§ Mr. CashTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place Stafford borough council and Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council on the list of those areas in receipt of business rate relief in respect of foot and mouth disease. [157613]
§ Mr. MeacherStafford borough council and Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council are not authorities which meet the criteria or rurality used for the targeting of this scheme. However, I have agreed to keep the operation of the scheme under review.
503W
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the rural local authorities to which the emergency business rate relief scheme is applicable due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [157497]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 9 April 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 26 March 2001, Official Report, columns 425–26W.
§ Mr. BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure there is adequate landfill capacity to dispose of animal carcases from the foot and mouth disease outbreak; and if he will make a statement. [158295]
§ Mr. MeacherI issued yesterday the Waste (Foot and Mouth Disease) (England) Regulations 2001 for statutory consultation with appropriate bodies and a copy was placed in the Library of the House.
The main purpose of the proposed Regulations is to enable the Secretary of State to issue directions requiring the holders of waste management licences for specified landfill sites to accept and dispose of specified kinds of agricultural waste. These Regulations and the consequential directions are necessary to ensure that waste arising from the foot and mouth disease outbreak is disposed of effectively and in ways which ensure protection for the environment and human health.