§ Ms KellyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of new housing was built on greenfield sites in each year from 1992 to 1998. [65759]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThere is no specific definition of 'greenfield' land. The information available relates to housing built on land that has not been previously developed. The Department's Land Use Change Statistics for England provide information on (a) the percentage of new dwellings (excluding conversions) built on land not previously developed for urban uses and (b) the proportion of land used for new housing that was not previously developed. The table shows results for the above measures for the period 1992 to 1996 (the most recent available).
"Less Waste: More Value" set out a range of options and questions on what policies the Government should pursue, in order to:
encourage, and emphasise the importance of, actions to minimise the waste that we produce (both in terms of volume and hazardousness); andsubstantially increase the recycling and composting rates for waste, as part of an integrated strategy which also addresses the issue of waste that it does not make sense to recycle.We are now in the process of developing these policies, which will be published for consultation, as part of the draft of the new waste strategy for England and Wales. The Government intend to publish a draft of the new waste strategy during the Spring of 1999 and will consult with all interested parties during the Summer. We plan to publish a final version of the new waste strategy as a Command Paper before the end of 1999.
§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what advice he has sought regarding the strategy to be pursued to achieve the Government's waste recycling targets for Greater London; how the Government intend to achieve these targets without placing greater reliance on landfill sites; 445W what is his strategy regarding incineration and the development of combined heat and power; and if he will make a statement. [65771]
§ Mr. MealeThe new Mayor of London will have a duty to prepare an integrated municipal waste management strategy for London. This will have regard to the national waste strategy, due to be published later this year, and local authority waste recycling plans. In the meantime, the Government are providing London Boroughs with £12 million under the Capital Challenge Programme to boost recycling levels in London.
Waste to energy incineration must be considered in the context of an integrated approach to waste management, which encourages waste minimisation, re-use and recycling. Where waste incineration with energy recovery is the best practicable environmental option, the potential for incorporating CHP should always be considered in order to maximise the energy which is recovered.
§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what role he envisages for incineration in achieving his waste strategy for London; what plans he has to place a moratorium on the development or expansion of incinerator capacity; what advice his Department will issue to local authorities on(a) the scale of any future facilities and (b) the length of disposal contracts for incineration; and if he will make a statement. [65770]
§ Mr. MealeWaste incineration is currently an integral part of waste disposal in London and in the consultation paper issued last year on the national waste strategy the Government took the view that there was likely to be a need for higher levels of incineration with energy recovery in future. We do not plan to place a moratorium on the development or expansion of incinerator capacity in London, nor do we plan to issue advice to local authorities on the scale of future facilities or the length of disposal contracts.