§ Sir Hugh RossiTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement in response to those points raised by right hon. and hon. Members in the debate on the United Kingdom environment on 12 July to which he was unable to respond in the course of the debate.
§ Mr. TrippierA number of points were raised in the debate, and I welcome this opportunity of responding to them.
Several questions were raised on the proposed environment agency. As I indicated, we shall be issuing a consultation document later this year which will set out our proposals in more detail, but I confirm that it is presently our intention to transfer responsibility for waste regulation from local government to the new agency. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is considering the position in Northern Ireland.
Several points were raised about recent reports from the Environment Select Committee. The Government have accepted almost all of the recommendations of the report on contaminated land. The Law Commission rejected the proposal to overturn caveat emptor, and suggested instead that the buyer should be well informed. The duty placed on local authorities to compile and maintain registers of land which may be contaminated is in line with this decision. The role of the interdepartmental committee on the 654W redevelopment of contaminated land is now restricted to ensuring liaison and facilitating input from other Departments.
Similarly we accepted most of the recommendations of the report on toxic waste. The Government are continuing to seek ways of improving statistics on waste. British Coal has been required to seek alternative means of disposal for colliery waste to enable dumping on beaches to be phased out by 1995, and at sea by 1997. We are considering the implications of the various draft EC directives dealing with the liability for waste producers as they are negotiated within the Community, and will be consulting fully on appropriate United Kingdom stances.
Turning to the report on the pollution of beaches, the Government understand the importance of eutrophication. The evidence, including international studies, shows that there is a problem at a small number of locations, but measures have been taken to reduce nutrient inputs to coastal waters, and research initiated to establish whether nutrient inputs from the United Kingdom contribute to eutrophication.
As for sewage sludge, it is for the water companies to evaluate the technology required to meet their needs, including sewage sludge technology. My Department has instigated a general review of sewage disposal options and the results have been made available to water companies and others. The role of the proposed environment agency in this area is a matter for further consideration.
The Department's spending on environmental research has increased by 46 per cent. since 1987–88.
The Department already includes outside experts in discussions on environmental policy with the EC Commission, and will continue to do so where appropriate.
Energy efficiency is a key part of the Government's strategy to reduce CO2 emissions to combat global warming. There will be a new joint DOE/Energy Efficiency Office campaign to promote energy efficiency in the home in the autumn. The budget for the EEO has been increased substantially this year to over £40 million to provide for the introduction of the home energy efficiency scheme for low-income households.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has chaired two ministerial meetings this year on the implementation of environmental policy and considerable progress has also been made through correspondence and through official discussions. The Prime Minister will chair a further meeting of Ministers later this month.
As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) explained to the House on 19 June, it is our intention to deliver the White Paper commitment on hedgerows. We shall be making a statement on our proposals shortly.
My staff are actively investigating the situation in Germany with regard to the ban on the import of consumer products containing PCP and the enforcement of that ban. I am also seeking clarification as to any legal action taken or proposed by the European Commission. The ninth amendment to the marketing and use directive —91/173/EEC—is due to be implemented from 1 July 1992 and includes controls on the use of PCP.
In April 1988 sales of unleaded petrol accounted for 0.4 per cent. of the United Kingdom market. Since then consumption of unleaded has increased considerably and currently accounts for over 40 per cent. of total petrol 655W sales. A comparison of provisional unleaded petrol sales figures for 1990 in EC countries shows that United Kingdom sales of 34 per cent. were greater than Belgium —33 per cent., France—30 per cent., Luxembourg—30 per cent., Eire—20 per cent. and substantially higher than Italy—5 per cent., Spain—1 per cent., Greece—2 per cent. and Portugal where sales were negligible. Only in the former West Germany—80 per cent., Denmark—60 per cent. and the Netherlands—48 per cent. were unleaded market shares greater.
The Government have acted quickly over the problem of dioxins in milk in Bolsover. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has already started a programme of research into this problem and, in addition, Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, this Department and MAAF are discussing joint monitoring arrangements. The results of this monitoring will be published, and a public inquiry would add nothing to the present response.
All of the duties and powers relating to litter in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are now in force. The provisions enabling local authorities to introduce fixed penalty schemes were brought into force in February. Private citizens have had the right to apply for "litter abatement orders" from a magistrates court since April. This power has already been invoked successfully against Liverpool city council.
The Government recognise that diesel car emissions are becoming cleaner, but further improvements are desirable for both diesel and petrol cars. There are already financial attractions in running a diesel car, particularly for high mileage users.
Emission levels from petrol-engined vehicles will be checked at the compulsory annual tests from 1 November this year. Vehicles will fail the test if they emit more than the prescribed levels of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in the case of vehicles registered after 1 August 1975; and if they emit avoidable smoke in the case of other vehicles. This new in service check will help to reduce the emission of gases which contribute to global warming, and it should also help to improve local air quality. In due course the prescribed emission standards will be made more severe so as to cater for modern engines which are designed to emit much lower levels of pollutants: these stricter standards will have been introduced by the beginning of 1996, which is when large numbers of catalyst-equipped vehicles will be old enough to come into the compulsory testing regime.
The Government received a letter from the EC Commission in March about environmental assessment on the proposed Compton to Bar End section of the M3, and a response was sent in May. There has been no correspondence with the Commission on the east London river crossing since October 1989.