§ Lord Northbrookasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the statement by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 28 November 2000 to the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs that landfill tax will increase by£25 per tonne by 2004:
- (a) whether the increase will benefit local community projects exclusively or whether it will also he geared to general research, development and education on recycling;
WA 202 - (b) what measures and financial support for local councils will be put in place to deal with any increase in fly-tipping and to meet the costs of councils in removing the waste; and
- (c)whether the Litter Act 1975 will he amended to remove the obligation on landowners to remove fly-tipped waste to official waste tips at their own expense. [HL1926]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyIn speaking to the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, on 28 November 2000, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirmed the rises in landfill tax announced in Budget 1998. That is, the standard rate of Landfill Tax increased from £7 per tonne to £10 per tonne from 1 April 1999. It then rose by a further £1 per tonne in April 2000 and April 2001, and these annual £1 increases will continue until at least 2004. These rises are designed to make waste producers take account of the environmental costs they impose on society, encouraging efforts to minimise the amount of waste generated and to develop more sustainable forms of waste management such as recycling, composting and recovery.
The Government are committed to meeting the challenging targets for waste recycling set out in Waste Strategy 2000. In the Pre-Budget Report 2000, we announced that we would explore how resources going through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme could be better used to increase recycling rates. We have issued a challenge to the waste industry to meet demanding targets to allocate a greater proportion of tax credits towards sustainable waste management, and particularly recycling.
Spending Review 2000, which set the framework for government support to local government, provided an increase of £1.1 billion by 2003–04 in the revenue support to local authorities for environmental protective and cultural services, including their waste management function. Local authorities will set their own priorities for the use of these resources.
Section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides the Environmental Agency, and local authorities in their role as waste collection authorities, with powers to secure the removal of fly-tipped waste, and to recover their costs from those responsible. Owners or occupiers of land cannot be required to remove fly-tipped waste unless they deposited it themselves or knowingly caused or permitted its deposit.