§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of waste incinerated within the United Kingdom is imported; and what are the projected levels of such importation for the next decade.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Department's statistics on imports of waste relate only to hazardous waste imported under the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988. Imported hazardous waste accounted for about 5 per cent. of hazardous waste incinerated in England in 1989–90. The provision of similar information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively. No estimate has been made of the levels of imports of hazardous waste for incineration for the next decade.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the expansion rate of waste incineration projects and of the likely levels of air pollution resulting from such projects over the next 10 years.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Department is aware of 11 current proposals for new waste incinerators in England, including those for burning sewage sludge. However, these are at various stages of preparation, and there is no certainty that they will all go ahead. All new waste incinerators will be required to meet the very stringent emission standards of EC directive 89/369. Incinerators over one tonne per hour capacity will in addition require to be authorised by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the new integrated pollution control provisions in the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on proposals to build new incinerators for the purposes of burning toxic waste and as to how many of these devices are planned and where they are to be located.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Deparment is aware of proposals for five new incinerators for burning toxic waste in England, although these are all subject to planning permission. Their locations are:
- Trafford Park (Greater Manchester)
- Doncaster
- Seal Sands (Cleveland)
- Portrack (Cleveland)
- Howden (Newcastle)
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what actions have been taken to investigate links between pollution emissions and medical conditions in humans and livestock arising out of the activities of the company ReChem;
(2) what research projects have been carried out (a) independently and (b) by his Department into the effects 97W on human health of substances emitted from waste disposal incinerators; and what was the cost of his Department's investigations.
§ Mr. BaldryIn 1984 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland appointed an expert group to carry out an independent review of morbidity in the Bonnybridge/Denny area, in which a ReChem incinerator plant was located, under the chairmanship of Professor J. Lenihan. The review group's report was published by the Scottish Home and Health Departments in February 1985.
The Government are currently funding the independent small area health statistics unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to investigate possible links between pollution from industrial installations and ill-health in the local community. Specific types of installations being studied include municipal waste incinerators and waste oil and solvent incinerators. The results of the studies will be published in due course.
The cost of individual studies is not separately identified but the total cost of the small area health statistics unit is currently £448,000 per year, of which the Department contributes one third.
A number of other studies have been made into levels of pollutants found in the vicinity of waste disposal incinerators, but they have not attempted to link any pollution with health. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has recently appointed an independent adviser to specify such a study in the area surrounding the ReChem incinerator at Pontypool.