§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list details of the importation of chemical or toxic waste into the United Kingdom via(a) the port of Tilbury and (b) other docks, wharfs or jetties within the county of Essex over the past five years.
§ Mr. MacleanInformation on the importation of hazardous waste into the United Kingdom is available only for the period since the introduction of the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations in October 1988.
The information requested is as follows:
47W
Year Port Quantity (Tonnes) October 1988 to March 1989 Tilbury 83 Harwich 104 Purfleet 100 Total October 1988 to March 1989 287
Year Port Quantity (Tonnes) April 1989 to March 1990 Tilbury 13 Harwich 154 Purfleet 12 Total 1989 to 1990 179 April 1990 to March 1991 Tilbury 26 Harwich 2,383 Total 1990 to 1991 2,409 April 1991 to March 1992 Harwich 3,021 Total 1991 to 1992 3,021 Total October 1988 to March 1992 5,896
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which body has responsibility for ensuring that tipping of chemical, toxic or other waste into pits within a particular district authority complies with the licences, and health and safety regulations; and what information he has on the frequency with which such checks have been made in respect of each pit in the borough of Thurrock over the past two years.
§ Mr. MacleanEssex county council, as waste regulation authority for the Thurrock area, is responsible for granting disposal licences and monitoring them to ensure that their conditions are adhered to and continue to be appropriate. It is the responsibility of the local office of the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 are not breached.
The Department has no record of the number of site visits made by Essex county council in Thurrock. It would be for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment to advise as to any steps taken to monitor compliance with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department keeps on the location and size of waste dumps in each local authority area, together with the type and amount of waste accepted in each dump; what such information is available for the borough of Thurrock; and if he will make it his policy to maintain such information as is not already kept centrally.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Department does not keep detailed information on the size and location of waste disposal facilities. Waste regulation authorities maintain on public registers copies of disposal licences for each facility in their area. Essex county council is the waste regulation authority which covers Thurrock. An environment agency which included the waste regulation functions of local authorities would also have responsibility for the maintenance of the licence information they currently hold.