§ Mr. HawkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government intend to respond to the second report from the Environment Select Committee on recycling, HC (1993–94) 63.
§ Mr. AtkinsI am pleased to announce that our response to the Environment Select Committee's report on recycling is being published today; copies have been laid in the Journal Office.
The Government welcome the Environment Committee's wide-ranging and thoughtful report. The report comes at an opportune moment. A range of United Kingdom and international initiatives on waste management are currently being developed. These have the broad aim of securing a more sustainable approach to waste management and increased beneficial use of unavoidable wastes. The report will provide a focal point 1015W for informed debate of the many complex issues that need to be addressed.
The Government are particularly pleased to see the Environment Committee's recognition that recycling should not be pursued for its own sake. It must be seen as part of an integrated approach to waste management. We are also pleased to endorse the Committee's view of the waste management hierarchy as a decision-making tool which balances the environmental and economic considerations in each case. We announced in July that we intend to build upon these principles in the development of a waste strategy for England and Wales.
Recycling will have an important place in that strategy. In part, this is because recycling is the best option for many wastes—but also, as the Environment Committee point out in its report, because the expansion of recycling and increased opportunities for individual participation can he a springboard for wider environmental awareness and action.
Grant-in-Aid Permanent Jobs1 £ millions (i) Manufacturing (ii) Commercial (iii) Retail (iv) Office (v) Other Total London Docklands 21610.9 n/a n/a n/a n\a n\a 56,200 Merseyside 313.4 32,400 32,500 32,350 33,125 3230 10,605 Black Country 253.4 8,390 338 1,040 1,190 439 11,397 Teeside 237.3 4,064 243 852 1,672 208 7,039 Trafford Park 153.8 4,359 4,165 1,139 4,312 819 14,794 Tyne and Wear 227.6 1,898 45,713 — — 8,631 16,242 Bristol 71.0 — 1,166 79 1,000 5 2,250 Central Manchester 67.2 — — 190 3,341 1,146 4,677 Leeds 51.5 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 8,218 Sheffield 74.9 1,299 207 7,512 759 305 10,082 Birmingham Heartlands 15.7 137 405 20 136 — 698 Plymouth 7.9 — — — — — — Total 3,084.6 142,202 Notes
All figures are up to 31 March 1994.
n/a—Breakdown not available.
1Permanent jobs = gross jobs provided by first-time occupiers of newly completed development (new build and conversion) in the Designated Area who took up occupation over the reporting period.
2 Excludes docklands light railway.
3 Provisional figures based on a preliminary analysis.
4 Includes office.
Commentary
In five cases—Birmingham Heartlands, London Docklands, Sheffield, Teesside and Trafford Park—the employment figures vary from those previously published (Hansard 14 July 1994, Col. 771). The substantial downward revisions of the London Docklands and Teesside totals reflect the fact that the earlier numbers had been built up by combining total employment in the area in 1991 with gross jobs subsequently created.
Grant-in-Aid Private sector investment £ millions £ millions (i) Manufacturing (ii) Commercial (iii) Retail (iv) Office (v) Other Total London Docklands 11610.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 5,993.0 Merseyside 313.4 236.2 237.7 223.9 275.4 2127.8 301.0 Black Country 253.4 385.7 13.8 24.3 9.9 146.3 580.0 Teeside 237.3 500.4 64.3 50.1 64.3 35.7 714.8 Trafford Park 153.8 474.0 50.0 10.0 165.0 20.1 719.1 Tyne and Wear 227.6 78.5 3252.7 1.7 — 270.1 603.0 Bristol 71.0 — 73.1 41.5 44.0 16.4 175.0 Central Manchester 67.2 — — 4.0 92.0 181.3 277.3