§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what incentives she has given to encourage(a) recycling and (b) cascade use of scrapped tyres. [60641]
§ Mr. WilsonOver the years the Government have provided financial support to a number of tyre recycling projects, across a broad spectrum of activity, at various stages of development. R & D has received support through schemes such as SMART, Partners in Innovation and those run by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Companies have also received grants where they have chosen to establish themselves in particular areas of the country eligible for support under schemes such as regional selective assistance.
The Government have been working with the tyre industry since 1995 through the Used Tyre Working Group, which includes the four major tyre associations and representatives from the DTI and the Environment Agency. This group produces an annual report which identifies the main destinations for scrapped tyres, and presents statistics which quantify tyre recovery rates. This information is made widely available.
996W
UK aerospace job losses since 11 September 2002 Company Job losses Anticipated job losses Location Airbus UK 0 — (Early retirements made cuts unnecessary) Alenia Marconi Systems 98 — Cwmbran, Wales Augusta Westland formerly GKN Westland Helicopters 650 — Cowes, Isle of Wight 70 — Yeovil 350 — Weston-super-Mare
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has put in place to ensure that whole tyres will be properly disposed of once they are banned from landfill sites. [60639]
§ Mr. WilsonWe are working closely with the industry and regulatory authorities such as the Environment Agency on tyre disposal and recovery issues. The proper disposal of tyres forms an important element of this work. The agency is committed to a long term programme, leading up to the landfill tyre ban, aimed at improving industry's awareness of its disposal responsibilities, backed up by effective enforcement action. We wholeheartedly endorse this programme and have provided additional funding to strengthen the agency's enforcement capabilities in this area.
It will be necessary to ensure that the framework underpinning the tyre landfill ban promotes responsible tyre disposal and recovery. In April, DTI issued a discussion document on used tyre issues which included a possible statutory producer responsibility model. Comments on that discussion paper have been requested by 12 July 2002. We will consider next steps in light of the responses received.