§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inspections were carried out at industrial and waste sites by each individual Environment Agency office in(a) 1997 and (b) 2001; and if she will make a statement. [93707]
§ Mr. MeacherUntil recently, the Agency has required its regions to report only the annual inspection total for the region as a whole. The regional inspection figures for 1997 and 2001 are as follows:
Industrial Waste Region 1997–98 2001–02 1997–98 2001–02 Anglian 978 616 17,432 13,919 Midlands 850 571 24,895 17,237 North East 1,211 1,150 23,278 17,784 North West 806 646 20,530 13,503 Southern 418 298 11,487 5,515 South West 394 238 15,410 10,206 Thames 343 308 18,950 11,967 Wales 583 413 8,228 6,826 These figures reflect the Agency's move towards a more risk based approach to inspection, with fewer, more in-depth visits targeted on those sites with the greatest potential to harm the environment.