§ Mrs. Brooke:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on small businesses of the requirement to take refrigerators to scrap yards after 1 January 2002. [12689]
§ Nigel Griffiths:These requirements are a policy matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment. However, officials in the Department have been assisting those in DEFRA to consult small businesses about this issue, and to consider the wider implications for small businesses as the policy is developed.
DEFRA is currently assessing what financial assistance local authorities will require, in keeping with the new burdens procedure.