§ Mr. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which sections of the Environment Act 1995 have not come into force; and when he expects to bring them into force. [27448]
§ Angela EagleThe sections of the Environment Act 1995 which are not fully in force and which are the responsibility of my Department are: parts of sections 57, 58 and 60 (contaminated land and abandoned mines); and parts of the schedules attached to sections 116 (application of certain other enactments to the Crown) and 120 (minor and consequential amendments, transitional and transitory provisions, savings and repeals). We expect to commence the remainder of sections 58 and 60 shortly. We will reach a view on when to commence the remainder of section 57 after the Comprehensive Spending Review, as announced in my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment's answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs. Ellmon) on 22 December 1997,Official Report, column 439. We expect to commence paragraph 1 of schedule 21 in April. Decisions on the timing of other outstanding provisions in the schedules have not yet been taken.