§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that the environmental trusts have sufficient resources to carry out their work effectively; [18572]
(2) when he expects the environmental trusts to announce their first contributions to environmental projects; [18573]
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure the speedy development of projects arising from the work of the environmental trusts. [18574]
§ Mr. ClappisonEntrust is the regulatory body—appointed by Customs and Excise—for the environmental bodies scheme. There is an agreed formula to provide it with sufficient funding to carry out its work effectively.
729WThe individual environmental trusts will, of course, be funded via the landfill tax rebate and a contribution from the landfill operator—the rebate is worth up to 90 per cent. of the amount donated subject to a ceiling of 20 per cent. of the companies total tax liability.
Responsibility for the environmental bodies scheme lies with Entrust. As of February 1997, Entrust has sent out 800 application forms and enrolled around 135 bodies. Entrust is aware of approximately £330,000 of donations and a further £1,500,000 of pledges that have been made to date.
Entrust is responsible for promoting the scheme and I understand that it is seeking marketing advice as to how it can best achieve this. Representatives of Entrust have spoken at numerous conferences held to promote the speedy development of projects.