§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many abandoned vehicles were dealt with under the Pollution Control and Local Government (NI) Order 1978 in each year since 1997; and what the average cost is of dealing with abandoned vehicles under this Order. [84520]
§ Angela SmithThere are no data available for the numbers and the costs associated with the collection of abandoned vehicles for the years 1997 to 1999. However, at the start of this year the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment commissioned a survey to obtain data and information about End of Life Vehicles (ELVs), including abandoned vehicles, in 2000.
In 2000, the number of abandoned vehicles disposed of by district councils was 2,899 and the direct costs associated with collection and disposal of these ranged from £0 to £50. The average cost was £40.67. Additional costs, including the costs of storage and officer time, increased the average cost to £53. The total cost to councils for collecting all abandoned vehicles in 2000 was estimated to be £117,902.
An Executive Summary of the survey will be published in early 2003.
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