§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the level of fly tipping in the countryside; and if she will make a statement. [6613]
§ Mr. MeacherThe fly tipping forum, under the chairmanship of the Environment Agency, has commissioned research to assess the problem of fly tipping on farmland. However, the survey, which is an essential part of the project, was suspended on the outbreak of the foot and mouth epidemic. The project will be carried out as soon as practicable.
The action being taken by the Government on fly tipping and other forms of unlawful waste disposal was set out most recently in the Government's response to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's report on the Environment Agency (Cm 4832—paragraphs 55–60).