HC Deb 24 July 2002 vol 389 c1332W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on basing the proposed waste electrical and electronic equipment directive on the principle of individual producer responsibility. [72022]

Mr. Wilson

DTI works very closely with all Departments, but especially with DEFRA on this directive.

The Government support the principle of individual producer responsibility, but believe that making this mandatory might impose disproportionate cost and administrative burdens on some firms, especially SMEs with little additional environmental gain. We therefore continue to support the common position text, which would allow a collective or an individual approach.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to ensure that the proposed waste electrical and electronic equipment directive is introduced in a way that is(a) beneficial to the environment and (b) cost-effective for the producer. 171935]

Mr. Wilson

Studies undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Department show that the WEEE directive is likely to offer significant environmental benefits over current practice. A report was written in 1999 and updated this year. It is available on the DTI website.

We have negotiated hard in Brussels for as much flexibility as possible in the directive and will implement in the most cost-effective manner permitted by the final text, while maximising the environmental benefits. The Regulatory Impact Assessments already completed will help inform this. We will, of course, continue to consult widely.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what responsibility for the implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive into UK law will lie with(a) her Department and (b) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. [71934]

Mr. Wilson

The Department has lead responsibility for negotiating this directive. We work very closely with other Government Departments, especially DEFRA. We have yet to make a decision on which Department will transpose the WEEE directive into UK law.