§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of recent changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme on future waste awareness minimisation activities in England and Wales; and how this will impact on the UK's ability to meet the Landfill Directive targets. [97050]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 12 February 2003]: Changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS), which will introduce a new public expenditure scheme to replace some elements of the current scheme, will allow the Government to target funding better as a means of achieving specific sustainable waste management objectives. Initially, the aim will be to deliver the short to medium term measures set out in the Strategy Unit's report "Waste Not Want Not", to increase waste minimisation; boost recycling; develop new technologies; and improve information and awareness, data and the research base. Increasing performance in these areas, through changes to the LTCS, should improve the UK's capacity to meet its Landfill Directive targets.
§ Mrs. BrowningTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the financial value of annual exports of materials for recycling, with particular reference to(a) green glass, (b) plastic, (c) steel and (d) short fibre from paper mills, was in each of the last three years; and what volume was exported in each case, broken down by destination of export. [96151]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 6 February 2003]: The Department does not record information on the financial value of exported recyclable materials.
H M Customs and Excise are responsible for export statistics. However the comcodes (this is the level at which traders declarations are made) which cover the materials requested, are not specific enough to uniquely identify them.
§ Mr. FlookTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recycling records of local authorities in Somerset. [96497]
§ Mr. MeacherWe have set all local authorities statutory performance standards (or targets) for recycling for 2003–04 and 2005–06. The latest performance information for authorities in Somerset is given as follows:
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Percentage Recycling and composting rate Statutory Performance Standard Authority 1998–99 1999–2000 2001–02 2003–04 2005–06 Bath and North East Somerset Council 17 21 23 33 36 Mendip District Council 8 7 7 16 24 North Somerset Council 7 10 13 14 21 Sedgemoor District Council 6 6 6 12 18 Somerset County Council 14 13 16 28 36 South Somerset District Council 11 10 10 22 33 Taunton Deane Borough Council 12 10 13 24 36 West Somerset District Council 8 9 11 16 24 Government have provided extra funding to help authorities meet these standards through successive increases in the EPCS spending block, which includes waste services, and through the National Waste
Authority Category Round 1 Somerset Waste Partnership Partnership working between authorities Bath and North East Somerset Council Two bids under high performance, innovation and best practice North Somerset Council Help turn around low performance Round 2 North Somerset Council Help turn around low performance Sedgemoor District Council Developing community initiatives South Somerset District Council Partnership working between authorities Bath and North East Somerset Council High performance, innovation and best practice It is too soon to tell whether individual authorities in Somerset or elsewhere, will meet the standards. In September 2002 I wrote to the leaders of 141 councils asking them to let me know how they intend to meet their 2003–04 Statutory Performance Standard for recycling and composting of household waste of which the following four were in Somerset:
- Mendip District Council
- Sedgemoor District Council
- South Somerset District Council
- Taunton Deane Borough Council.
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Percentage Recycling and composting rate Statutory Performance Standards Authority 1998–99 1999–2000 2001–02 2003–04 2005–06 London Barking and Dagenham LB 3 3 4 10 18 Barnet LB 9 8 8 18 27 Bexley LB 18 18 19 33 36 Brent LB 5 6 7 10 18 Bromley LB 7 13 13 14 21 Camden LB 11 13 16 22 33 Croydon LB 14 13 12 28 36 Ealing LB 10 12 12 20 30 East London Waste Authority 4 5 8 10 18 Enfield LB 9 9 9 18 27 Greenwich LB 4 4 6 10 18 Hackney LB 2 2 1 10 18 Hammersmith and Fulham LB 8 7 8 16 24 Haringey LB 5 5 6 10 18 Harrow LB 8 10 11 16 24 Havering LB g 8 4 18 27 Hillingdon LB 7 11 13 14 21 Hounslow LB 14 14 13 28 36 Islington LB 3 2 5 10 18 Minimisation and Recycling Challenge Fund under which the following Somerset authorities made successful bids.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recycling records of local authorities in(a) West Sussex and (b) London. [96008]
§ Mr. MeacherWe have set all local authorities statutory performance standards (or targets) for recycling for 2003–04 and 2005–06. The latest performance information for authorities in London and West Sussex is given as follows:
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Percentage Recycling and composting rate Statutory Performance Standards Authority 1998–99 1999–2000 2001–02 2003–04 2005–06 Kingston-upon-Thames LB 15 18 20 30 36 Lambeth LB 7 8 9 14 21 Lewisham LB 4 4 5 10 18 London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 11 13 13 22 33 London Corporation 0 0 0 10 18 Merton LB 9 11 18 18 27 Newham LB 2 3 2 10 18 North London Waste Authority 6 7 8 12 18 Redbridge LB 7 8 9 14 21 Richmond upon Thames LB 14 n/a 16 28 36 Southwark LB 3 3 3 10 18 Sutton LB 16 27 25 33 36 Tower Hamlets LB 3 2 3 10 18 Waltham Forest LB 6 9 8 12 18 Wandsworth LB 8 7 7 16 24 West London Waste Authority 9 9 12 18 27 Western Riverside Waste Authority 8 11 9 16 24 Westminster City Council 6 7 7 12 18 West Sussex Adur District Council 17 22 17 33 36 Arun District Council 14 14 14 28 36 Chichester District Council 12 14 12 24 36 Crawley Borough Council 10 11 10 20 30 Horsham District Council 13 13 13 26 36 Mid Sussex District Council 18 20 18 33 36 West Sussex County Council 12 16 17 24 36 Worthing Borough Council 12 12 12 24 36 Government have provided extra funding to help authorities meet these standards through successive increases in the EPCS spending block, which includes waste services, and through the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Challenge Fund under which West Sussex made a successful bid for a project to raise the awareness of waste issues. A separate Capital Fund of £21.3 million was established for authorities across London.
West Sussex has also been successful in receiving approval for PFI funding for a recycling led waste project that aims to enable them to reach their target for 2005–06 of 36 per cent. and achieve long term recycling and composting levels comparable with the highest in Europe.
It is too soon to tell whether individual authorities in London and West Sussex or elsewhere, will meet the standards. In September 2002 I wrote to the leaders of 141 councils asking them to let me know how they intend to meet their 2003–04 Statutory Performance Standard for recycling and composting of household waste of which the following were in London and West Sussex:
London
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
- London Borough of Barnet
- London Borough of Bexley
- London Borough of Croydon
- London Borough of Ealing
- London Borough of Enfield
- London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
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- London Borough of Newham
- London Borough of Redbridge
- London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
- London Borough of Southwark
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- Western Riverside Waste Authority
West Sussex
- Adur District Council
- Arun District Council
- Horsham District Council
- Mid Sussex District Council
- Worthing Borough Council