§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with(a) the Environment Agency, (b) local government, (c) the Agricultural Development Advisory Service and (d) others regarding procedures for the disposal of (i) paper sludge and (ii) sewage sludge to land spraying; what changes he proposes to make in this respect; and if he will make a statement. [5090]
§ Angela EagleThe previous Government set out its proposals relating to the disposal of paper sludge and sewage sludge in its response to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's Nineteenth Report on the Sustainable Use of Soil (C0428, January 1997). On paper sludge, the Water Research Centre and the Agricultural Development Advisory Service were commissioned to develop further the criteria that determine in what circumstances the spreading on land of those wastes exempted from waste management licensing will benefit agriculture or result in ecological improvement. The results of the study are currently being assessed by the Environment Agency which is expected to report in the near future. On sewage sludge, this Department, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health and the water industry have commissioned a review of the current controls on the use of sewage sludge as set out in The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (as amended) and the associated Code of Practice. The review is expected to be published later in the year. Any proposals to amend the current controls will be subject to consultation.