses whose authors agreed to publication are in the libraries of the Department of the Environment, the Welsh Office and the Scottish Office for public inspection.
The overwhelming majority of comments supported the general substance of the duty of care and the draft code of practice. Points of detail and improvements to the presentation of the code will be attended to before a revised final text is issued to take effect. The Government also recognise a need for simplified explanatory material and publicity to accompany the final launch of the code.
A further consultation exercise will be launched on draft regulations governing documents to be kept under the duty. The duty of care and code of practice will then be brought into effect as soon as possible next year. It is intended to issue a single code for Great Britain.