§ Lord St. John of Bletsoasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will confirm that the assets of landfill operators will be assessed against liabilities imposed under the Environmental Protection Act, and that those assets will reflect the future market for and profitability of landfilling; and whether any effect this legislation has on such companies' profits will be taken into account in allocating contracts.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Blatch)In future all contracts for local authority waste disposal will be made after competitive tendering. It will be for those submitting tenders to assess their financial position, including likely future liabilities under the Environmental Protection Act, in deciding the terms on which they wish to tender.