§ Lord Pearson of Rannochasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the reference numbers of any present or proposed European Union legislation which might affect end-of-life electronic equipment in the United Kingdom; what is the state of play of that legislation; and what is their estimate of its cost and benefit to the United Kingdom. [HL2116]
27WA
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury)At present, there is no European Union legislation targeting end-of-life electronic equipment. However, the Waste Management Unit in the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General has circulated an informal second draft of a proposal for a Directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment, dated 27 July 1998.
The proposal could be adopted by the European Commission later this year, and it would then be the subject of negotiation by EC member states and the European Parliament.
The DTI has commissioned work to investigate the likely costs and benefits to the UK of this proposal, and we will be evaluating the results in due course.