§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase provision to local authorities to help combat(a)fly-tipping and (b)abandoned cars. [47379]
§ Mr. MeacherThe financial pressures on local authorities generated by waste management, including abandoned cars and fly-tipping, will be considered in the course of the current spending review (SR2002).
Local authorities' waste management services are funded through council tax revenue and revenue support from Government via the Environmental Protection and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of funding. The spending review 2000 announced the framework for the Government's support to local authorities for the next three years up to 2003–04. This included an annual 290W increase in the revenue support to local authorities for EPCS. By 2003–04 this support will have risen by £1.1 billion over the 2000–01 provision. Consistent with the general local authority financial framework, it is for individual local authorities to decide the proportion of their budget that should be directed to waste management work and what proportion of spending on waste management should go towards areas of work such as combating fly-tipping and abandoned cars.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many(a)individuals and (b)companies since 1997 have been prosecuted for illegal fly-tipping; and if she will make a statement as to the range of penalties imposed. [47378]
§ Mr. MeacherBoth local authorities and the Environment Agency may prosecute for fly tipping offences. Between 1996 and 2001 the Environment Agency recorded prosecutions for waste offences generally and on a financial year basis. Therefore, this information did not distinguish fly tipping offences from other waste offences. From 2001, data is collected on a calendar year basis and records whether an incident involves the unlawful deposit of waste (breach of section 33(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990), and whether an individual or company is involved. From December 2001 the data now specifically records whether an incident involves fly tipping. The information is as follows:
Number of prosecutions Prosecutions for general waste offences 1996–97 241 1997–98 345 1998–99 367 1999–2000 342 2000–01 439 Prosecutions under section 33 (1)(a) 2001 1234 1196 individuals and 38 companies No central register is kept of local authorities' prosecutions.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether liquid animal carcases were dumped in the Irish Sea from 1 May 2001 to 28 February 2002; and if she will make a statement. [47050]
§ Mr. MorleyLiquid animal carcases have never been dumped in the Irish Sea but I can confirm that between 1 May 2001 and 10 December 2001, the leachate from the Watchtree (Great Orton) mass burial site was discharged via a long sea outfall at Workington, into the Irish Sea.
Between 8 April and 15 June, the leachate (including body fluids, the breakdown products of animal carcases and any rainfall or surface water ingress into the pits) was pH adjusted for FMD virus control purposes. The Department installed a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) treatment plant on the site during June and from 15 June all leachate underwent additional primary treatment in the DAF plant before being tankered to Workington. On 2 October the pH adjustment ceased and on 10 December all use of the long sea outfall was stopped.
291WSince the 10 December, leachate has been tankered off site and disposed of at suitably licensed sites.