§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure best use of public money by ENTRUST. [131666]
§ Mr. TimmsENTRUST does not determine where funds generated through the landfill tax credit scheme are spent. The Government are keen to promote more spending of contributions on recycling and re-use, particularly the recycling of household waste. The Government set out in the Waste Strategy 2000 ways in which they hope to achieve this and intend to consult interested parties on these proposals.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the(a) efficiency and (b) funding distribution policies of ENTRUST. [131665]
§ Mr. TimmsFunds are donated by landfill site operators to environmental bodies. ENTRUST has no part in deciding which projects receive funding. The landfill tax legislation sets out the broad categories of environmental projects that can qualify for funding.
As the regulator of the landfill tax credit scheme, it is ENTRUST's job to ensure that the money is properly spent by qualifying environmental bodies in ways governed by the landfill tax regulations, and that no direct benefit passes to the contributors. HM Customs and Excise, which audits ENTRUST's performance to ensure that it meets an acceptable standard, is satisfied that ENTRUST has appropriate systems in place to identify abuses and revoke the approval of non-compliant bodies.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to abolish ENTRUST and redirect landfill tax moneys to local authorities. [131667]
§ Mr. TimmsNo. The Government have set out in the Waste Strategy 2000 that they will explore options for amending the landfill tax credit scheme to contribute more to the objective of increased recycling, including helping local authorities to raise recycling levels.