§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what controls are in place to monitor the(a) transportation and (b) dumping of waste materials; and how many cases of breaches of these controls have been recorded in the last five years. [22942]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 15 January 1998]: The following controls are in place to monitor the transportation of wastes:
The Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991;The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991;The Special Waste Regulations 1996, as amended;The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994.The following controls are in place to monitor the dumping of waste materials:
The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991;The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989;The Animal By-Products Order 1992;The Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997.Figures are not held centrally on breaches in respect of the spreading of sludge on agricultural land, or in respect of the Animal By-Products Order 1992. Information on breaches of legislation in respect of controlled waste is available from "The Scottish Office Statistical Bulletin on Waste Collection, Disposal and Regulation," copies of which are placed in the House Library. Statistics are 616W available for the years 1992, 1993 and 1994. The number of prosecutions for breaches of controlled waste legislation which resulted in a guilty verdict is as follows:
- 1992:2
- 1993:13
- 1994:22.
§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the level of(a) sewage, (b) abattoir and (c) factory waste being transported by road; if he will make a statement on trends in such transportation; and if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on waste management. [22941]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 15 January 1998]: The amount of factory waste estimated to have been transported by road in Scotland in 1994 (the most recent year for which statistics are available) is approximately 4 million tonnes. This indicated an upward trend at that time. Figures are not held centrally for the amounts of sewage and abattoir waste transported by road.
The Government are committed to the European Strategy on Waste and the principle of sustainable waste management. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is currently preparing the National Waste Strategy for Scotland, the final draft of which will be available by the end of the year.