HC Deb 21 April 1993 vol 223 c103W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on responses received on his Department's Waste Management Paper 26A, published in December 1992.

Mr. Maclean

This paper was issued in draft as part of a second package of consultation documents concerning the new waste management licensing system to be introduced by regulations under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. When published, it will give guidance to waste regulation authorities on how to determine whether to accept the surrender of a licence for a landfill site.

Responses to the draft focused on three main issues: the criteria against which the degree of completion of a site should be judged; the amount of analysis required to assess whether a site is complete and the consequent cost to industry; and problems related to liability after a completion certificate is issued by the authority. In the light of the responses, the Department is revising the paper prior to publication.