HC Deb 24 April 1996 vol 276 cc176-7W
Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are in place covering the disposal of clinical waste. [25939]

Mr. Horam

There is much guidance on waste management and waste disposal produced by many organisations. Main general sources of published advice from Government bodies on best practice in waste management and disposal of clinical waste in particular are as follows:

  1. (i) The Safe Disposal of Clinical Waste (Health and Safety Executive 1992);
  2. (ii) Waste Management Paper No. 25 (Department of the Environment 1983; Revised in preparation);
  3. (iii) Strategic Guide for Waste Management (Department of Health 1991);
  4. (iv) A Strategic Guide to Clinical Waste Management (Department of Health 1994);
  5. (v) Waste Management—The Duty of Care: A Code of Practice (Department of the Environment 1991).
Copies of the guidance will be placed in the Library shortly.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what quantity of clinical waste has been disposed of in each of the past five years. [25937]

Mr. Horam

This information is not available centrally.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if hospital trusts have a statutory duty to ensure the appropriate disposal of clinical waste. [25938]

Mr. Horam

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 21 March at columns319–20.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the safeguards in place to prevent the dumping of clinical waste classified for incineration. [25940]

Mr. Horam

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 includes a duty to prevent the unlawful depositing, handling and disposal of clinical waste, and is enforced by county council waste regulation units. Any body which produces controlled waste, including clinical waste, is responsible for any pollution caused to the environment or any harm to health from clinical waste while in their control and has a duty to transfer it only to an authorised person. Authorised persons must hold a waste management licence or be carriers registered with the Environment Agency. Breach of the duty of care is an offence, where conviction on indictment can lead to unlimited fines. In estates policy letter (95)33, issued in December 1995 by the National Health Service Estates Agency, trusts were reminded of their legal obligations in respect of the safe disposal of clinical waste and were asked to review their current arrangements to ensure that the necessary safeguards were in place.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions NHS estates has issued memoranda concerning the trusts' responsibilities regarding the disposal of clinical waste. [25942]

Mr. Horam

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Fife, Central (Mr. McLeish) on 14 March at columns753–54, which listed all letters and guidance issued by National Health Service Estates to NHS hospital trusts about medical waste management. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.