§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with representatives of the paper industry concerning the recycled contents of newsprint; and if he will make a statement. [46823]
§ Angela EagleI met the Chief Executive and Company Secretary of Aylesford Newsprint on 12 January this year. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment met representatives of the Newspaper Publishers Association on 9 February.
78W
1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 mid year review 1998–99 initial Local authority SCA as % of bid SCA as % of bid SCA as % of bid bid allocation as % of bid bid allocation as % of bid Isle of wight 100 100 2— 2— — — — Cleveland — 55 — — — — — Hartlepool 100 86 93 1,910 73 720 100 Redcar and Cleveland 100 86 100 2,875 45 400 100 Middlesbrough 100 91 66 2,806 53 2,284 100 Stockton 100 100 87 1,952 66 1,661 99 Avon — 94 — — — — — Bristol — 87 82 2,590 42 1,268 100 North Somerset — 100 99 1,388 72 652 100 Banes1 — 100 100 2,444 69 1,280 100 South Gloucestershire1 — 100 100 2,255 53 1,000 100 We are committed to substantial increases in recycling, and are determined to see an increase in the amount of recycled newsprint used in newspapers.
We shall shortly be receiving the interim report of the Newspaper Publishers Association's working group examining the factors governing the optimum recycled content of newspaper. We expect to see the industry setting themselves stringent targets, and we will work with them to achieve them. We have not however ruled out the possibility of introducing legislation ourselves, perhaps under existing powers.