§ Lord Mackie of Benshieasked Her Majesty's Government:
Given that the Environment Agency is required to operate a full cost recovery regime. how much do the size and cost of the work feature in the calculations of the inspection charges. [HL634]
§ Lord WhittyThe Environment Agency's regulatory charges are not based on the visit of an inspector, but on the total annual cost of the full range of agency activity associated with regulating specific environmental functions. The agency apportions its costs to individual chargepayers on the basis of the principles set out in its published charging schemes.
The agency is currently consulting on proposals to realign its apportionment of costs to reflect the degree of environmental risk associated with activity. It is proposing to apply these principles to its integrated pollution prevention and control, and waste management charges and is considering extending this principle to other regulatory regimes and charges.