§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he plans to bring into force the contaminated land regime in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; [81798]
(2) when he plans to lay guidance issued under the contaminated land regime before each House of Parliament; [81799]
91W(3) what plans he has to consult the public on proposed guidance under the contaminated land regime before it is laid before Parliament. [81800]
§ Mr. Meale[holding answer 26 April 1999)Implementation of the contaminated land regime in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 is dependent upon statutory guidance to be issued by the Secretary of State, and also on secondary legislation.
The Act requires the Secretary of State to consult the Environment Agency and others before he issues that guidance. Two rounds of consultation on draft texts have been carried out. We intend to issue a further draft of the guidance, for a final round of consultations, in June, with the aim of laying the final draft before each House of Parliament before the Summer recess. We intend to make the Commencement Order and Regulations necessary to implement the Part IIA regime at the same time.
This should enable us to bring the regime into force in England on 1 December. Implementation of the regime in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of their respective Secretaries of State.